G4M Betty's and more recovered.

[LSP_Matt]

I noticed this in the Warbird Information Exchange Group on Facebook.

Earlier in the week a Pacific correspondent I follow on Twitter, posted a pic of a Betty vertical stab on a trailer behind a Hilux in town. Salvaging these wrecks seems like a bit of thing.

 

Quote

In 2007, the government of the Solomon Islands agreed to permit the rescue of eleven extremely rare Japanese World War II aircraft from the remote and uninhabited island of Balalae. Due to the drama and controversy that often accompanies the removal of wartime aircraft from the South Pacific, the operation was conducted without fanfare and the attention that the noble effort deserved. Our A6M2 Model 21 Zero fighter was among the aircraft rescued from Balalae, and it was the last aircraft from the operation to find a permanent home, in July 2022. It's thrilling to share these amazing photos of the 2019 Balalae operation, and see the great human effort that went into saving what many regard as the last selection of Pacific warbirds to be saved from that part of the world.

 

I've stood on the beach at Buin and looked across the strait to this island. It was where Yamamoto was heading before that incredible mission by P-38's to intercept and assassinate him.

The Island has a very dark history though that typify how brutal the Pacific War was.

 

Post WW2 the history gets even more interesting and whilst not at the time, probably pretty controversial these days.

 

More details in the airfield and the wrecks previously salvaged there.

 

Hope you find it all interesting. I was lucky enough to get to Kahili airfield and see various aircraft there. Lots of bomb craters as well.

 

Matty

[dennismcc]

Absolutely fascinating, I will have to dig out more info on this, thank you for posting it.

 

Cheers

 

Dennis

[Alain Gadbois]

I have the book « Wrecks of the Pacific » from the seventies. 
Astonishing aircraft remains from all nations. 
There were a few Petes in quite good condition. Would deserve to be restaured certainly.

 

Alain

[Troy Molitor]

There was a mention of a couple Petes up for sale in a few past issues of Classic Wings magazine.   The picture I saw had some instrumentation installed and more than one Peter for sale with no price mentioned.  If I were home, I'd load a picture of the add.  I would love to see a static restoration of a Pete for sure.  The locals seem to not trust anyone and rightfully so.  Every time someone from the outside that visits the island, they seem to want to take but never pay for anything.  

 

Another interesting unrelated topic but really interesting was a mention of 60-70% complete Baltimore Maryland bomber located in a remote region in Africa.  I found the pictures to be most intriguing. I love reading about these finds. The long forward canopy structure was still mostly visible ,however detached from the fwd fuselage perpendicular to the wing L.E.