French Enthusiasts Battle to Save Douglas C-47
Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:01 pm
www.nytimes.com
French Enthusiasts Battle to Save U.S. WW2 Plane
By REUTERS
Published: November 11, 2007
Filed at 7:30 a.m. ET
PARIS (Reuters) - A smashed-up veteran of several major World War Two battles, including the D-Day landings, could finally find salvation this week if Bosnian authorities at long last sign the necessary release papers.
The veteran in question is a rare Douglas C-47 plane with a remarkable life story, that risks rotting away in Bosnia unless a group of French enthusiasts can rescue it before December 1."This plane is like a hero for me. She has had an astonishing history and deserves respect. She must not be left to die," said Beatrice Guillaume, who runs a D-Day museum in Merville, Normandy and wants to restore the plane.
A team of volunteers has been on stand-by for weeks to crate up the plane and truck it out of Bosnia, where it was machine-gunned on an airfield near Sarajevo in 1994 during the Yugoslav civil war to prevent it from ever flying again.However, a mix of blunders, bureaucracy and pure bad luck have stopped the Bosnian presidency from signing the release order and Guillaume says if they don't do it as promised on November 14, they will miss their final window of opportunity.
Ironically, given its history, the Douglas C-47 will need the help of German troops stationed at the Bosnian airfield to be loaded onto the waiting trucks. Their mission finishes on December 1. and they won't be coming back."If the memorandum of understanding is not signed now, it is finished. This is our last chance. We have tried to do everything we can. We are just waiting now," said Guillaume.
Guillaume and her friends began hunting for a Douglas C-47 years ago, seeing the sturdy transport plane as a potent symbol of the 1944 D-Day landings, when hundreds of thousands of allied troops poured into Normandy to liberate France from the Nazis.A French soldier heard of her search and told her he had spotted one such plane while serving as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in the 1990s. A plane enthusiast, he had negotiated a one hour ceasefire to see the plane up close and in safety.
A check of its registration numbers revealed that it had taken part in the Normandy landings, as well as the disastrous Arnhem 'Market Garden' operation, the siege of Bastogne and the last parachute drop of the war in Europe in March 1945.Its crew painted its nicknamed under the cockpit -- "The SNAFU Special" which meant "Situation Normal -- All F----- Up."
It was seriously damaged by enemy fire on June 6, 1944, the start of D-Day, again at Arnhem and later, on December 27, 1944, when its main tyres were shot off, the wings shredded and holes punched in the propeller blades.
Each time it was repaired and put back in the skies. After the war, it was sold to Czech Airlines, then to the French Air Force and finally in 1972 to Yugoslavia.
After tracking its history, Guillaume's team began hunting down its crews, finding just two survivors in the United States, plus many relatives of the airmen, including Sally Harper, the daughter of the D-Day pilot, Lieutenant James Harper."I was shocked when they contacted me. I had no idea what my dad did. He rarely talked about his war experiences," Sally Harper told Reuters from her home in northern California.
Her father died in 2005, but she said it was important for the plane to be brought to France and refurbished."It's insane to think such a unique plane might not be rescued because of missing paper work. Saving it would be an amazing tribute to my father and to all the GIs who were there."
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
French Enthusiasts Battle to Save U.S. WW2 Plane
By REUTERS
Published: November 11, 2007
Filed at 7:30 a.m. ET
PARIS (Reuters) - A smashed-up veteran of several major World War Two battles, including the D-Day landings, could finally find salvation this week if Bosnian authorities at long last sign the necessary release papers.
The veteran in question is a rare Douglas C-47 plane with a remarkable life story, that risks rotting away in Bosnia unless a group of French enthusiasts can rescue it before December 1."This plane is like a hero for me. She has had an astonishing history and deserves respect. She must not be left to die," said Beatrice Guillaume, who runs a D-Day museum in Merville, Normandy and wants to restore the plane.
A team of volunteers has been on stand-by for weeks to crate up the plane and truck it out of Bosnia, where it was machine-gunned on an airfield near Sarajevo in 1994 during the Yugoslav civil war to prevent it from ever flying again.However, a mix of blunders, bureaucracy and pure bad luck have stopped the Bosnian presidency from signing the release order and Guillaume says if they don't do it as promised on November 14, they will miss their final window of opportunity.
Ironically, given its history, the Douglas C-47 will need the help of German troops stationed at the Bosnian airfield to be loaded onto the waiting trucks. Their mission finishes on December 1. and they won't be coming back."If the memorandum of understanding is not signed now, it is finished. This is our last chance. We have tried to do everything we can. We are just waiting now," said Guillaume.
Guillaume and her friends began hunting for a Douglas C-47 years ago, seeing the sturdy transport plane as a potent symbol of the 1944 D-Day landings, when hundreds of thousands of allied troops poured into Normandy to liberate France from the Nazis.A French soldier heard of her search and told her he had spotted one such plane while serving as a peacekeeper in Bosnia in the 1990s. A plane enthusiast, he had negotiated a one hour ceasefire to see the plane up close and in safety.
A check of its registration numbers revealed that it had taken part in the Normandy landings, as well as the disastrous Arnhem 'Market Garden' operation, the siege of Bastogne and the last parachute drop of the war in Europe in March 1945.Its crew painted its nicknamed under the cockpit -- "The SNAFU Special" which meant "Situation Normal -- All F----- Up."
It was seriously damaged by enemy fire on June 6, 1944, the start of D-Day, again at Arnhem and later, on December 27, 1944, when its main tyres were shot off, the wings shredded and holes punched in the propeller blades.
Each time it was repaired and put back in the skies. After the war, it was sold to Czech Airlines, then to the French Air Force and finally in 1972 to Yugoslavia.
After tracking its history, Guillaume's team began hunting down its crews, finding just two survivors in the United States, plus many relatives of the airmen, including Sally Harper, the daughter of the D-Day pilot, Lieutenant James Harper."I was shocked when they contacted me. I had no idea what my dad did. He rarely talked about his war experiences," Sally Harper told Reuters from her home in northern California.
Her father died in 2005, but she said it was important for the plane to be brought to France and refurbished."It's insane to think such a unique plane might not be rescued because of missing paper work. Saving it would be an amazing tribute to my father and to all the GIs who were there."
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
Sun Nov 11, 2007 3:36 pm
A very interesting story. Thanks for posting it. Lets hope the plane can be saved.
Mon Nov 12, 2007 1:24 pm
Anyone know where this plane was located near Sarajevo? I spent some quality time poking around the Sarajevo International Airport 10 years ago and don't recall seeing it.
Also ran into then Generals Wesley Clark and Eric Shinseki on the tarmac at Sarajevo International.... (Another Story).
I do remember the big Russian cargo plane that supposedly ran over a fighting position dug by the French Foreign Legion and ripped off one of its landing gears. It was just siutting there, abandoned and opened up - looted I'm sure.
Mike
Also ran into then Generals Wesley Clark and Eric Shinseki on the tarmac at Sarajevo International.... (Another Story).
I do remember the big Russian cargo plane that supposedly ran over a fighting position dug by the French Foreign Legion and ripped off one of its landing gears. It was just siutting there, abandoned and opened up - looted I'm sure.
Mike
Wed Nov 14, 2007 2:37 pm
T2 Ernie wrote:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311679,00.html
Thats great news.
Nice to see such cooperation between different countries.
Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:45 pm
We'll Be at the Merville museum in July. I hope I remember to thank Mme. Guillaume for her efforts.
Mudge the traveller
Mudge the traveller
Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:00 pm
That is very cool. I am glad that it worked out for them.
Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:13 pm
If you'd really spent time in Sarajevco you would remember that German base where all the Migs were crammed into berms. It was out there. Decent shape but they're gonna have a long row to hoe wit hit. The Jugs ought to let it go. Now what I would REALLY like to see is if we can get them to give us all that German equipment they crammed into caves after WWII. T34's, Pzkw IV's, II's, and a wesp if I remember correctly. Just sitting there under a mountain waiting for Joe Stalin to come back and call armageddon 
As for Clark, he's a righteous dude. He stood behind us when we asked to do something about Kosovo and I'll always remember him for it. Shinsheki was possibly the best CINC of the Army we've had in 25 years. When he was forced out by Ruinsfeld a year early for pointing out that the Iraq expidition would take way more troops than Rummy wanted, I wanted to cry for him. Both good guys who deserved better than they got.
As for Clark, he's a righteous dude. He stood behind us when we asked to do something about Kosovo and I'll always remember him for it. Shinsheki was possibly the best CINC of the Army we've had in 25 years. When he was forced out by Ruinsfeld a year early for pointing out that the Iraq expidition would take way more troops than Rummy wanted, I wanted to cry for him. Both good guys who deserved better than they got.
Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:40 pm
muddyboots wrote:If you'd really spent time in Sarajevco you would remember that German base where all the Migs were crammed into berms. It was out there. Decent shape but they're gonna have a long row to hoe wit hit. The Jugs ought to let it go. Now what I would REALLY like to see is if we can get them to give us all that German equipment they crammed into caves after WWII. T34's, Pzkw IV's, II's, and a wesp if I remember correctly. Just sitting there under a mountain waiting for Joe Stalin to come back and call armageddon
Much more than one base in Sarajevo, Muddy. Later found out that this bird was at Rajlovac - flew over it a couple of times but never saw it sitting there - I guess I was on the wrong side of the Blackhawk!
Did fly over the bobsled runs from the 1984 Olympics - they were still there, kind of cool. I also remember the sheer amount of graves everywhere, even in the green areas of a traffic spaghetti bowl. Unreal.
We used an aerial gunnery range SW of Sarajevo (forget the name right now) that had several T-34's. It was real interesting to see what an Apache would do to one! Hot knife through butter comes to mind.
There were old weapons everywhere - some stashed away like you aluded to, some derelict here and there, and some that were (then) still maintained by the Bosnian-Serb forces in a secure motor park - some of which was WWII vintage with bright shiny bores (got to climb around several pieces).
For the Warbird community, I am sure there are relics and wreck sites galore; albeit not yet ready to be recovered. In a couple of years as the situation continues to improve and as more anti-personnel/armor mines are cleared, I can see this region being a hotbed of recoveries. One can hope.
Mike
Wed Nov 14, 2007 5:56 pm
(I just stuck my capslock on. I felt like Sarge in Red vs/ Blue)
I know, Mike. All told I did three tours in the box. I can think of six bases offhand in Sarajevo. I wasn't implying that you weren't actually there, just sounded like you flew over from Eagle base or something. It's funny, after only ten years my memories of all those places are starting to blur.
I actually got to ski the downhill slow at the winter park, and help unstack bodies in Zetra Stadium.
I heard later you dingalings were killing those old T34's It sort of pissed me off. We could of used them in some really awesome movies. But tehre are lots of them running around in the former USSR- they stored all their old crap to pull out in case we wopped em
It's the German built stuff I want to go get, myself. That Pzkw III is the last of its kind, as far as I know.
I know, Mike. All told I did three tours in the box. I can think of six bases offhand in Sarajevo. I wasn't implying that you weren't actually there, just sounded like you flew over from Eagle base or something. It's funny, after only ten years my memories of all those places are starting to blur.
I actually got to ski the downhill slow at the winter park, and help unstack bodies in Zetra Stadium.
I heard later you dingalings were killing those old T34's It sort of pissed me off. We could of used them in some really awesome movies. But tehre are lots of them running around in the former USSR- they stored all their old crap to pull out in case we wopped em
It's the German built stuff I want to go get, myself. That Pzkw III is the last of its kind, as far as I know.
Thu Nov 15, 2007 11:12 am
Not a problem Clay! 
I don't know if it's harder to believe or to admit that it was 10 years ago. 
I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg of WWII stuff to come out of there - I for one will continue to watch the area to what else surfaces.
Mike
I don't know if it's harder to believe or to admit that it was 10 years ago.
I think we've only seen the tip of the iceberg of WWII stuff to come out of there - I for one will continue to watch the area to what else surfaces.
Mike
Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:22 pm
muddyboots wrote:
It's the German built stuff I want to go get, myself. That Pzkw III is the last of its kind, as far as I know.
Fortunately there are around a dozen Pz III surviving, and more to be found in Russia no doubt
Dave
Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:25 pm
Really? In running condition? I've not seen one.
*gets to googling*
*gets to googling*
Fri Nov 16, 2007 12:00 pm
Hello,
Last info found on a french forum: a french team is currently working to dismantled and crate the airplane with the help of heavy crane of the german peacekeeker. (The operation is in a relative hurry because these troops and their equipement will left the area soon)
The airplane will be in France in a few days or weeks.
Nice to see that this war veteran will be keept in good hands.
Mudge: Take caution with the open hours of the Merville museum (it's a small museum with specific open hours). I miss the opportunity to visit it few years ago for a stupid timetable failure.
Regards.
Last info found on a french forum: a french team is currently working to dismantled and crate the airplane with the help of heavy crane of the german peacekeeker. (The operation is in a relative hurry because these troops and their equipement will left the area soon)
The airplane will be in France in a few days or weeks.
Nice to see that this war veteran will be keept in good hands.
Mudge: Take caution with the open hours of the Merville museum (it's a small museum with specific open hours). I miss the opportunity to visit it few years ago for a stupid timetable failure.
Regards.
Fri Nov 16, 2007 5:44 pm
Iclo -
Thanks for the update - if you see any pics, please post 'em.
Mike
Thanks for the update - if you see any pics, please post 'em.
Mike