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Hello forum...
An interesting story and even bigger find.
Couple of comments. There is a former Eagle Squadron fighter existing in UK, the Brooklands Museum Hawker Hurricane. She was lend-leased to Stalin's Air Force when the Eagle's traded in the Hurricanes. The Hurricane in question was lost with Russian Pilot, and recently recovered and returned to UK. Extensive rebuild to static display, with a working Merlin engine (I think it might be her original one as found in Russia?) she stands at Brooklands Museum on display. I worked there for a short time, and remember watching the middle of this restoration period, and looking at the engine cowling, which amazingly still carried the US Fighting Eagle motif artwork. The ship is displayed in the Eagle Sqn insignia she carried in 1940.
Dan Snow who is part of the TV documentary on this recovery is well known and much respected in many history fields. I read somewhere that his investigations on the Pilot and his story, revealed that the popular conception of US volunteers being applauded for joining the fight with is Brits is actually wide of the truth. I was not aware, that the US Government, Hoover and his Secret Service et al, was actively persuing the volunteers. Threats of removing their US citizenship, jail terms, fines, its far removed from the rose tinted idea that is most often talked about from that period of WW2. I had never known this was the case, certainly when Ive heard airmen speak of personal experiences who went through this route. I cannot recall any ever speaking of being hounded by their own people.....
I read from, again, the background research done for the programme that the UK-US decided to return this Pilot to the Republic of Ireland because of the neutrality situation. Kind of ironic I think, pandering to the Republic of Ireland when their President was well known as a pro Nazi. When Hitler committed suicide he issued an official notice of condolence.... when Roosevelt died, his office remained silent. Speaks volumes for the Irish President's leanings. After WW2, it emerged the Republican elements were proactive in forging an alliance for a major invasion of Ireland (Northern), by paratrooper and sea invasion. It never happened, but that and the historical facts of harbouring former high ranking Nazi Officers after the war, living quietly and in some luxury in Eire right till the 1980's, sort of begs some very difficult questions.....I agree with someone else who has rightly asked, why does the Irish authorities want to keep hold of this wreck, taking account of their questionable past in WW2.
It will be very intersting to view this programme in its entirety and see exactly what has been unearth, both from the bog and from records, about this unique event.
Ian
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