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  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another Luftwaffe Blitz loss was this Heinkel 111 of 9./KG26 that broke up in mid-air after being attacked by a Defiant night fighter at Bendish, near Hitchin in Hertfordshire on the night of 8/9 April 1941. Three of the crew managed to bale out safely, but a fourth was killed. Here, three soldiers guard the broken wing tip of the Heinkel which has very comprehensively reduced itself to scrap. What little else was left was also badly broken up and burnt. Yet more allo
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This was a Dornier 17 that had been shot down at Wansunt Road, Bexley on 3 November 1940 for what was, by this stage of the Blitz, an increasingly uncommon event: a solo daylight attack by a Luftwaffe bomber aircraft over the British Isles. The target had been Woolwich. The Dornier was intercepted and shot down by Hurricanes of 46 Squadron after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Still under some control, a forced-landing was attempted on allotments but crashed and brok
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another Luftwaffe Blitz loss was this Heinkel 111 of 9./KG26 that broke up in mid-air after being attacked by a Defiant night fighter at Bendish, near Hitchin in Hertfordshire on the night of 8/9 April 1941. Three of the crew managed to bale out safely, but a fourth was killed. Here, three soldiers guard the broken wing tip of the Heinkel which has very comprehensively reduced itself to scrap. What little else was left was also badly broken up and burnt. Yet more allo
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   Into the Blitz, and Luftwaffe bomber aircraft continued to fall the length and breadth of the British Isles. Often they were in the most inaccessible of locations. Here, for example, a Heinkel 111 was shot down into the Thames Estuary on the night of 15/16 January 1941 off Canvey Island. It has been ‘caught’ by a port authority vessel and is slowly being edged ashore for examination by RAF Intelligence Officers and eventual scrapping. Aircraft that were lost at s
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A relatively unusual Luftwaffe aircraft type to be brought down over England was the Dornier 215. This example was shot down at Eaton Socon in Bedfordshire on 24 October 1940 and is being guarded by a War Reserve Constable before inspection by an RAF Intelligence Officer. As the Blitz gathered momentum after 7 September 1940, so the scale of downed fighters decreased, and the majority of Luftwaffe aircraft that were being destroyed became bombers.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Excl
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This was a Dornier 17 that had been shot down at Wansunt Road, Bexley on 3 November 1940 for what was, by this stage of the Blitz, an increasingly uncommon event: a solo daylight attack by a Luftwaffe bomber aircraft over the British Isles. The target had been Woolwich. The Dornier was intercepted and shot down by Hurricanes of 46 Squadron after being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Still under some control, a forced-landing was attempted on allotments but crashed and brok
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Rather more beaten up was this Luftwaffe Blitz victim, a Junkers 88 that had crashed and exploded on Moore’s Garage, Ringwood Road, Poole on 14 November after being shot down by Spitfires of 152 Squadron. Mangled wreckage and an engine can be seen here, mixed in with rubble and debris from the demolished garage. The clear up process has already begun, but the German bomber has almost totally disintegrated in the impact and subsequent fire.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivep
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   Into the Blitz, and Luftwaffe bomber aircraft continued to fall the length and breadth of the British Isles. Often they were in the most inaccessible of locations. Here, for example, a Heinkel 111 was shot down into the Thames Estuary on the night of 15/16 January 1941 off Canvey Island. It has been ‘caught’ by a port authority vessel and is slowly being edged ashore for examination by RAF Intelligence Officers and eventual scrapping. Aircraft that were lost at s
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A relatively unusual Luftwaffe aircraft type to be brought down over England was the Dornier 215. This example was shot down at Eaton Socon in Bedfordshire on 24 October 1940 and is being guarded by a War Reserve Constable before inspection by an RAF Intelligence Officer. As the Blitz gathered momentum after 7 September 1940, so the scale of downed fighters decreased, and the majority of Luftwaffe aircraft that were being destroyed became bombers.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Excl
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Rather more beaten up was this Luftwaffe Blitz victim, a Junkers 88 that had crashed and exploded on Moore’s Garage, Ringwood Road, Poole on 14 November after being shot down by Spitfires of 152 Squadron. Mangled wreckage and an engine can be seen here, mixed in with rubble and debris from the demolished garage. The clear up process has already begun, but the German bomber has almost totally disintegrated in the impact and subsequent fire.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivep
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Whilst the numbers of Messerschmitt 109 being brought down over the UK had drastically diminished by the early part of 1941 due to the cessation of fighter-escorted bomber raids, an exception was the arrival of this one in July 1941. In fact this was the very first example captured intact by the RAF of the Messerschmitt 109-F variant, and was an extremely valuable prize. The aircraft had been hit in the radiator over the English Channel and disabled. The pilot, a lead
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  In this photograph, the Messerschmitt 109-F is seen at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, where it underwent repairs and was test flown by the RAF in British camouflage and marking, although it ultimately crashed near Fowlmere, Cambridgeshire whilst being tested, which resulted in the death of its Polish pilot. It was thought that the cause of the fatal crash was carbon monoxide poisoning caused by leakage into the cockpit of exhaust gasses.<br />
©Pen and Swor
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Finally the wreckage was piled onto a Queen Mary trailer and moved down to Southern England where it was initially exhibited as shown here. The fuselage and engines were preserved for museum display and today comprise a major Imperial War Museum exhibit.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Two of the RAF salvage party are photographed with three of the MG 17 machine guns from Rudolf Hess’s Messerschmitt 110 in a specially posed ‘H for Hess’ arrangement, a picture that was reproduced in many newspapers and journals of the period.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  By the Spring of 1941 a new Maintenance Unit, Number 86, was fully established at Sundridge, near Sevenoaks in Kent, to help deal with the litter of aircraft wrecks across southern England, and its formation resulted in the stand-down of Air Ministry civilian contractors like A.V. Nicholls & Co. Here, an unidentified RAF airman poses with a smashed wing section outside one of the huts at the 86 MU site of RAF Sundridge, Kent, during the early part of 1941.<br />
©Pen and S
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Also in Dorset, and just down the coast, on 22 May 1941, this He 111 H-8 of 4./KG27 (1GzZM, W.Nr 3974) hit the top of a mist covered hill during a sortie to Yeovil, Somerset, and crashed at Chideock Farm, Chaldon Herring at 21.04 hours. One 500kg and two 250kg bombs were still on board. Oblt F. Bartels, Ofw H. Hahn, and Ofw H. Grimmel all landed safely with the aircraft, but Ofw H. Funk and Gefr K. Kohler baled out too low and both were killed. <br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclus
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another tail unit, but this time from a Blenheim that has crashed and burned out near RAF Manston, Kent. The 49 MU salvage party again pose for the customary group photograph before the wreckage is loaded up for return to Faygate. This was not a wreck that could be repaired or returned to service and was described as ‘Category 3’ damage – i.e. written-off.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  crash site at Vaasetter on Fair Isle in the Shetlands. The aircraft is a Heinkel 111 of a weather reconnaissance unit that had crashed there on 18 January 1941. Recovery was deemed impossible and the wreck was still in situ at least until very recent years. When this photograph was taken, not too long after the crash, islanders have already stripped sheets of alloy from the wreck – this was probably not for souvenirs but more likely to be for some practical use, per
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A bandaged Flt Lt Geoffrey Matheson of 222 Squadron surveys the burnt-out remnants of his Spitfire after he had crash-landed near the Sittingbourne Paper Mills on 30 August 1940. The aircraft has exploded shortly after Matheson got the battle-damaged Spitfire on the ground and he was lucky to escape with relatively minor wounds.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  An unusual assignment for the RAF Maintenance Unit salvage parties was for the removal of a number of Italian aircraft shot down over the East Coast when the Italian air force attempted a mass daylight raid on Harwich on 11 November 1940. A number of Fiat CR.42 bi-plane fighters and Fiat BR.20 bombers were shot down, including this Fiat CR.42 which ended up on its nose on a shingle beach at Orfordness and provided a good picture opportunity for a news photographer. Th
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This Junkers 88 was also put on public display, this time as a group of rather self-conscious RAF pilots are ‘posed’ with the wrecked bomber. The aircraft shown here was from 7./KG30 and had been shot down near Bridlington Reservoir on 15 August 1940 with its four crew captured. It is thought that this photograph was taken not far from the crash site, although some months later.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   Viewing this exhibited Heinkel 111 at Hayes in Middlesex became an outing for the Douglas family who posed for a family photograph by the tail plane.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   London’s Guildhall is the venue here for Gefreiter Herbert Rungen’s former mount as his Messerschmitt goes on display to boost the donation of pennies to the Spitfire Fund and here it is being manoeuvred into position by a civilian gang using a heavy crane. Herbert Rungen had made a forced landing at Hastingleigh, near Ashford in Kent on 13 October 1940 after his aircraft was severely damaged in combat with Spitfires. Under the camouflage paint on the fuselage co
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Transporting away aircraft like Hurricane V6799 was generally carried out using the RAF Maintenance Unit Queen Mary trailers like these. Here, a damaged Hurricane and a Spitfire are removed for either repair or spares recovery.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  And this is the very same Junkers 88, but under entirely new management. Repaired, re-painted in British camouflage, and given an RAF serial number the bomber was test-flown by the RAF who were able to glean extremely useful operational and handling data from such evaluation work.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Sometimes even substantially intact aeroplanes like this Heinkel 111 of KG55, shot down onto the beach at East Wittering, West Sussex on 26 August 1940, defied all attempts at recovery. Just yards from the foreshore, this aircraft would literally sink into the sands as successive tides came and went and the relentless action of the English Channel subsequently broke up and dispersed the protruding remains. Many years later, during the 1970s, some of the remaining wrec
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Righted by the Coles crane, the Messerschmitt 109 is subject to eager attention by the RAF salvage gang. One group are intent on the wing gun and its ammunition while another party seem more interested in what they can find in the cockpit.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A few days later, and not too far away from Caterham, another Heinkel came to grief but this time in a mid- air collision with a Hurricane of 79 Squadron on 30 August 1940. This is all that remained of the Hurricane after Plt Off E.J. ‘Teddy’ Morris had baled out. Meanwhile, a herd of unconcerned cows graze around the still smouldering wreckage at Lodge Farm, South Holmwood, Surrey. The charred and twisted wreckage ended up being thrown onto the same trucks as the
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Whilst the Victoria Station Dornier 17 crash was very widely photographed, little attention was paid to the wrecked Hurricane that fell in the roadway nearby at the junction of Ebury Bridge Road with Buckingham Palace Road. Here, however, we see a pile of wreckage that has been collected from the highway and placed against an adjacent wall to await collection. The priority was in getting London traffic moving once again, and the crater that contained the Rolls Royce M
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  There would have been little need for either Coles crane or tripod to remove these sections of Messerschmitt 110 that comprised the wreckage of the aircraft of Erprobungsgruppe 210 shot down at Broadbridge Farm, Horley, Surrey on 15 August 1940. Scattered wreckage has been heaped into this pile ready for collection and would have been light enough to manhandle onto a truck. Meanwhile, a soldier stands guard with his anti-aircraft Bren gun.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another civilian lorry is pressed into use to collect and remove the wreckage of a Messerschmitt 110 shot down at Honeysuckle Lane, High Salvington, near Worthing on 4 September 1940 as the recovery gang give a cheery thumbs-up. The three scaffold tubes would have been used to make a tripod for a block-and-tackle in lieu of a Coles crane in order to lift the sections of airframe onto the lorry. Mudguards and other vehicle extremities were painted white to better aid v
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  On the same day, yet another Dornier 17-Z was shot down over Barham in Kent and ended up crashing onto the railway line there. There was a pressing need to re-open and keep ‘permanent’ the Permanent Way, and here wreckage is piled up against the Pherbec railway bridge as the village policeman mounts guard.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  At the Banbury processing plant, workers carry a section of the Dornier 17 fuselage brought from the crash site at Paddock Wood on 3 July 1940 (see page 19). A mass of other enemy aircraft wreckages await the smelter.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Little wonder, given the scale of aircraft breaking that once went on here, that when the author visited the site of<br />
49 MU at Faygate during 1979 there was still plenty of evidence scattered around of the processing that had taken place on this spot. During the late 1970s and early 1980s the site was a timber yard, and aircraft fragments like these were still strewn far and wide around what had once been RAF Faygate.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  On 16 August 1940 a number of vehicles belonging to 49 MU were destroyed in the Junkers 87 dive-bombing attack against RAF Tangmere and this loss of transport caused problems for the already hard-pressed unit in dealing with an ever increasing tally of crashed aircraft that needed to be dealt with. As the backlog of cases built up, the Air Ministry decided there was no other option than to engage civilian contractors working under the direction of RAF Faygate.<br />
©Pen a
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: airmen from RAF Faygate deal with the dismantling and removal of an RAF Lysander at Marshfoot Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex. The aircraft of 16 Squadron, RAF, had become bogged-in during an emergency landing on 13 March 1940 and it was not possible for the Lysander to be flown out due to the ground conditions.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: In the late 1970s the Kent-based Brenzett Aeronautical Museum finished off the work of 49 MU using a mechanical excavator to retrieve this deeply buried and chalk-encrusted DB601 engine. The difficulty in 1940 of extracting engines that were buried like this generally made such salvage jobs impractical. The wrecks were more often than not left buried, surface wreckage cleared, and the impact craters filled.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: One of the earliest enemy aircraft crashes in Kent was this Dornier 17 of 8./KG77 shot down by Hurricanes of 32 Squadron into a hop garden between Beech Farm and Sheephurst Farm at Collier Street near Paddock Wood on 3 July 1940. The aircraft, which drew crowds of sightseers, was a relatively easy recovery job for the salvage party and became one of the first aircraft recovered by 49 MU, RAF Faygate, who dealt with the majority of wartime crashes in Kent, Sussex and Su
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Considerable intelligence value could often be found in even the most shattered and broken-up of wrecks. Here, as an RAF airman picks amongst the fragmented remnants of this Heinkel 111 shot down at Bishop’s Court, Chelmsford on 19 June 1940, he finds this Luftwaffe target map. Such discoveries could often give clues as to German operating bases, targets etc. and were useful pieces of intelligence.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Here, both of the Junkers Jumo 211 engines from the dismantled Junkers 88 are taken away by a tractor unit and an RAF flat-bed trailer.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  When Pilot Officer Armstrong of 74 Squadron was shot down in his Spitfire over Sandwich, Kent on 14 November 1940 he baled out leaving his aircraft to bury itself deep in the ground at Bellers Bush Farm where it became another job for the boys from A.V. Nicholls & Co. Here, Jack Austin burrows deep into the soil as the gang dig down to the engine which they reached at fourteen feet but were unable to extricate it from the soft ground and were forced to abandon it.<br />
©P
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This slightly older schoolboy, meanwhile, is no doubt wondering if he can sneak off with this trophy before the men of 49 Maintenance Unit arrive from RAF Faygate. He is examining the aircraft’s tail wheel assembly, but unfortunately he needs to find something rather smaller to fit in in his coat pocket!<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Although the ‘Messerschmitt 109 harvest’ from the previous summer and autumn had slowed, a few examples of the type continued to fall over Britain during the winter of 1940 and into the early part of 1941. Here, a novel means of extracting Lt Otto Zauner’s aircraft of II./JG53 is found by a 49 Maintenance Unit salvage party as two cart horses are harnessed to the fuselage in what is a classic photograph from the period. Zauner had had a lucky escape in this cras
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Less challenging than the Southport wreck was a Junkers 88 shot down at Poling, West Sussex on 24 March 1941. In this shot, it is still burning shortly after crashing at Parsons Farm but the bomber was swiftly removed to RAF Faygate not very many miles away from the crash site. Perhaps because a fresh supply of German aircraft wrecks was rather drying up this Junkers was earmarked for display purposes.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Posing equally challenging salvage problems was this Junkers 88 that had plummeted into marshland at Banks Marsh, Southport, Lancashire, on the night of 7/8 April 1941. Two of the crew had baled out and were taken prisoner, whilst the remaining two were killed in the crash. Here an RAF Crash Inspector from an RAF Maintenance Unit examines the tail unit and ponders how, or if, it might be recovered. Abandonment due to impracticalities of recovery was often the only opt
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Another unusual aircraft type was this RAF Martin Maryland medium bomber of the Overseas Air Movement Control Unit from RAF Kemble which stalled on take-off from RAF Tangmere on 25 February 1941 and is photographed here as a salvage party from RAF Faygate’s 49 MU get to work on its removal. Flying Officer R.J.S. Wooton and his crew escaped, although one of them was injured.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another Junkers 88 put on public display was this aircraft of 8./LG1 which was shot down by Spitfires of 611 Squadron after being sighted over Coventry on 13 November 1940 and eventually crashing at Woodway Farm in Blewbury, Berkshire. This was on the very eve of the infamous Coventry raid. Three of the crew of this Ju 88 were taken prisoner while another had already been killed in the fighter attack. The aircraft was eventually exhibited at St Giles, Oxford, where th
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Dudley in the West Midlands was the final exhibition venue for this Messerschmitt 109 from the RAF Faygate enemy aircraft ‘stable’. The number 13 on the fuselage gave some resonance with its bad luck connotations but in reality its pilot, Oblt Erwin Daig, had been lucky to survive the war as a POW after being shot down at Storrington, West Sussex on 9 September 1940. He could not have thought he was lucky at the time, but the fact of the matter is that had he not
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   London’s Guildhall is the venue here for Gefreiter Herbert Rungen’s former mount as his Messerschmitt goes on display to boost the donation of pennies to the Spitfire Fund and here it is being manoeuvred into position by a civilian gang using a heavy crane. Herbert Rungen had made a forced landing at Hastingleigh, near Ashford in Kent on 13 October 1940 after his aircraft was severely damaged in combat with Spitfires. Under the camouflage paint on the fuselage co
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  As we have already seen, a considerable number of Messerschmitt 109s were recovered from their various crash sites in a relatively undamaged state and were quickly earmarked for public display at venues the length of the country. Mostly this was in aid of the Spitfire Fund. 49 MU at Faygate, at the heart of the collection of wrecks from Kent and Sussex, were ideally placed to source Me 109s for display purposes. Specimens that were largely intact were generally chosen
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A little more care needed to be taken with the recovery of this Hurricane that had made an emergency landing near Folkestone on 7 October 1940. Pilot Officer Ken McKenzie of 501 Squadron had rammed a Messerschmitt 109 in combat over the English Channel, striking the tail of the enemy with his starboard wing tip. Very gingerly McKenzie flew his Hurricane, minus its outboard wing, back to land and executed a safe belly landing. Dismantled, the aircraft was transported t
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Continuing with the theme, this Messerschmitt 109 of 2./JG27 was photographed on an RAF Maintenance Unit Queen Mary low-loader in London during October 1940 outside offices at 161 Clapham Road belonging to another civilian contractor engaged by the Air Ministry for the recovery of aircraft wrecks, Portsmouth Carriers Ltd. The Messerschmitt was left in situ for about a month where it was used as a collecting point for an RAF charity. The writer of the original wartime
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Rather more substantially intact was this Messerschmitt 109 of 3./JG52 which had been shot down at Penshurst Aerodrome, Kent on 27 October 1940. Its pilot, Fw Shieverhofer, was taken prisoner – allegedly by the Spitfire pilot of 74 Squadron who had shot him down and who immediately put down on the Penshurst landing ground to ensure the Luftwaffe pilot’s capture. As a rather precariously overhanging load, counterbalanced by its heavy DB 601 engine, the aircraft bec
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another oversized load and another Messerschmitt cargo for A.V. Nicholls. This time, the heavy end has been balanced on an improvised extension platform as two New Zealand soldiers ride with the captured Messerschmitt. The aircraft was piloted by Fw Verlings of 1./JG52 and had been shot down on 2 September 1940. Here, it is being taken away from where it had crashed on Tile Lodge Farm, Westbere, near Canterbury.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Whilst the Victoria Station Dornier 17 crash was very widely photographed, little attention was paid to the wrecked Hurricane that fell in the roadway nearby at the junction of Ebury Bridge Road with Buckingham Palace Road. Here, however, we see a pile of wreckage that has been collected from the highway and placed against an adjacent wall to await collection. The priority was in getting London traffic moving once again, and the crater that contained the Rolls Royce M
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another civilian lorry is pressed into use to collect and remove the wreckage of a Messerschmitt 110 shot down at Honeysuckle Lane, High Salvington, near Worthing on 4 September 1940 as the recovery gang give a cheery thumbs-up. The three scaffold tubes would have been used to make a tripod for a block-and-tackle in lieu of a Coles crane in order to lift the sections of airframe onto the lorry. Mudguards and other vehicle extremities were painted white to better aid v
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  The raiding of German aircraft wrecks took on a rather different angle when this Dornier 17-Z was shot down near Manor Farm at Stodmarsh in Kent on 13 August 1940. After the crew had been marched off into captivity, Mr Burt<br />
of Manor Farm drained the fuel tanks for use in his Albion lorry, apparently aided and abetted by the Army! This is Mr Burt looking suitably pleased with himself after his unexpected aerial fuel delivery as he is photographed with the Dornier and h
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Such was the volume of aircraft being shot down in the East Kent area that a temporary ‘holding’ depot was established at Elham in Kent where assorted wreckages of locally-crashed aircraft were assembled prior to removal to RAF Faygate before further processing and despatch to the Northern Aluminium Company depot at Banbury. The Messerschmitt 109 seen in this image is the aircraft brought down at East Langdon on 24 August 1940 as featured on page 31. Note the hole
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  photographer couldn’t resist ‘posing’ a fireman with his raised pick-axe as he almost symbolically brought it smashing down on the wreckage.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  The same pair pose on one of 49 MU’s surviving pieces of transport after the Tangmere raid. In the background can be seen the RAF Faygate guardroom which was put to post-war use as a site office for Messers Agate & Co., timber merchants.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Two of the RAF crash inspectors based at RAF Faygate in 1940 were Pilot Officer Bernard Clarke (right) and Flying Officer Jenkins who are seen here with the unit staff car in Horsham town centre during the summer of 1940 at the height of the Battle of Britain. Their task was to visit each crash site, British and German, decide how the recovery should be tackled and the men and equipment required, and then to issue appropriate orders.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Standard equipment for lifting and removal of aircraft wrecks was the ubiquitous Coles crane. Photographs of work actually underway to remove crashed aircraft are somewhat rare, and those that do exist are often posed. However, here we have an RAF maintenance unit in the throes of loading the smashed wreckage of a Junkers 88 onto a flat-bed truck. In this instance, the wreck is that of a Junkers 88 shot down at Martinhoe Common, Lynton, Devon on 24 July 1940. Sections
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: The first of many Messerschmitt 109s to be shot down onto British soil during 1940 was this aircraft of 3./LG2 which fell at Buckland Farm, Sandwich, Kent on 8 July. Here, a party from 49 Maintenance Unit, RAF Faygate, make an effort to dig out the wreckage whilst the local constabulary keep watch to keep at bay the souvenir hunters. In truth, a number of Police officers helped themselves to a trophy or two as was evidenced by a number of retired officers revealing the
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Here the salvage party have dug down to the smashed fin and tail wheel. On the crumpled remnants of the fuselage can be seen the unit emblem: Mickey Mouse carrying an umbrella. They didn’t dig much further, as an excavation at the crash site revealed much later.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: One of the earliest enemy aircraft crashes in Kent was this Dornier 17 of 8./KG77 shot down by Hurricanes of 32 Squadron into a hop garden between Beech Farm and Sheephurst Farm at Collier Street near Paddock Wood on 3 July 1940. The aircraft, which drew crowds of sightseers, was a relatively easy recovery job for the salvage party and became one of the first aircraft recovered by 49 MU, RAF Faygate, who dealt with the majority of wartime crashes in Kent, Sussex and Su
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Posing rather less difficulty for the salvage teams this was all that was left of a Heinkel 115 seaplane that crashed and exploded at The Old Rectory, Eyke, Suffolk on 7 June 1940. The aircraft had been on a mine-laying sortie but flew into the ground after the pilot was apparently dazzled by searchlight beams. The mine on board detonated in the crash killing Oblt zur See Adolf von Hullen and Fw Ludwig Fehr. The aircraft was blown to pieces, and here a group of RAF air
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  And this was a Messerschmitt 109 that had been shot down on 7 October 1940 being pulled out of the sea by the Brenzett Aeronautical Museum during the 1970s. Notwithstanding the sterling efforts of the military and civilian crash salvage parties during the war years it is inevitable that aircraft wrecks they left behind will still be found for many years yet, especially inaccessible crashes such as these in coastal waters.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Finds like this German Junkers Jumo aero engine are sometimes pulled up in trawl nets. This example was brought ashore at Hastings during the late 1960s.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This photograph shows one of the RAF’s Intelligence Officers at work, as Flight Lieutenant Michael Golovine inspects what is left of a Junkers 88 shot down on 20 November 1940 at Stocks Lane, East Wittering, West Sussex. Golovine noted bullet and cannon strikes in the wreckage, and one of those holes is visible in the spar just below and to the left of his right hand.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  When Pilot Officer Armstrong of 74 Squadron was shot down in his Spitfire over Sandwich, Kent on 14 November 1940 he baled out leaving his aircraft to bury itself deep in the ground at Bellers Bush Farm where it became another job for the boys from A.V. Nicholls & Co. Here, Jack Austin burrows deep into the soil as the gang dig down to the engine which they reached at fourteen feet but were unable to extricate it from the soft ground and were forced to abandon it.<br />
©P
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A schoolboy stands fascinated by the spectacle and a water-filled crater, off to the right, hides the buried wreckage of most of the bomber. Again, very little for 49 MU to cart away.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This slightly older schoolboy, meanwhile, is no doubt wondering if he can sneak off with this trophy before the men of 49 Maintenance Unit arrive from RAF Faygate. He is examining the aircraft’s tail wheel assembly, but unfortunately he needs to find something rather smaller to fit in in his coat pocket!<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  here can be little or no doubt that the bizarre arrival in Scotland of Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, in a Messerschmitt 110 on 10 May 1941 presented the RAF Maintenance Units with their most unusual and high-profile job as they collected the pieces of smashed wreckage from the crash site on Bonnyton Moor, Eaglesham, a few miles south-west of Glasgow. Here, the wreckage is scattered across a meadow at Floor Farm.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Although the ‘Messerschmitt 109 harvest’ from the previous summer and autumn had slowed, a few examples of the type continued to fall over Britain during the winter of 1940 and into the early part of 1941. Here, a novel means of extracting Lt Otto Zauner’s aircraft of II./JG53 is found by a 49 Maintenance Unit salvage party as two cart horses are harnessed to the fuselage in what is a classic photograph from the period. Zauner had had a lucky escape in this cras
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  unusual aircraft after partial dismantling by the RAF salvage party, a photograph taken sneakily (and illegally) past the sentry’s rifle by a private photographer!<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Less challenging than the Southport wreck was a Junkers 88 shot down at Poling, West Sussex on 24 March 1941. In this shot, it is still burning shortly after crashing at Parsons Farm but the bomber was swiftly removed to RAF Faygate not very many miles away from the crash site. Perhaps because a fresh supply of German aircraft wrecks was rather drying up this Junkers was earmarked for display purposes.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: This is the very same Junkers 88 some months later after being transported to the Corn Exchange, Brighton, for a War Weapons Exhibition. Although on an RAF Queen Mary, Mr Arthur Nicholls of A.V. Nicholls & Co. greets the wreck in his capacity as Mayor of Brighton and stands in his homburg hat flanked by two RAF airmen. By this stage of the war his company was no longer involved in wreck recovery, the task having been taken over by the establishment of 86 Maintenance Un
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:   Seemingly in rather better condition is this Hurricane at RAF Biggin Hill as LAC Don Booth’s salvage party from 49 MU, RAF Faygate, prepare to dismantle and remove it from the airfield. Booth is second left, wearing the tin helmet. He had obviously heard about the frequent air attacks to which Biggin Hill had been subjected! Almost certainly the Hurricane shown here was being removed for repair prior to a likely return to service.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Safely onto its Queen Mary trailer, ‘Dizzy’ Allen’s Spitfire is headed for a repair depot, via 49 MU at Faygate, as two of the salvage party strike the almost obligatory pose with their latest ‘job’. The truck’s identity plate clearly indicates that the vehicle is on the inventory of 49 Maintenance Unit.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  With the number of Spitfires being collected by 49 MU it would seem that every penny raised for the Spitfire Fund would have been much needed. Here, Sgt Cyril Babbage’s 602 Squadron Spitfire has come a cropper during a wheels- down emergency landing at Iford Hill near Lewes, East Sussex on 12 October 1940. Having run through a hedge, the Spitfire flipped onto its back after the wheels hit a small ditch. Although quite badly damaged, the aircraft was repairable.<br />
©Pe
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Perhaps faring a little worse was this Spitfire of 66 Squadron (X4255) that had been hit by British anti- aircraft fire over the South Coast on 11 October 1940, forcing Pilot Officer H.R. ‘Dizzy’ Allen to execute an emergency landing at RAF Hawkinge. The aircraft ran through the perimeter fence and barbed- wire, ending up looking rather the worse for wear and with its pilot suffering from concussion. Remarkably, and despite the extensive damage shown here, the air
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows: Another unusual aircraft type was this RAF Martin Maryland medium bomber of the Overseas Air Movement Control Unit from RAF Kemble which stalled on take-off from RAF Tangmere on 25 February 1941 and is photographed here as a salvage party from RAF Faygate’s 49 MU get to work on its removal. Flying Officer R.J.S. Wooton and his crew escaped, although one of them was injured.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another of the Italian raiders that came to grief was this further example of a Fiat CR.42 down at Corton Railway Station near Lowestoft on the same day, although in rather a worse state than the CR.42 at Orfordness. This raid was a complete failure, was costly to the Italian Air Force, and was never repeated.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Yet another of the Italian raiding force was this Fiat BR.20 bomber that came to grief in Rendlesham Forest near Woodbridge, Suffolk. Already badly smashed, the only way to extricate this bomber was for the RAF salvage party to further break it up and drag it from the trees. Already souvenir hunters have been to work and cut out the emblems at the top of the white crosses on the rudders.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This was the official 49 MU Enemy Aircraft Collection Order issued to A.V. Nicholls & Co. with instructions to remove the remains of the Bexley Dornier and convey to RAF Faygate.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  The stark reality of a high speed vertical impact by an out of control aircraft is graphically illustrated here. This was all that was left of a Messerschmitt 110 that had been shot down at Borden, near Sittingbourne, Kent on 9 September 1940. Pretty much all that is left can be seen in this photograph, with the rest of the aircraft having been driven deep underground beneath the crater gouged out by the crash. This was what the salvage parties from 49 MU called a ‘
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another somewhat unusual type for a travelling exhibit in Britain was this Messerschmitt 110 which is photographed being unloaded from its 49 MU Queen Mary low-loader trailer for display at Hendon in North West London, and very close to the current location of the Royal Air Force Museum. It was being exhibited to raise funds for the ‘Hendon Four Fighter Fund’, a scheme to purchase four Spitfires by local subscription. The aircraft was shot down on 15 August 1940 a
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Another Junkers 88 put on public display was this aircraft of 8./LG1 which was shot down by Spitfires of 611 Squadron after being sighted over Coventry on 13 November 1940 and eventually crashing at Woodway Farm in Blewbury, Berkshire. This was on the very eve of the infamous Coventry raid. Three of the crew of this Ju 88 were taken prisoner while another had already been killed in the fighter attack. The aircraft was eventually exhibited at St Giles, Oxford, where th
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Whilst the Messerschmitt 109 was favoured for exhibition purposes because of its size and relative portability, other types were sometimes hauled around the countryside to show to the British public, and this was a Junkers 88 on display at Primrose Hill, London on 10 October 1940. It was an aircraft of 2./KG77 that had been shot down at Gatwick Race Course (now Gatwick Airport) on 27 September 1940 with one of its crew killed and the other three captured but wounded.
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  From Hildenborough, the same Heinkel was taken on to Mitcham Common in Surrey where it again drew crowds and yet more pennies for the coffers of the Spitfire Fund.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This Heinkel 111 is on temporary display in the front car park of The Half Moon pub at Hildenborough in Kent, and only a very short distance from where it was shot down on 11 September 1940. Again a civilian lorry has been pressed into service to take the wreck away, and full advantage is being taken of the public interest aroused by the German bomber as soldiers pass around a collecting tin for the Spitfire Fund. Ironically, and just a little over one month later, a
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This Junkers 88, displayed in Wood Green, attracts a curious crowd as the emergency dinghy is exhibited by soldiers. The British public, it seems, never lost their fascination for downed German aircraft that were hauled around the country by RAF Maintenance Units and the Air Ministry’s civilian contractors.<br />
©Pen and Sword/Exclusivepix Media
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  It was souvenir collection at crash sites, though, that presented the greatest challenge to the authorities and here, in a rather desperate measure, the Army have thrown a barbed wire entanglement around a Messerschmitt 109. The aircraft was a machine of 2./JG27 that had made an emergency landing at Harmans Cross in Dorset on 30 November 1940 after a catastrophic engine failure when several pistons and con-rods penetrated the cooling jacket and the engine immediately
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Dudley in the West Midlands was the final exhibition venue for this Messerschmitt 109 from the RAF Faygate enemy aircraft ‘stable’. The number 13 on the fuselage gave some resonance with its bad luck connotations but in reality its pilot, Oblt Erwin Daig, had been lucky to survive the war as a POW after being shot down at Storrington, West Sussex on 9 September 1940. He could not have thought he was lucky at the time, but the fact of the matter is that had he not
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Even less was left of this Messerschmitt which dived vertically into the South Downs at Falmer, near Brighton on 1 October 1940 and completely disintegrated. No trace was found of its pilot, Uffz Hans Bluder of 4./JG26. Here soldiers scour the fields and pile wreckage in a convenient heap around the smashed engine ready for collection by a 49 MU salvage party. Although right on their doorstep, this seems not to have been a wreck cleared away by the Brighton-based A.V.
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This was a Messerschmitt 109 that was beyond much use as an exhibition piece although, in truth, its crushed, truncated and compressed state would surely have generated a good deal of interest. It is pictured at Spruce Lawns, Elham, Kent on 15 October 1940 after it was said that a bullet from a burst of machine gun fire had detonated its single bomb under the fuselage sending the aircraft down in a shower of pieces and minus its engine and rear fuselage. However the d
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  A superb shot of yet more Messerschmitt removals by the men from A.V. Nicholls & Co., this time a long way from home at Barkers Pool, Sheffield, as they prepare another Me 109 for display using the tripod and block-and-tackle arrangement the gangs routinely used for recovery and removal operations. The men had learned by experience the best lifting points and where the centre of gravity was situated on the various aircraft they dealt with. This aircraft had been shot
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  This Messerschmitt 109 bellied into a wheat field at Northdown alongside the Margate to Broad- stairs railway line on 24 July 1940, and its pilot, Oblt Werner Bartels of Gruppen Stab.III/JG26, thereby delivered a near perfect aeroplane for exhibition purposes by the RAF. On its belly, the Messerschmitt was first lifted by the 49 MU Coles crane and its undercarriage lowered, before the salvage party posed with their ‘prize’. To avoid detection from the air, the win
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  When Oblt Helmut Rau of 3./JG3 crash-landed his battle damaged Messerschmitt 109 on the foreshore at Shoeburyness after combat with a Spitfire of 603 Squadron on 31 August 1940, it was hauled off the beach and into the depot at the nearby army ranges. Here, it was initially deposited in a yard along with other wrecks including an RAF Blenheim that may be seen in the background of this photograph. It will be noted that this Messerschmitt has been moved intact and, at t
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
  • RARE PHOTOGRAPHS - AIRCRAFT SALVAGE DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN AND THE BLITZ,<br />
<br />
Clearing away the debris and detritus of modern mechanised warfare is some- thing that warring nations have had to deal with since the end of the First World War, and the inevitable result of twentieth century warfare was the<br />
large-scale littering of land and sea with the wreckages that combat left behind. The massive and widespread land battles across Europe during the first and second world wars left their own particular trails of destruction and debris that had to be cleared away before normal life could once again resume in the post war periods, and those clear-up operations presented their own challenges, dangers and difficulties. In the British Isles during the Second World War, and for the first time in modern history, the country was faced with widespread destruction caused by bombing, and disrup- tion and damage to infrastructure caused by almost six years of conflict – some of that damage resulting from defensive measures taken by the military with the estab- lishment of aerodromes, fortifications and other defences.<br />
Putting things back to how they were took very many years, although during the 1939–1944 period itself a far more immediate problem faced the authorities in Britain: the collection and disposal of shot down or crashed aircraft, allied and enemy. Such crashes needed almost immediate attention for a variety of reasons. How were they dealt with, and what subsequently happened to them?<br />
<br />
Photo shows:  Tunbridge Wells, however, was very much at the heart of ‘Messerschmitt country’ and the Me 109 was hardly a stranger to most of the locals. An opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with this particular aircraft was presented to townsfolk when it was exhibited at The Assembly Halls for the benefit of the Spitfire Fund. The aircraft was from 3./JG53 and had been shot down on 17 October 1940 at RAF Manston with its pilot, Oblt Walter Rupp, taken POW. The inevitabl
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
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