WW2 Secret Project 19!!

STURMVOGEL 262 · **Posted:** Mon Sep 11, 2006 10:24 pm

Sound like it was a great spot to be :roll:

.

If you could find it! :twisted:

Any comment's on Project 19 would be most welcome

I wonder if they left behind any good aircraft dump's :?:

Cheer's all far and WIDE :partyman:

, Tally Ho! :spit

Phil

in Oz

.

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

If we are talking about the location in Africa where they assembled and repaired aircraft, have you seen a book on that particular subject?

I do not have it handy, but it makes for very interesting reading, and the photos are of course, exceptional.

If this is not related to that base in Africa, then I have no clue....

Saludos,

Tulio

STURMVOGEL 262 · **Posted:** Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:32 am

That's it Tulio mate! :lol:

Douglas Aircraft Company's

1,400 mile's south of the front line's in the Eritrea region of Ethiopia

REAL cloak and dagger stuff at the time :pirate

.

They say the secret base was a huge help, for the Pom's and friend's winning at the Battle of EI Alamein.

What's the book called mate, after reading bit's and piece's about the project, I would love to read more.

Cheer's all far and WIDE! :partyman:

Tally Ho!

Phil

in Oz

The secret base that came and went!!

And it look's like the boy's out in the boonie's got plenty of RAF and USAAF work, before packing up and going home in late 43/44.

mennie · **Posted:** Tue Sep 12, 2006 4:34 am

Google Earth Community:

Quote:

Gura Eritrea Project 19 Barracks Area
Open this Placemark
Barely visible in this desert shot are the remnants of concrete pads for the quarters provided to the civilian staff of the Gura Aircraft Repair Facility (Project 19) just a short ways north on this road. The cross-shaped pad was for one of the mess halls.

Kagnew Station, Asmara, Ethiopia (now Eritrea)
History, Chapter 2, Lend-Lease and Project 19

A book about it is described here:
Project 19 - A Mission Most Secret
By John W. Swancara

Quote:

Secret project started in Fall of 1941 to aid the RAF in North Africa
Authorized by Roosevelt, more then 2,000 civilians were hired, and the project was ready to head out ...When Dec.7th changed everything.
Large Convoys delivered tool's, parts, and people to Gura,Eritrea, Ethiopia.
Depot recovered crashed P-40's and rebuilt them to new for the RAF.
Extensive use of C-47 described in pictures and personal interviews.
C-47's had maint. shops built in, also carried P-40's (P-40 wings under fuselage) back to project 19.
Numerous photos, Nose Art, personal interviews of Sgt. pilots.

It's on Amazon, ISBN 188535407X. Sounds very interesting.

Don't think there is much left to see. But I'd still like to visit the place.

Google...

Tulio · **Joined:** Mon May 03, 2004 1:05 am **Posts:** 3236

Phil,

The book seems to be out of print....

Check this out:

http://www.armyairforces.com/forum/m_49794/tm.htm

Project 19: A Mission Most Secret by John W. Swancara Publisher: The Honoribus Press, March 1997. ISBN: 188535407X List Price: $29.95

Saludos,

Tulio

STURMVOGEL 262 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 13, 2006 12:08 pm

Thank's guy's

I'm going to try and hunt it down that book, my Oz dollar account is very very thin now day's :oops:

.

To our Oz PM Howard :butthead:

Sound about the most facinating place that you have never heard of!

Bet the German's were really spewing :gib:

, How the hell do these airplane's keep comming back to hit us, when we knock so many down! :evil:

Thank's again guy's :prayer:

.

Oooo Roooo :roo:

and Cheer's :partyman:

all FAR and WIDE!

Tally Ho! :spit

Phil in Oz

airnutz · **Posted:** Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:09 pm

I recall seeing some photos in a magazine, a few years back, of the intact
remains of a Northrop Delta at Asmara.

dogsbodymk1 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:31 pm

Here they are:

Nathan · **Posted:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:45 pm

dogsbodymk1 wrote:

Here they are:

NEVER SEEN THE PICTURES BEFORE, BUT..........OMGAWWWWD! Look at all the P-40's.

BTW: someone sure likes the emoticons and what kind of plane is that one that looks twin and in U.S. markings? :?:

The Inspector · **Posted:** Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:14 pm

I'm glad to see the magazine article show up again, I think I still have my copy of the issue somewhere. Used the photos and article in about mid-1996 to modify a 1/72nd WILLIAMS BROS. GAMMA into the O.D. freighter shown. Not that tough for modellers who might be looking @ these going 'HMMMM....MMM, I think I've got one of those in my stash"

steve dickey · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 10:15 am

Hey Nathan, helps to read the photo captions :!:

;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Gamma
http://www.airminded.net/alpha/gamma.html
http://www.air-racing-history.com/aircr ... 0Gamma.htm
:wink:

airnutz · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 12:55 pm

dogsbodymk1 wrote:

Here they are:

Thanks DBmk1, but I hope you didn't go to too much trouble looking it up. I found my copy a few years ago! I set right here in that pile...well, it was here a few months ago. Where can it be...Awww crap!!!! :shock:

Yeah, the Gamma was a beauty...makes ya sick to think that it and the Delta were reduced to pots, pans, and whatnot.

dogsbodymk1 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 3:58 pm

I did spend a bit of time, spread over a few weeks, looking for the magazine. Back on March 8th, someone had posted a group of photos on Hyperscale. The first photo posted is Number 2 in my group. I knew I had that article but couldn't remember which mag it was in. After searching through some old Air Classics and a slew of Wings/Airpower, I came up empty. While moving a box of magazines back into the closet, I knocked another small box over. Out fell a bunch of old, one-off mags. When I picked up the first one, there it was!

While posting the pics on Hyperscale, I did a GOOGLE search on " Project 19." One of the links brought me here, so it seemed only proper to post them here, too.

Chris

JDK · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 7:34 pm

dogsbodymk1 wrote:

While posting the pics on Hyperscale, I did a GOOGLE search on " Project 19." One of the links brought me here, so it seemed only proper to post them here, too.

Thanks for that Chris, nice.

Nathan wrote:

BTW: someone sure likes the emoticons and what kind of plane is that one that looks twin and in U.S. markings? :?:

I'll take excess of emotions over thoughtless quoting of loooong pic posts...

('Stormbird262' - who hasn't been around much recently- had a lot of health issues, btw. He's not a very serious guy, and used the emoticons to save typing, I think.)

Lockheed Hudson, if it's what I think you're asking about.

Regards,

steve dickey · **Posted:** Fri Mar 25, 2011 7:58 pm

No James, the Hudson does not have U.S. markings as Nathan asked. I think he might think the Delta is a twin because its engine is off. Nathan :?:

http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contribut ... s/3332.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdasmarchi ... 590557348/

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