Not for the squeamish: Kingman AAF photo essay from LIFE

[lmritger]

Just found this today; it seems Google has added a whole bunch of new photos to their LIFE archive, including five pages that I *PROMISE* you will make your stomach turn. Some of the most famous bombers of WWII are photographed here, waiting for death to be delivered at the sharp end of a massive steel blade- and that process is shown as well.

For those of us who devote so much time and effort to researching and working on these majestic old warhorses, it's literally like a punch in the gut to see these high resolution photos... it ain't pretty, folks, I'm warning you now.

http://images.google.com/images?q=guillotine+kingman+source%3Alife&btnG=Search&hl=en&sa=2&start=0

I think the one that really hit me the most was "5 Grand".

Lynn

[Django]

Whoa! I clicked on the link and hit the first page and literally gasped!

[the330thbg]

whhhhaaaaaa..., wahhhhhhh happpened.., i clicked the link.., i must have fainted????????
maybe it was just a bad dream..., ahhhhh.., yah, a dream...... ok.., good, let me try it again.....,

click


OMFG

O M F G

ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

[Django]

Check out the B-32 Atomic Blonde. I like how they modified the emergency instructions to read "CUT HER FOR EMERGENCY RESCUE". Neat details like that are tough to see in the Nose Art books.

The strategically placed hatchet mark on the Red Headed Rebel is funny too.

Interesting that they carved "GAS DRAINED" into the nose art on some of the B-24s.

And I almost flipped out when I saw the port side of Dragon and it's Tail with the duplicated nose art! But of course it was just a different angle, flipped. Now that was just plain mean.

Last edited by Django on Thu Jan 21, 2010 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[The Inspector]

Some Seattle folks tried after the war to buy '5 GRAND' or get it donated and bring her back as a war memorial but the city of Seattle government showed next to zero interest in 'that old bomber'.

[the330thbg]

garsh, if these were in color.., i would need a week to snap out of it!

B-17 Duke Spook is one of my favorites.., I love the grafted on 'camo' nose!!!!!

[K5DH]

Sad. Sure makes me appreciate what we still have left even more than before.

[mustangdriver]

Everyone that b@#$hes about remaining airframes being static only should look at this thread. We are lucky to have so many historic aircraft with us static and flyable.

[Pat Carry]

All that history just chopped up! What happened to all the engines? Since they were not aluminum, were they melted down somewhere else? There has to be quite alot of small pieces still out there at Kingman I would think. Anyone been there?

[Pat Carry]

Everyone that b@#$hes about remaining airframes being static only should look at this thread. We are lucky to have so many historic aircraft with us static and flyable.

Well said Chris!

[TAdan]

Here is a link to a website about the scraps left at Kingman... http://www.depot41.com/

I'll be out there in April for a day, but wont have enough time to go wandering through the desert looking for scraps. I visited the airfield once, the WWII era tower is still standing along with a few plaques.

[Django]

I'd love to kick through the dirt out there someday.

[Dan Newcomb]

If you do a little homework you will more than likely arrive at the same conclusion I did. Scrapping was the right thing to do. The aircraft were obsolete, and storing and guarding this force would cost a lot of money. Also people were sick and tired of the war. Soldiers were coming home and needed jobs. The aviation industry needed to survive and projects concentrating on new jet-powered airplanes and improved civilian transports would keep the industry viable.

A few war birds were sold, Paul Mantz comes to mind, but there was little interest. A few aircraft went to foreign governments but providing others with an obsolete but still very lethal air force was not in our countries best interest so the majority was doomed. If it wasn’t for Mantz, the CAF, fire bombers and some agricultural applications most of what is flying today would have disappeared long ago.

With 20/20 hindsight I suppose more aircraft should have been saved but after years of disgusting war few cared.

[Django]

100% true Dan, but a boy can dream can't he...

[the330thbg]

all we are asking for is a time machine and a large underground bunker to store.., just a few!!!!!!!