Abandoned Brewster Buffalo's

[Wildchild]

I was just doing a project for my French 2 class about the Island of Martinique, and found this on wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewster_F2A_Buffalo

Just before the start of the war, Belgium sought more modern aircraft to expand and modernize its air force. Belgium ordered 40 Brewster B-339 aircraft, a de-navalized F2A-2, fitted with the Wright R-1820-G-105 engine approved for export use. The G-105 engine had a power output of 1,000 hp/746 kW (peak) at takeoff, some 200 hp (149 kW) less than the engine fitted to the U.S. Navy F2A-2. The arrestor hook and life raft container were removed, and the aircraft was modified with a slightly longer tail.

Only one aircraft[16][17][N 3] reached France by the time Germany launched its Blitzkrieg in the West on 10 May 1940. The Buffalo was later captured intact by the Germans.

Six more Belgian Brewsters were offloaded at the French Caribbean island of Martinique and languished on a coastal hillside, never to be flown.[citation needed] The rest of the order went to the RAF.

Does anyone know what happened to the 6 Buffalo's

[Dan K]

Not to mention all the French SBC Helldivers parked there as well.

This link touches on both a bit:

http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... =3&t=41753

[jdvoss]

IIRC, the subject aircraft were loaded onto the French aircraft carrier Bearn at a US east coast port. The ship and its load of aircraft sailed for France in 1940. While enroute to France word arrived that the government had surrended to the Nazi's and the ship changed course toward the nearest friendly French port...Martinique. All of the aircraft were off loaded there and parked for the duration of the war. The carrier Bearn remained at anchor in Martinique for the balance of the war as well. At the war's conclusion all of the aircraft were loaded back onto the carrier (or was it a barge ?) taken out to sea and dumped.

There is a period issue of National Geographic magazine that has a photo of all the parked aircraft on Martinique. It has been a number of years since I saw the photo but it seems to me that there may have been some Curtiss Hawk 75's as well.

[Dan K]

...There is a period issue of National Geographic magazine that has a photo of all the parked aircraft on Martinique. It has been a number of years since I saw the photo but it seems to me that there may have been some Curtiss Hawk 75's as well.

Life magazine:

http://books.google.com/books?id=8kgEAA ... ue&f=false

Scroll to page 30

[shrike]

On the upside, if you could find them ,they never were USN property, so that's one fewer hurdle.

[Wildchild]

It also depends on how deep they are... But at the same time, we also have 100 nearly extinct aircraft sitting out there...

[tom d. friedman]

On the upside, if you could find them ,they never were USN property, so that's one fewer hurdle.

that is a "glass 1/2 full"positive attitude shrike!! but didn't the navy give the finns a hassle about their buffalo?? i've thought about those buffs on martinique over the years!! however the hawk 75's & helldiver bipes totally slipped my mind!!

[cooper9411]

Yes the navy did give the Finns a hassle over the Buffalo, because it was the only one believed to be in existence and the Navy desperately wanted one for their collection.

[Wildchild]

because it was the only one believed to be in existence

They need to pick up a text book

[Warbirdnerd]

Yes the navy did give the Finns a hassle over the Buffalo, because it was the only one believed to be in existence and the Navy desperately wanted one for their collection.

If you would like to read more about the saga of BW-372 check out this link:
http://www.warbirdforum.com/bw372.htm

[cooper9411]

Warbirdnerd thanks for the link. Very interesting read.

[JFS61]

Wasn't there a rumor many (many) moons ago about a Buffalo that was ditched in a lake in Louisiana waiting to be recovered?

[cooper9411]

Wasn't there a rumor many (many) moons ago about a Buffalo that was ditched in a lake in Louisiana waiting to be recovered?

Sure was, along with the rumor of one being ditched in Chesapeake Bay and the rumor of an old timer somewhere in Indiana who had one stashed away in a hangar then buried it on the property before he passed away. If you stop and think about it, there is some truth to every rumor. Now how much truth, who knows!

There are (allegedly) many types in Lake Pontchartrain down there in Louisiana