Real or Fake? P-40 found in the Sahara

***kilo delta*** · April 20th, 2012, 15:25

This one is causing a stir on the www ..some "pics" have appeared on a Polish modellers forum of a downed P-40 that has been discovered in the Sahara. Have a look at the pics and decide for yourself...

http://www.konradus.com/forum/read.p...filtr=0&page=1

Incidentally, the OP of the thread has promised more photos of the aircraft in the coming days.

***Wittpilot*** · April 20th, 2012, 16:01

I'm still so very skeptical about this story. The first shots taken from afar I could be easily convinced they were fake. Something about the colors and the placement.... but the close up shots are without a doubt real. So this is very interesting.... It would be somewat nice if we knew roughly where this was so we could search the ole Google Earth.

***kilo delta*** · April 20th, 2012, 16:12

Originally Posted by Wittpilot

.... It would be somewat nice if we knew roughly where this was so we could search the ole Google Earth.

Google Earth images would prove inconclusive as the sands are constantly moving. It'd be great if it were real though, with 19 more buried in crates below it!

***mrogers*** · April 20th, 2012, 17:11

Yep, to me it is real. Too real to be fake and almost too good to be true but it is. So amazingly intact all those years after WWII, I can understand the skeptical reaction of people. I would not be surprised if there are more aircraft, tanks, trucks and whatnot still there, buried in the sand.
It appears that the sand has blasted off the paint from the plane exposing the metal. It's a dry environment in the desert, so it's no wonder it has survived so remarkably intact The sahara is so vast, I would think that people would stick to estabilished routes and rarely stray off them so I would not be surprised if there are vast areas that haven't been touched since WWII.

***Bomber_12th*** · April 20th, 2012, 18:51

There's no reason for it not to be real, and what is in the photos is an actual P-40 airframe, as no modeler or CGI artist can make anything that looks like that. If fake, you'd be talking about old wreck photos that might have been colorized, but these photos are clearly not colorized, and look to have been taken recently.

As mentioned in that original forum page, the aircraft was found while a group was searching for oil (this seems how most of these types of finds occur in the Sahara). All of the deterioration and fading of the paint matches up with what would be expected. Also, a few individuals who would be considered some of the foremost experts on the P-40, through restoring them, haven't been able to spot anything out of the ordinary, only able to confirm things. The orientation of the aircraft and surroundings in the photos also seem to be what I'd expect I would have in my images that I would take if I was walking up to/stumbling upon this for the first time - you'd instinctly want to document what it looked like to see this aircraft mysteriously residing out in the middle of nowhere, as you approached for a closer look.

I look forward to seeing what further news comes from this.

***SSI01*** · April 20th, 2012, 19:16

Check out anything you can find on the "Lady Be Good," lost in the N. African desert in 1943 (I think) and not found until 1959 by some British oil exploration personnel. Weapons all worked, coffee in thermoses was still potable. Crew tried to hike out over the desert and were found mummified where they fell, dehydrated and eventually dead. This apparently happened because they were in a formation attacking a target in Italy, I believe, and the navigator was said to be relying on guidance from the lead bomber for navigation. When they got separated from the main formation they rapidly became lost. Headed south but misjudged their distance to home plate. Thought they were over the sea and bailed out of the aircraft thinking they were going to land in the water. The rest is history.

If you can visit the NMUSAF at WPAFB, there is a very nice exhibit indeed on LBG. Information I have seen on the internet indicates the basic aircraft still resides in Tripoli, in pieces as property of the Libyan government. With the recent change in regime it would be nice if our govt would negotiate for its return.

***Bomber_12th*** · April 20th, 2012, 19:25

Speaking of the "Lady Be Good", these photos of it, taken in 2007, were posted on another board, to show the similar condition of the paint after spending so many years under the sun.

**fsxar177** · April 20th, 2012, 19:36

At first, I thought is was a screen of A2A's P-40....then I had to look closer....

Joseph

***Bomber_12th*** · April 22nd, 2012, 08:01

Well, I don't know if anything else is needed to now prove that this thing is real and actually exists. Unfortunately, I don't quite like what I see being done in the videos, though supposedly the way they removed the ammunition is just fine. In the second video, it looks like they are trying to force the canopy open. Hopefully this thing doesn't start getting taken apart piece by piece, as souvenirs, before this thing can be recovered and brought to a proper museum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LsK74J_W0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFe8C...feature=relmfu

***kilo delta*** · April 22nd, 2012, 08:59

Originally Posted by Bomber_12th

Well, I don't know if anything else is needed to now prove that this thing is real and actually exists. Unfortunately, I don't quite like what I see being done in the videos, though supposedly the way they removed the ammunition is just fine. In the second video, it looks like they are trying to force the canopy open. Hopefully this thing doesn't start getting taken apart piece by piece, as souvenirs, before this thing can be recovered and brought to a proper museum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LsK74J_W0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFe8C...feature=relmfu

I was just about to post those videos too!

An amazing discovery. I for one would love to see the a/c brought back to the UK and displayed "as found" rather than rebuilt. One wonders about the fate of it's pilot...hopefully he was rescued.

***Bomber_12th*** · April 22nd, 2012, 09:18

Yeah, there seems to be a bit of discussion over the fact that the IFF equipment is gone, as well as the canopy was found closed, with all else intact. What this would point to, is that the aircraft was left in a state for recovery after the forced landing, but it was never recovered, and these guys are very likely the first to lay eyes on it since WWII, otherwise other parts would have been taken from it long ago. I personally hope it gets brought back to the U.K. as well, and hopefully much sooner than later.

**fsxar177** · April 22nd, 2012, 10:27

Ohh....Just makes you want to cry!

***kilo delta*** · April 24th, 2012, 07:59

Lot's of new photos on this link..

https://picasaweb.google.com/1146825...eat=directlink

***Prowler1111*** · April 24th, 2012, 09:59

the sad part is that they are tearing it apart..now that it´s out there, i´ll betcha hordes of scavengers will hit it looking for parts for resale and make some great $$..
If it serves someone, i know where a P-51 is at the ecuadorian jungle, not from ww2, but from the 50´s...
Best regards
Prowler

***Bomber_12th*** · April 24th, 2012, 11:49

I'm hoping that the guys with the faces edited out (which don't look like locals) are over-seeing a recovery of the aircraft. At least the photos seem to indicate an interest in the historical time-capsule details of the aircraft, otherwise I wouldn't see there being much interest in so many photos taken of some of the certain preserved details. They've also claimed all along that the RAF was contacted immediately following the discovery.