Warbird Information Exchange

Anybody else spotted this on Hyperscale

"Fans of the TV series "Time Team" will be interested to know that they have been carring out a dig on the Marshland in the Ribble estuary just outside the BAE Systems factory at Warton, Preston, UK in the last week.
The subject of the dig are two A26 invaders that collided just after take off when leaving Warton (which was a large USAAF air depot in WW2)when on a delivery flight to Europe around the time of the "Battle of the bulge" in late 44 / early 45. the intention is to discover the cause of the accident/collision.
Latest information is that the wreck of one aircraft although severely damaged is almost complete, and large sections of the other have been found, both well preserved by the estuary mud.
Both crews died in the collision and it is understood that their remains were recovered at the time. However as this happened during wartime,with wartime pressures, I understand that special permission has been granted by the crews families to allow the dig to take place to cover any eventuality of further crew remains being found.

The programmes should be aired on UK TV Channel 4 early on in 2005."

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Simon King

Simon

There are some pictures over on Flypast, under the heading 'B-26...which got me all excited cause I thought they were going to be Marauders

Dave

There were pictures in FlyPast circa twenty years ago showing the rear fuselage of one of the A-26's in situ whilst under investigation. I guess the dig is to recover that and whatever else.

I remember that photograph, that comprised a complete rear fuselage with tailfeathers sticking up. At the time I though how it was possible that an aircraft could have gone in and stayed that intact (hey, I was only sixteen then). I thought that it had been recovered but was always wondering where it was put on display. Fantastic recovery.

Cheers

Cees