UnknownGuest12
May 17th, 2012, 08:58
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CFED000005DC-802_964x716.jpg
Intact: Most of the plane's cockpit instruments were untouched and it
still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian
military for safety reasons
However there are fears over what will be left
of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments from the cockpit for
souvenirs and scrap.
Historians are now urging the British
government to step in and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be
protected before the plane is recovered.
Historian Andy Saunders, from Hastings, East Sussex, said: 'The aviation
historical world is hugely excited about this discovery.
'This
plane has been lying in the same spot where it crashed 70 years ago. It hasn't
been hidden or buried in the sand, it has just sat there.
'It is
a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's
Tomb.
'It is hundreds of miles from anywhere and
there is no reason why anyone would go there.
'It
would appear the pilot got into trouble and just brought it down in the middle
of the desert.
'He must have survived the crash because one
photo shows a parachute around the frame of the plane and my guess is the poor
bloke used it to shelter from the sun.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CF0B000005DC-909_964x705.jpg
Second
World War weaponry: The machine gun on the wing of the crashed plane. It appears
the pilot got into trouble and brought it down in the middle of the
desert
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CEE0000005DC-958_470x423.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CF34000005DC-691_470x423.jpg
Bullet holes: The Kittyhawk appears to have been shot at (left), while
its broken propeller lays nearby (right). Historians have described the find as
the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0B2000005DC-143_964x712.jpg
Well-preserved: The Kittyhawk's magazine of bullets were also found in
the wreckage. The radio and batteries were discovered out of the
plane
'The
radio and batteries were out of the plane and it looks like he tried to get it
working. If he died at the side of the plane his remains would have been
found.
'Once he had crashed there nobody was going to
come and get him. It is more likely he tried to walk out of the desert but ended
up walking to his death. It is too hideous to contemplate.
'The
plane is in a very good condition but sadly it is being stripped by some locals
who don't regard it as part of their heritage but as a piece of junk that may
have some scrap value.
'Things are happening very slowly with the
recovery, mainly because we are in the hands of the Egyptian
authorities.
'The MoD needs to act and get the plane out of
there as soon as possible rather than embarking upon a great deal of
hand-wringing and meetings to discuss its future.'
Ft Sgt
Copping was the son of a dentist and came from Southend, Essex.
In 1942
he was a member of the RAF's 260 Squadron, a fighter unit based in Egypt during
the North Africa campaign.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0F1000005DC-212_964x602.jpg
Heading home: The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made
aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft for
exhibition in the future
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D05A000005DC-783_470x300.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CFE2000005DC-550_470x300.jpg
Sign of the time: The Kittyhawk's factory stamp (left) and gun loading
instruction panel (right). However, some locals see the aircraft as a piece of
junk
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D08E000005DC-490_964x733.jpg
Signs
of survival: Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping's parachute was part of what is
believed to be a makeshift camp alongside the
fuselage
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0FD000005DC-244_964x442.jpg
Remote: The crash site is about 200 miles from the nearest town. No
human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot's decomposed body may
lay anywhere in a 20 mile radius of the
plane
By
June of that year the Allies were retreating from 'Desert Fox' Erwin Rommel and
his German forces.
On June 28 Ft Sgt Copping and another airman
were tasked with flying two damaged Kittyhawk P-40 planes from one British
airbase in northern Egypt to another for repair.
During
the short flight Ft Sgt Copping lost his bearings, went off course and was never
seen again.
Military historians say they are 99 per cent
sure the Kittyhawk found in the desert was the one flown by Ft Sgt Copping,
based on identification numbers and letters on the plane.
It was documented at the time that there was a fault with its front landing gear which would not retract and the photographic evidence suggests the aircraft had its front wheel down when it crashed.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-0069048500000258-377_964x575.jpg
In
flight: Ft Sgt Copping and another airman were tasked with flying two damaged
Kittyhawk P-40 planes (like this one) from one British airbase in northern Egypt
to another for repair
According to experts, a plane making a
controlled crash landing in the desert wouldn't have its landing gear down and
would belly-flop on the sand.
There is also flak damage in the fuselage,
which is also consistent with documented evidence of Ft Sgt Copping's
plane.
Ft Sgt Copping's name appears on the El
Alamein war memorial. It is not thought that there are any immediate family
members of his left in the UK.
Captain
Paul Collins, the British defence attache to Egypt, confirmed there will be a
search carried out of the area around the plane in the hope of finding his
remains.
He said: 'The pilot isn't in the plane but
there is evidence to suggest he got out.
'It is
likely he walked away and was clearly lost. We are talking about a 100 square
kilometre area and it is extremely unlikely that we will find any
remains.
'The scene is close to a smuggling line from
Sudan and Libya. We will need to go there with the Egyptian army because it is a
dangerous area.'
Ian Thirsk, head of collections at
the RAF Museum, said they are working with the MoD to make efforts to recover
the plane.
Intact: Most of the plane's cockpit instruments were untouched and it
still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian
military for safety reasons
However there are fears over what will be left
of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments from the cockpit for
souvenirs and scrap.
Historians are now urging the British
government to step in and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be
protected before the plane is recovered.
Historian Andy Saunders, from Hastings, East Sussex, said: 'The aviation
historical world is hugely excited about this discovery.
'This
plane has been lying in the same spot where it crashed 70 years ago. It hasn't
been hidden or buried in the sand, it has just sat there.
'It is
a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's
Tomb.
'It is hundreds of miles from anywhere and
there is no reason why anyone would go there.
'It
would appear the pilot got into trouble and just brought it down in the middle
of the desert.
'He must have survived the crash because one
photo shows a parachute around the frame of the plane and my guess is the poor
bloke used it to shelter from the sun.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CF0B000005DC-909_964x705.jpg
Second
World War weaponry: The machine gun on the wing of the crashed plane. It appears
the pilot got into trouble and brought it down in the middle of the
desert
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CEE0000005DC-958_470x423.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CF34000005DC-691_470x423.jpg
Bullet holes: The Kittyhawk appears to have been shot at (left), while
its broken propeller lays nearby (right). Historians have described the find as
the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb'
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0B2000005DC-143_964x712.jpg
Well-preserved: The Kittyhawk's magazine of bullets were also found in
the wreckage. The radio and batteries were discovered out of the
plane
'The
radio and batteries were out of the plane and it looks like he tried to get it
working. If he died at the side of the plane his remains would have been
found.
'Once he had crashed there nobody was going to
come and get him. It is more likely he tried to walk out of the desert but ended
up walking to his death. It is too hideous to contemplate.
'The
plane is in a very good condition but sadly it is being stripped by some locals
who don't regard it as part of their heritage but as a piece of junk that may
have some scrap value.
'Things are happening very slowly with the
recovery, mainly because we are in the hands of the Egyptian
authorities.
'The MoD needs to act and get the plane out of
there as soon as possible rather than embarking upon a great deal of
hand-wringing and meetings to discuss its future.'
Ft Sgt
Copping was the son of a dentist and came from Southend, Essex.
In 1942
he was a member of the RAF's 260 Squadron, a fighter unit based in Egypt during
the North Africa campaign.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0F1000005DC-212_964x602.jpg
Heading home: The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made
aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft for
exhibition in the future
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D05A000005DC-783_470x300.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304CFE2000005DC-550_470x300.jpg
Sign of the time: The Kittyhawk's factory stamp (left) and gun loading
instruction panel (right). However, some locals see the aircraft as a piece of
junk
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D08E000005DC-490_964x733.jpg
Signs
of survival: Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping's parachute was part of what is
believed to be a makeshift camp alongside the
fuselage
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-1304D0FD000005DC-244_964x442.jpg
Remote: The crash site is about 200 miles from the nearest town. No
human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot's decomposed body may
lay anywhere in a 20 mile radius of the
plane
By
June of that year the Allies were retreating from 'Desert Fox' Erwin Rommel and
his German forces.
On June 28 Ft Sgt Copping and another airman
were tasked with flying two damaged Kittyhawk P-40 planes from one British
airbase in northern Egypt to another for repair.
During
the short flight Ft Sgt Copping lost his bearings, went off course and was never
seen again.
Military historians say they are 99 per cent
sure the Kittyhawk found in the desert was the one flown by Ft Sgt Copping,
based on identification numbers and letters on the plane.
It was documented at the time that there was a fault with its front landing gear which would not retract and the photographic evidence suggests the aircraft had its front wheel down when it crashed.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/10/article-2142300-0069048500000258-377_964x575.jpg
In
flight: Ft Sgt Copping and another airman were tasked with flying two damaged
Kittyhawk P-40 planes (like this one) from one British airbase in northern Egypt
to another for repair
According to experts, a plane making a
controlled crash landing in the desert wouldn't have its landing gear down and
would belly-flop on the sand.
There is also flak damage in the fuselage,
which is also consistent with documented evidence of Ft Sgt Copping's
plane.
Ft Sgt Copping's name appears on the El
Alamein war memorial. It is not thought that there are any immediate family
members of his left in the UK.
Captain
Paul Collins, the British defence attache to Egypt, confirmed there will be a
search carried out of the area around the plane in the hope of finding his
remains.
He said: 'The pilot isn't in the plane but
there is evidence to suggest he got out.
'It is
likely he walked away and was clearly lost. We are talking about a 100 square
kilometre area and it is extremely unlikely that we will find any
remains.
'The scene is close to a smuggling line from
Sudan and Libya. We will need to go there with the Egyptian army because it is a
dangerous area.'
Ian Thirsk, head of collections at
the RAF Museum, said they are working with the MoD to make efforts to recover
the plane.