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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:  Digging out the buried wreckages of aircraft was done with varying degrees of enthusiasm by the MU salvage parties and very often depended upon site accessibility, depth of the buried aircraft, availability of equipment and manpower. An additional factor might well have been the need to retrieve the remains of any aircrew still trapped in the wreckage – such assignments obviously being extremely unpopular with the salvage parties. In this instance, a Messerschmitt 1
    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:  Digging out the buried wreckages of aircraft was done with varying degrees of enthusiasm by the MU salvage parties and very often depended upon site accessibility, depth of the buried aircraft, availability of equipment and manpower. An additional factor might well have been the need to retrieve the remains of any aircrew still trapped in the wreckage – such assignments obviously being extremely unpopular with the salvage parties. In this instance, a Messerschmitt 1
    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:  Digging out the buried wreckages of aircraft was done with varying degrees of enthusiasm by the MU salvage parties and very often depended upon site accessibility, depth of the buried aircraft, availability of equipment and manpower. An additional factor might well have been the need to retrieve the remains of any aircrew still trapped in the wreckage – such assignments obviously being extremely unpopular with the salvage parties. In this instance, a Messerschmitt 1
    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:  Digging out the buried wreckages of aircraft was done with varying degrees of enthusiasm by the MU salvage parties and very often depended upon site accessibility, depth of the buried aircraft, availability of equipment and manpower. An additional factor might well have been the need to retrieve the remains of any aircrew still trapped in the wreckage – such assignments obviously being extremely unpopular with the salvage parties. In this instance, a Messerschmitt 1
    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:  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:  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 Dornier, but this time a Dornier 17, was shattered when it met its demise at Boconnoc Estate near Lostwithiel in Cornwall on 9 November 1940 killing all four crew. Hitting the ground at a shallow angle the aircraft careered into woodland and exploded, leaving little for this fed-up looking RAF airman to guard or for the Maintenance Unit salvage parties to later clear up. Usually the recovery gangs cleared debris away with a remarkable thoroughness, although in
    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 still they dig! Another mystery photograph as an RAF maintenance unit salvage party pose in the crater made by a crashing aircraft during 1940 at an unknown location in the south of England. In this instance, and despite the poor quality of the photograph, the crash seems to have involved a Hurricane, judging from the smashed fragments. The only recognisable item is the butt of a Browning .303 machine that has become embedded vertically in the soil by the force of
    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 inverted Messerschmitt and another job for 49 MU’s Coles crane came on 30 September 1940 in Windsor Great Park when a Messerschmitt 109 of 7./JG27 made a forced-landing there after being damaged by fighters during a bomber escort mission to London. In executing the emergency landing, Oblt Karl Fischer’s Me 109 turned over onto its back although, miraculously, Fischer was captured unhurt after what could easily have been a fatal crash. For the MU salvage pa
    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 inverted Messerschmitt and another job for 49 MU’s Coles crane came on 30 September 1940 in Windsor Great Park when a Messerschmitt 109 of 7./JG27 made a forced-landing there after being damaged by fighters during a bomber escort mission to London. In executing the emergency landing, Oblt Karl Fischer’s Me 109 turned over onto its back although, miraculously, Fischer was captured unhurt after what could easily have been a fatal crash. For the MU salvage pa
    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: More wreckage for Banbury was collected by A.V. Nicholls & Co. from the grounds of The Gordon Boys Home at Chobham, Surrey where this Heinkel 111 of 6./KG26 had been shot down by anti-aircraft fire on the night of 23/24 September 1940. All of the crew had baled out, and so this burnt and shredded parachute must have been a spare that was on board the bomber. Of the wreckage, most was burnt and scattered over a wide area, although salvage gang member Bob Sawyers still 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:  Of this Stuka there was precious little left to salvage even before any souvenir hunters got to work. This was the smashed up wreckage of a Junkers 87 that had crashed into houses at Shorncliffe Crescent, Folkestone on 15 August 1940 after being pursued by a Hurricane that sent it careering through the high tension power lines in the background. In the far distance a group of Hurricanes can be seen – most probably returning to their home airfield at nearby RAF Hawki
    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 Heinkel 111 on the British American Tobacco Company lorry may well be this one which crash-landed at Westfield Farm, Studland, after sustaining combat damage on 25 September 1940. If so, it hides a tragic story relating to its recovery by a salvage party from 50 Maintenance Unit, Cowley. Two airmen working on the recovery of this aircraft were electrocuted when their Coles crane touched overhead electric cables. The offending power lines can be seen in the backgro
    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 accommodation, too, for the 49 MU recovery parties could be little more than basic. Temporary billets might be found in nearby households, but often the living quarters would be in barns and outhouses if the salvage job ran over more than one day away from the Faygate area. Usually, though, accommodation was simply under canvas<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 image also highlights the pending logistical headache for the RAF once war was declared just three months later: how to salvage and recover crashed aircraft? At the time this photograph was taken it was very often simply the case that the motor transport section of the nearest RAF unit, or else the engineering officer of the squadron involved, would simply detail a party to go out and collect the pieces. Clearly, that was neither a sufficient nor a practical solut
    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:  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:  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:  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:  Although the bulk of the mangled wreckage at Victoria Station posed little difficulty for access by the salvage gangs, the severed tail section that landed on a nearby rooftop was probably a little more challenging to remove. This was arguably the most photographed and most famous German aircraft loss in the whole of the Battle of Britain, occurring as it did in central London and on what is universally celebrated as Battle of Britain Day.<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:  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:   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:  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:  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 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:  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:  Although the bulk of the mangled wreckage at Victoria Station posed little difficulty for access by the salvage gangs, the severed tail section that landed on a nearby rooftop was probably a little more challenging to remove. This was arguably the most photographed and most famous German aircraft loss in the whole of the Battle of Britain, occurring as it did in central London and on what is universally celebrated as Battle of Britain Day.<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: 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: 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: 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:  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:   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:  More digging by the men of a 49 MU salvage party. Quite what they are digging out, and where, is a mystery but their Queen Mary lorry and trailer wait in the adjacent lane for another load of aircraft scrap and consignment back to their West Sussex base at 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:  Another inverted Messerschmitt and another job for 49 MU’s Coles crane came on 30 September 1940 in Windsor Great Park when a Messerschmitt 109 of 7./JG27 made a forced-landing there after being damaged by fighters during a bomber escort mission to London. In executing the emergency landing, Oblt Karl Fischer’s Me 109 turned over onto its back although, miraculously, Fischer was captured unhurt after what could easily have been a fatal crash. For the MU salvage pa
    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, a civilian salvage gang employee looks particularly pleased with himself as he prepares to set about the wrecked fuselage with a rather substantial crow bar. Bullet strikes are plainly visible in this photograph.<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 image also highlights the pending logistical headache for the RAF once war was declared just three months later: how to salvage and recover crashed aircraft? At the time this photograph was taken it was very often simply the case that the motor transport section of the nearest RAF unit, or else the engineering officer of the squadron involved, would simply detail a party to go out and collect the pieces. Clearly, that was neither a sufficient nor a practical solut
    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:  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:  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: 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:  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:  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:  In considering the recovery of aircraft in Britain during 1940 it is appropriate to look at similar work being carried out across the other side of the English Channel by the Luftwaffe. Here, units of the Bergungskommando (Salvage Detachments) carried out exactly the same kind of work. Here, and using sheer-legs, they haul a shot down Spitfire off a French beach.<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:  More digging by the men of a 49 MU salvage party. Quite what they are digging out, and where, is a mystery but their Queen Mary lorry and trailer wait in the adjacent lane for another load of aircraft scrap and consignment back to their West Sussex base at 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: Less challenging was the recovery of a Junkers 87 ‘Stuka’ shot down at St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight during an attack on ships of Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ on 8 August 1940. Here, a salvage party from 49 MU Faygate pose with their trophy before dismantling and transportation gets underway, involving what was actually the first intact Junkers 87 to fall into British hands. Later, the airmen involved pose with the ‘Stuka’ <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 it wasn’t just the transport that sometimes had a hard job. Here, a party from 49 MU drags sections of a crashed aircraft across a Kent hop field. Judging by the empty hop garden and the warm clothing this is either very early in 1940 or much later in the year. The work of the salvage parties was often arduous, cold and dirty; and it certainly wasn’t glamorous.<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: 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:  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:  Another Dornier, but this time a Dornier 17, was shattered when it met its demise at Boconnoc Estate near Lostwithiel in Cornwall on 9 November 1940 killing all four crew. Hitting the ground at a shallow angle the aircraft careered into woodland and exploded, leaving little for this fed-up looking RAF airman to guard or for the Maintenance Unit salvage parties to later clear up. Usually the recovery gangs cleared debris away with a remarkable thoroughness, although in
    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:  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 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:  In considering the recovery of aircraft in Britain during 1940 it is appropriate to look at similar work being carried out across the other side of the English Channel by the Luftwaffe. Here, units of the Bergungskommando (Salvage Detachments) carried out exactly the same kind of work. Here, and using sheer-legs, they haul a shot down Spitfire off a French beach.<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 breakdown job! With no Coles crane, this salvage party have pressed into service a breakdown truck from a local garage in order to lift the Messerschmitt 109 of Uffz Hamer who put his Me 109 down close to the cricket pavilion at Pelsham House, Peasmarsh on 30 September 1940. The wings have been removed and loaded, and wooden sleepers are being placed under the fuselage and engine to gradually raise the aircraft level with a flat-bed truck or trailer. More o
    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 inverted Messerschmitt and another job for 49 MU’s Coles crane came on 30 September 1940 in Windsor Great Park when a Messerschmitt 109 of 7./JG27 made a forced-landing there after being damaged by fighters during a bomber escort mission to London. In executing the emergency landing, Oblt Karl Fischer’s Me 109 turned over onto its back although, miraculously, Fischer was captured unhurt after what could easily have been a fatal crash. For the MU salvage pa
    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: More wreckage for Banbury was collected by A.V. Nicholls & Co. from the grounds of The Gordon Boys Home at Chobham, Surrey where this Heinkel 111 of 6./KG26 had been shot down by anti-aircraft fire on the night of 23/24 September 1940. All of the crew had baled out, and so this burnt and shredded parachute must have been a spare that was on board the bomber. Of the wreckage, most was burnt and scattered over a wide area, although salvage gang member Bob Sawyers still 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:  The Heinkel 111 on the British American Tobacco Company lorry may well be this one which crash-landed at Westfield Farm, Studland, after sustaining combat damage on 25 September 1940. If so, it hides a tragic story relating to its recovery by a salvage party from 50 Maintenance Unit, Cowley. Two airmen working on the recovery of this aircraft were electrocuted when their Coles crane touched overhead electric cables. The offending power lines can be seen in the backgro
    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 was the recovery of a Junkers 87 ‘Stuka’ shot down at St Lawrence on the Isle of Wight during an attack on ships of Convoy CW9 ‘Peewit’ on 8 August 1940. Here, a salvage party from 49 MU Faygate pose with their trophy before dismantling and transportation gets underway, involving what was actually the first intact Junkers 87 to fall into British hands. Later, the airmen involved pose with the ‘Stuka’ <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 it wasn’t just the transport that sometimes had a hard job. Here, a party from 49 MU drags sections of a crashed aircraft across a Kent hop field. Judging by the empty hop garden and the warm clothing this is either very early in 1940 or much later in the year. The work of the salvage parties was often arduous, cold and dirty; and it certainly wasn’t glamorous.<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 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:  An unusual breakdown job! With no Coles crane, this salvage party have pressed into service a breakdown truck from a local garage in order to lift the Messerschmitt 109 of Uffz Hamer who put his Me 109 down close to the cricket pavilion at Pelsham House, Peasmarsh on 30 September 1940. The wings have been removed and loaded, and wooden sleepers are being placed under the fuselage and engine to gradually raise the aircraft level with a flat-bed truck or trailer. More o
    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, a civilian salvage gang employee looks particularly pleased with himself as he prepares to set about the wrecked fuselage with a rather substantial crow bar. Bullet strikes are plainly visible in this photograph.<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:  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: Dismantling of this Dornier 17 of 8./KG76, shot down at Castle Farm, Shoreham, Kent, is already well underway after being downed on Sunday 15 September 1940 – ‘Battle of Britain Day’. Stripped panels have been heaped in the foreground as a trailer stands ready to the left of the starboard wing and the salvage crew continue their work. In this instance, the gang seems to include civilians, RAF personnel and soldiers.<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:  Of this Stuka there was precious little left to salvage even before any souvenir hunters got to work. This was the smashed up wreckage of a Junkers 87 that had crashed into houses at Shorncliffe Crescent, Folkestone on 15 August 1940 after being pursued by a Hurricane that sent it careering through the high tension power lines in the background. In the far distance a group of Hurricanes can be seen – most probably returning to their home airfield at nearby RAF Hawki
    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:  And still they dig! Another mystery photograph as an RAF maintenance unit salvage party pose in the crater made by a crashing aircraft during 1940 at an unknown location in the south of England. In this instance, and despite the poor quality of the photograph, the crash seems to have involved a Hurricane, judging from the smashed fragments. The only recognisable item is the butt of a Browning .303 machine that has become embedded vertically in the soil by the force of
    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 accommodation, too, for the 49 MU recovery parties could be little more than basic. Temporary billets might be found in nearby households, but often the living quarters would be in barns and outhouses if the salvage job ran over more than one day away from the Faygate area. Usually, though, accommodation was simply under canvas<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: Dismantling of this Dornier 17 of 8./KG76, shot down at Castle Farm, Shoreham, Kent, is already well underway after being downed on Sunday 15 September 1940 – ‘Battle of Britain Day’. Stripped panels have been heaped in the foreground as a trailer stands ready to the left of the starboard wing and the salvage crew continue their work. In this instance, the gang seems to include civilians, RAF personnel and soldiers.<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:  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: 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:  Again at Kenley, this Miles Magister light communications aircraft was completely wrecked in a bombed and collapsed hangar on the same day. Of largely wood and fabric construction there would have been little of any scrap value here. However, RAF maintenance units would have stripped all usable parts such as instruments, propellors, engines, wheels etc., from wrecks like this. If it could be salvaged, then as far as was reasonably possible nothing was wasted.<br />
©Pen an
    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 Royal Navy Reserve Lieutenant from The Thames Patrol paddles in the mud to inspect what is left of a Spitfire shot down off Hoo Marina in the Thames Estuary on 5 September 1940. This would certainly have been a challenging job for the Maintenance Unit gangs, being located in deep tidal mud. Nevertheless, much of this wreckage was ultimately removed although the heavier parts were not retrieved until the 1980s when they were salvaged by a team of enthusiasts. The pil
    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:  Again at Kenley, this Miles Magister light communications aircraft was completely wrecked in a bombed and collapsed hangar on the same day. Of largely wood and fabric construction there would have been little of any scrap value here. However, RAF maintenance units would have stripped all usable parts such as instruments, propellors, engines, wheels etc., from wrecks like this. If it could be salvaged, then as far as was reasonably possible nothing was wasted.<br />
©Pen an
    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 Royal Navy Reserve Lieutenant from The Thames Patrol paddles in the mud to inspect what is left of a Spitfire shot down off Hoo Marina in the Thames Estuary on 5 September 1940. This would certainly have been a challenging job for the Maintenance Unit gangs, being located in deep tidal mud. Nevertheless, much of this wreckage was ultimately removed although the heavier parts were not retrieved until the 1980s when they were salvaged by a team of enthusiasts. The pil
    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:  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:  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:  Later, the jumbled wreckage was deposited at a nearby railway goods yard and comes under scrutiny from two RAF officers and an officer from a Scottish regiment.<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:   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 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:  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 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:  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:  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:  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:   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:  the aircraft went on an exhibition tour with postcards produced to mark its display in Croydon to raise money for the local Spitfire Fund. These were inscribed: ‘Made In Germany – Finished In England!’ It doubtless struck a chord with the British public at that time.<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:  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,.....a book from publisher Pen and Sword<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 was another job for the MU gangs, and yet another Messerschmitt 109. This time, Gefreiter Bogasch’s aircraft is recovered from Northbourne Park near Sandwich after being shot down there on 27 September 1940. It is being lifted with the help of a Royal Engineer party and a lorry-mounted gantry crane, although the recovery party seem singularly disinterested by the task in hand. Perhaps their demeanour is because, by this 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:  The removal of souvenirs or trophies from crash sites, German or British, was strictly forbidden. Indeed a number of prosecutions took place of persons accused of taking such items, although this did very little to dissuade others from the practice. Sometimes the souvenir had little more than curiosity ‘value’ although some trophies had a rather more practical value. Here, the tail wheel from the Heinkel 111 shot down at Hale on 29 August was put to good use on a
    ExPix_RARE_PHOTOGRAPHS_AIRCRAFT_SALV...jpg
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