Walnut Ridge Arkansas?

[Ztex]

From my saved slides...

You think this is Walnut Ridge or some where else?

[Second Air Force]

Zane,

This photo was taken at Walnut Ridge, and if you look on the right side of the photo up where the treeline follows the drainage ditch you will see a large number of B-26s. The photo you posted doesn't match this area exactly, but could have been further right than this view. The only thing that throws me off is what appears to be snow in your photo, and I don't know if Walnut Ridge gets any (or at least very much). That is a great photo nonetheless, and I wouldn't be too surprised if it was indeed taken at Walnut Ridge. It's an eerie feeling landing out there today and flying over the graveyard of so many WWII machines.

Scott

[Taylor Stevenson]

[jamesintucson]

It could be Germany. The vast majority of the B-26s in Europe were scrapped by German contractors in 1945 and 46. Very few of them actually came back to the U.S.

James

[Second Air Force]

James,

I wondered about Germany also, but wouldn't there be a sprinkling of OD airplanes in amongst all the NMF? The picture Ztex posted doesn't really show much in the way of Group or Squadron markings, but anything is possible. Were there new airplanes at depot distribution centers that hadn't been issued to units late in the war? That would help explain the lack of paint and markings.

Scott

[jamesintucson]

James,

I wondered about Germany also, but wouldn't there be a sprinkling of OD airplanes in amongst all the NMF? The picture Ztex posted doesn't really show much in the way of Group or Squadron markings, but anything is possible. Were there new airplanes at depot distribution centers that hadn't been issued to units late in the war? That would help explain the lack of paint and markings.

Scott

I'm sure there were a lot of aircraft sitting in depots waiting to be assigned at the end of the war but the problem is that the photo is such poor quality that you can't really make out any markings, even the national insignia that had to be there. Stateside airplanes usually had great big numbers painted on the tail or fuselage so you would think they would show up even better than the ETO unit markings. I'd expect to see more OD airplanes regardless of where the photo was taken but they had been delivering silver airplanes for a couple of years when this photo was probably taken. To my eye there is at least one OD airframe in the photo. I'll stick to my guess of a field in Germany or Belgum just after the end of the war. 'Course I can't prove it so take it for what it is worth. I'll ask my co-worker here at the museum who deals with the B-26 Archives if he's ever seen this photo or a similar one.

James

[jamesintucson]

I'm sure there were a lot of aircraft sitting in depots waiting to be assigned at the end of the war but the problem is that the photo is such poor quality that you can't really make out any markings, even the national insignia that had to be there. Stateside airplanes usually had great big numbers painted on the tail or fuselage so you would think they would show up even better than the ETO unit markings. I'd expect to see more OD airplanes regardless of where the photo was taken but they had been delivering silver airplanes for a couple of years when this photo was probably taken. To my eye there is at least one OD airframe in the photo. I'll stick to my guess of a field in Germany or Belgum just after the end of the war. 'Course I can't prove it so take it for what it is worth. I'll ask my co-worker here at the museum who deals with the B-26 Archives if he's ever seen this photo or a similar one.

James

I should have just asked in the first place. He had this photo laying on his desk.


Looks like the same place to me. The L shaped taxiway in the right of this photo and way the planes are parked are the same in both shots. Considering the similar level of quality I'd bet they were taken at the same time.

James

[Ztex]

Wow I never thought about it being in Europe....I never knew we scrapped a bunch in theater like that.

This is the great thing about WIX!

All ya gotta do is ask.

Thanks!

[aerovin]

It made more sense to scrap the single and twin engine tactical airplanes "in theater" as it would cost more to move them to scrapyards in the U.S. The only reason the "heavies" made it back was that they could load them up with soldiers and airmen and fly them home. Once they dropped the passengers off, they were flown to the scrapyards in the U.S. Very few combat veteran B-25s/B-26s/A-20s that were overseas when the war ended made it back to the U.S. Those in the domestic scrapyards mostly came out of training squadrons.

[Second Air Force]

James,

Great find, riddle solved! Does anyone know how many Marauders were scrapped in the ETO? I don't think more than a handful were returned to the States with the balance being destroyed in Europe. A large number of B-24s met the breakers in Italy, and I've seen fields of blown apart B-17s that I think were ferried to Germany for scrapping as well.

Scott

[Rogue]

Any more Pics along these lines?

[SaxMan]

Weren't scenes from the movie "The Best Years of our Lives" shot at Walnut Ridge? or was that Ontario?

[aerovin]

Ground shots at Cal Aero Field (now Chino, CA), and there is one airborne shot believed to be Searcy Field, Stillwater, OK.

[aerovin]

Ground shots at Cal Aero Field (now Chino, CA), and there is one airborne shot believed to be Searcy Field, Stillwater, OK.

[sdennison]

I have related in threads before, my Dad flew Mustangs, 38's and 47's out of Burma and back to India after the war. Most were destroyed on site. There was no effort to disassemble and return to the US. The expression was, "we're going to dig a hole and burn them". Many factory new Mustangs...

yeah, and if I still had my 59 Impala convertible that I sold for $500 in 1970...