Warbird Information Exchange

This wing and early US Insignia are pretty interesting for 1945 Japan.

"Japanese plane grave yard, also a U.S. plane's wing in among the Japanese wreckage. Sasebo, Japan, Wishin 23 Sept. 1945"






And possible Vertical Stab in same yard.

_________________
45-47=-2

Mike Furline seems to have it "hit on the head" for the fact that it is indeed a B-25 outer wing. And of course the red dot in the US insignia time stamps the date as conceivably from the Doolittle raid of April '42. IIRC, there were no B-25's lost over Japan but recovered wreckage from the various crash sites in China is certainly a most probable source.

JDV
www.fuselagecodes.com

Doesn't that stabilizer section look like it's still attached to a B-25 waist? That sure looks like the small waist window of an early B-25 to me. Right place, right size, and right height compared to the horizontal stabilizer.

_________________

I didn't even notice that part of it. I believe you are correct. It looks like one arm of the Star is visible as well.

_________________
45-47=-2

I was sure this has been discussed before
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=64102&p=584710&hilit=Doolittle+wing+Japan#p584710

Another photo posted by Mark that is no longer visible but I suspect is the one discussed in this topic

_________________
Chris Mellor

I just read a profile of Ted Lawson that claims his "Ruptured Duck" was salvaged by the Japanese and the nose art cut off and put on display in Japan. Wonder what happened to that?

_________________
"I can't understand it, I cut it twice and it's still too short!" Robert F. Dupre' 1923-2010 Go With God.

View from the other side


Occupation of Japan, 1945. B-25 wreckage of shot down plane. Photographed at Sasebo, Japan, by Stotz, September 23, 1945

_________________
“Knowing what’s right, doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”

Wouldn't it be wild if that wreckage in the photo was actually Ruptured Duck?

Sure looks like the shadow of a serial on the fin. Would like to hear what the photo experts think.

Ken

_________________
"Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves."

The best I can make out is 2?3 or 2?8. Based on photos taken on the USS Hornet there were only three digits of the Serial Number painted on the vertical stab., the remaining digits were on the rudder.

Crew of 5th Aircraft - Plane # 40-2283
Crew of 6th Aircraft - Plane # 40-2298
Crew of 12th Aircraft Plane # 40-2278
Crew of 16th Aircraft Plane # 40-2268

http://www.doolittleraider.com/80_brave_men.htm

_________________
45-47=-2

In the first photo, behind the fin, there is a person with a camera taking pics of the planes. Could that be "Stotz? It does suggest there are likely more photo's out there somewhere.

John - I think you may be right about the photographer shown being Richard "Dick" Stotz. He is wearing what looks like Marine fatigues and cap and his camera is a SpeedGraphic, not a camera a GI would carry unless he was assigned to a photographic unit. The age and face look about right looking at other, clearer images of Stotz. Of course that leaves the question of who took the photo which may include Stotz. Of course, the image may be of another Marine photographer.

Mike, would you mind sharing the source of the images you posted? If you did, I may have missed it. Thanks for posting these. Very interesting.

Randy

NARA, USMC RG-127 Still Photos, Combat and noncombat activities, principally Pacific theaters of operations, World War II, and postwar occupation of Japan, 1939-58, but primarily 1942- 45 (GW, 52,164 images).

_________________
45-47=-2

I was looking in the "Critical Past" video archives and there are several military vids of this port. There is one vid of nothing but post-war wrecked, Japanese planes however I do not know if it is this base. Someone with a keen eye may be able to figure it out. If no one can relocate it I'll try to find it again. I entered the name of the base and wrecked aircraft I think it was.

I put the image in Photoshop and played around with colors and I'm convinced the last number is an 8. That only knocks one aircraft out of the running but, while the number 6 Raider ditched, the other two were inflight bailouts. So...is this 40-2298?

Fascinating.

_________________
Cheers,

Craig

Facebook Groups:

U.S. Marine Corps Sikorsky HRS / CH-19 Helicopter Database
U.S. Coast Guard Sikorsky HO4S / HH-19 Helicopter Database