Warbird Information Exchange

You bring up some good points Mac. For me it's not really an issue that the part is allegedly from the "Lady Be Good" so much as it is this entire auction looks to be yet one more greedy ebay scammer trying to make a quick buck off somebody's ignorance. I seriously doubt this would sell for $700 let alone $7,000 but you never know!

It would be one thing if this item had some sort of in-desputable proof that it indeed came from the Lady Be Good (and no...I'm not talking about a certificate of authenticity). But this has absolutely nothing to back up the claim except for a picture that comes with it.

This auction reminds me a few I've seen on ebay where the seller is auctioning off "genuine WWII .50 cal shell casings from the Pacific Theator" at the low low price of only $9.95! Order now as supplies are limited (at least until he can hit the next gun show and pick a bunch more)

What's that old saying again?..."A fool and his money are soon parted"!

John

Now this is a genuine souvenir from the 'The lady' with 100% provenance. I see now the note with it is dated 27 May 1965, two or three years later than I had thought in my earlier post. Transport to the wreck was by RAF Pembroke WV706

No obvious part number other than '9514' written with 'electric pen' on the flat surface that the part is sitting on

Any knowledgeable engine 'bod' recognise it and its function?

PeterA

Below is an exerpt from an e-mail I just received from a friend of mine who works at a popular aircraft museum here in the U.S. .......

....I also noticed a thread on Lady Be Good on the WIX board. I have some pictures taken in March 06 in Tobruk by one of our visitors, I’ve attached a few for you to post so everyone can see how poorly it is now. It is the Smithsonian that has a hard on for the LBG – not the air force. I don’t have a WIX account or hosting service right now, so if you feel like showing them off, be my guest.









Gary

That's a shame

Is it just me, or does it look like someone cut out the "nose art," if you will, of the airplane?

I've supposedly got a wheel cover off of the nosewheel to LBG coming to me that someone took off of it years ago. Some old fella gave it to our Tulsa guys that used to work on our Liberator. I was told it was being shipped to me several weeks ago, but haven't seen it yet (probably due to the poor weather Tulsa has been having). I'll keep you all posted on that little item.

Gary

Looks like they really broke it up to get it on the trucks. Somewhere on the net I saw a picture of it loaded on trucks out in the desert. What a waste...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

idiots.

Too bad they could haven't have recovered it without hacking it up so badly.

Hi;

The vultures screwed it up long before it was removed. The U.S.A.F. museum was very interested in recovery until they saw what was left. So many that visited the wreck just had to take something home which more than likely ended up in the trash that it is really beyond display. I think it still would make a nice display if as much could be returned to make it look some what complete but thats a long shot.

Thanks Mike

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IF YOU CAN FIND IT WE CAN FIX IT

I think the "families" argument is silly. No one minds the Red tail project being rebuilt and alot of people here knew Mr. Hinz personally. Plus the data plates, other aircraft being rebuilt, etc as previously stated. The LBG crew wasn't even with the aircraft. What about the MAAM P-61? Everyone is gaga for that one to be finished, myself included.

$7k? What a joke.

I would like to see her end up in the Smithsonian, even if they have to "restore" some of the apparently missing sides of the fuselage so it looks at least a little like it did when discovered.

Scott

Can the two pictures on this thread of the Lady out in the desert be added to the registry? They are some of the best I've seen...

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"Everyone wants to live here (New Jersey), evidenced by the fact that it has the highest population per capita in the U.S..."

doesnt look like much worth salvaging from the above pics. She looks very sad sitting in the desert all ripped apart...

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tlc-exped.net/R12Abb/WWII-Bomber%2520Lady%2520be%2520Good.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tlc-exped.net/Reiseberichte.html&h=160&w=240&sz=9&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=Cz1nE3YekwKKMM:&tbnh=73&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Blady%2Bbe%2Bgood%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26sa%3DG

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Cheers,
Peter

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First look at it looks like garbage but there are still a few gems in there! The bulheads and casting would be very valuable in a restoration..

a few options for LBG, in my opinion:

1) using original replacement parts as well as new-build materials where needed, put her back together and display her as she was the moment before discovery. For all the new & replacement materials, either blend them in or finish them in a discrete uniform finish or colour, so that the original material is evidient. Put her on a nice 100' diameter 1:1 scale diorama of pure Libyan sand and place her prominently on display, permanently.

That gent in the Netherlands did something similar with the shredded remains of a crashed '109G; he basically put all the sections of skin, big and small, over a '109 shaped buck. The end result is pretty cool.




2) take what can be salvaged and incorporate it into a flying restoration/recreation, and tour the country with it. At some point recreate the fateful flight of 60-odd years ago, except this time don't get lost. Take all the stuff that didn't make it and cast a suitably sombre & impressive monument out of it, to be displayed either at the USAF museum or at the original crash site.

3) straighten out as best as possible what's there and display it in a fashion that is both interesting and respective of the crew. Perhaps in the future there will exist the technology to do more with what's there; after all, what is being restored these days was considered scrap all of ten or twenty years ago.

just my two cents

greg v.

Hi,

I've read the book more than once, I couldn't put it down. I think if anyone read the book he may have second thoughts on any of it flying again It seems that every a/c that used parts of her were lost with all on board. No I'm not a superstitious koo koo but it would cross my mind. I would like to see her returned to the U.S. and displayed in as close of original wrecked condition as possible at the Air Force museum. Gather up as much as possible restore it as close to its discovered condition in a diorama. A complete restoration would loose the story and so much would end up in the scrap pile it would be hard to say it was the L.B.G.

Enough photos exist that with a lot of hard work it would make a very dramatic display that would show the tragic side of warfare. The museum has a great collection of L.B.G.stuff already. As far as melting her down and making a mounument out of the remains is the LAST THING I would want to see happen all of its historic interest would be totally destroyed. You could make one out of melted down beer cans and be just as historical. As far as placing it at the original crash site would not be very user friendly, not too many would place their life in such a dangeous place as the Libian desert to see a artist concept of what he thinks the Lady Be Good represents

I hate to see it held hostage and stacked up like a trash pile but until someone comes up with a better plan and the $$$$$ to make it happen its curse will be to remain were its at. Lets all hope something will be done with a very historic part of WW2 and its final resting place were it belongs on display next to the Strawberry Bitch at Wright Patterson.

Thanks Mike

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IF YOU CAN FIND IT WE CAN FIX IT