Battle of Britain?

Question

During the Battle of Britain, I believe that something like 3000 allied or enemy planes were downed. Is there anywhere in Britain where the remains of any of these aircraft can be found?

Answer 1

There are several museums in Britain where these aircraft, and undamaged ones are displayed. Many of the crashed aircraft were salvaged for the aluminum contained in them. The Brits recycled them into new aircraft. There are many at the bottom of the English Channel.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

There are many organisations concerned with locating and recording such wreck sites, here is a link to one in my part of the world, the peak district;

http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/

Answer 3

Wrecks still turn up all over. Some with human remains still inside. Check aviation archeology sites. There are several strictly British.....The wrecks are not rebuilable usually though. They usually consist of an engine or two, odd scraps of metal, and sometimes bone and cloth, buried twenty feet down in the ground! You might find some in the channel in better shape but the saltwater ruins them. I have never heard of a rebuildable WWII wreck coming from the Battle of Britain. Just Russia and the Pacific War, out of the way places like Greenland. During the battle anything British that came down and was fixable was picked up by RAF repair crews and fixed or at least stripped for parts. Anything enemy was too, often displayed for propaganda fund drives and then melted down for the metal. So anything around now was usually not found or in so many small pieces it was not worth salvage. Great Britain is a small country with a dense population. So anything largely intact is probably sitting underwater. Given the average size of a British river it is probably under the Channel or under the Thames. The Thames is a junkyard since prehistoric times and a major waterway even today. Go looking there and you need good luck. First to find anything and next not to be run down by a ship.....

Answer 4

More than likely if you keep your eye open, you will see something.

Answer 5

Well mostly museums. There is the air museum at former RAF Elvington. RAF Linton On Ouse which I visited when I went gliding with cadets has a very small museum with parts from old Halifax bombers, including part of the tail from one which was badly damaged during a bombing mission and crashed landed at Linton.

Wrecks from downed planes are being found all the time, many are buried underground, alot are under the sea. Many will have been scrapped or recycled. When a plane is shot down then parts will be scattered about so its also likely that kids and collectors will have taken any remeains left too. But the best place to go, is a museum unless your wanting some aircraft remains of your own?

Answer 6

The Imperial War Museum.

Answer 7

There are numerous areas in the Southern quater of the British isles and North France, Belgium coast lines where they will kepp on finding downed aircraft, parts of aircraft, spent and live ordance for many years to come, look at the battlefields of the 1st World War and think that almost 100 years later and still items are being found.

The Battle of Britain covers a large area from North Scotland down through the country into Wales and the South West across the Channel and into the coast lands of Northern Europe, yes the main battle area was the skies over Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Essex, Surrey, Middlesex, Berkshire and the old LCC area, but during May to Oct 1940 the air war termed as the Battle of Britain (before it turned into the Blitz) covered a huge area.

Answer 8

ebay

Answer 9

FlyPast Magazine if full of the kind of thing you're looking for.

Answer 10

Rather than the remains of WW2 aircraft,there are several museums devoted to complete vintage aircraft.

At Cosford,nr;Shrewsbury,there's an air display on Sunday June 1st;including many old aircraft,the static display in the museum includes all three V-bombers.

Paignton Aircraft Museum,in Torbay Devon has a large outdoor display of vintage aircraft.

The Battle of Britain flight,a Spitfire,Hurricane and a Lancaster will make frequent flypasts at airshows throughout the UK this summer.

In addition,the Fleet Air Arm museum regularly fly a Swordfish.

Answer 11

I visit an old RAF airfield called East Kirkby in Lincolnshire. There is an excellent museum and they have a Lancaster Bomber that taxis using all four engines.

You will see many pieces of crashed aircraft in the museum and lots of articles relating to the history of WW2 especially around Lincolnshire where many bomber airfields were.

It's a wonderful place to visit.

Have a look at their website.

www.lincsaviation.co.uk

Answer 12

in Kent that's where there flight plans where and around the cost. good luck