Matt Rimmer

Ahh so that's where GM's WWII archives went!. Seriously Jack this collection should be kept together,I wonder if any organization would step up and buy it? The MVPA maybe? Matt.

Hi John, Chickenhawk is exactly what came to my mind too,and the last part of Kipling's Gentlemen Rankers. Matt.

Well I for one am very glad John posted that link,it's an all too familiar story but one which is often ignored by many people. I personally feel that a fault of some in the military vehicle,warbird and reenactment movements is a lack of connection with the human side of war,it is too easy to get caught up in the machinery and the "macho" image promoted by movies etc,while not understanding the effect conflict often has on those involved. Matt.

The solid ring around the star was as widely used by US units as the broken ring,and in the case of USAAF units in the ETO the sold ring was more common than the broken ring. I have seen pictures of Canadian and British vehicles with the solid ring,but never the broken ring. The subject of stars on Canadian vehicles has been covered over on the MLU forum in the past. Matt.

Not much yet I'm afraid. Private Vernon L.Fritz Enlisted 14th January 1941 in Harrisburg PA. Lived in Lancaster PA at time of enlistment. It appears he was not a casuality or a POW. Great find! Matt.

I can't see enough detail Rick,but it's not a Cletrac MG,looks more like a Caterpillar to me. Matt.

The C60's were built by Chevrolet and the F60's were built by Ford,both in Canada and Right Hand Drive. Also known as CMP's(Canadian Military Pattern) and widely used by British and Commonwealth forces. Matt.

It is likely the Dodge's could have been Canadian built D60's many were supplied to British contracts. Matt.

Great info guys,many thanks :-D. The photo I'm referring to is of an RAF airfield tractor taken in July 1945,the holder for the disc is visable but I can't see if there is actually a disc in it :dunno: The Registration number on the tractor is RAF 83572,not sure if that helps in any way though! Matt.

Thanks Lee that's an interesting link,but it doesn't mention anything about tax discs on MV's. What I'm trying to find out is if the discs used on military vehicles were the same design as those on civvy vehicles. I'm thinking of getting one of the repro discs for one of my vehicles and just wanted to get it right before parting with cash!. Matt.

Hi, I have seen several WW2 photos taken in the UK showing RAF airfield vehicles with tax discs displayed. Did British military vehicles still have to have a tax disc during the war? Thanks, Matt.

Mark I'm afraid I disagree. Off the top of my head I can think of several young authors who wrote their own biographies while still in their 20's,several of whom would not live to write their story later,take W/C Guy Gibson to name just one. Matt.

Hi Tony, They are still around in deepest Wales,A guy I know has three one of which works for a living as a logger,there are several wrecks around here and they also seem to turn up in Scotland fairly often. Matt.

Hi Mark, There are a some common misconceptions about CCKW paint colours. One of the most common being that early trucks used a an OD with a strong yellow tint,while this is completely untrue you see many older restorations in this awful pale green,almost bordering on yellow. If you want to go by the manuals CCKW's from the factory used at least two different paint colours,TM 10-1269 of Jan 19th 1942 and all previous CCKW manuals give vehicle finish as "Olive Drab-flat,Dupont number 1071-019. TM 10-1563 of July 1st 1942 and all following CCKW TM-10 manuals give finish as "Olive Drab,flat,Dupont number 1071-050. As a 1944 truck yours would have the TM-9 series manuals and I don't know if they give details of vehicle finish. The details I have given above are for factory finish,as Degsy says trucks repainted overseas could end up any shade of OD. I have a CCKW hood with original finish and US markings and the finish is a very dark green with a slightly shiny finish. Matt.

It's amazing what you can do with a small digital camera and a kite!. Until TIGHAR brought the Kite Aerial Photography equipment over with them I'd never even heard of it,and it certainly impressed all who saw it in action. Matt.

Hi Guys, A quick update,we have now released a photo of the P-38 taken during the TIGHAR survey in October using Kite Aerial Photography,go to http://www.tighar.org to see the full report. The story also appeared in todays Daily Mail. I would like to thank everyone on HMVF for your positive comments and support :thankyou:. Unfortunately on some other forums there are those who are having a moan about a US group being involved in this project,perhaps they are missing the point that everyone involved with this P-38 is working towards one goal,to see it conserved and displayed in a national UK museum where anyone can see it. As I said before if anyone would like to know more about the project please feel free to ask. Best Regards, Matt.

Hi Mark, Unfortunately it's not at the moment,although I'm still collecting parts as they turn up and now have the majority of missing parts,I still need most of the correct air tools and a few of the electrical odds and ends,it's slow as I'm only buying WW2 US parts,no post war euro stuff!. My problem is I'll buy a project,start on it then buy another so end up with numerous ongoing projects at once :help:! Matt.

The originals are zinc. Some of the alloy repros are pretty crap IMO with poor meterials and spacing. I'd say for the main data plate get the best repro you can and trawl ebay for originals for the rest,they do turn up. Matt.

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Hi Bodge, It's basically intact and the structural integrity appears to be good. There is damage which was sustained in the crash,the guns were removed at the time and there is naturally corrosion,but it's not as bad as you would think. N.O.S,that was the Key Bird and I understand the fire could have been avoided if the APU's fuel tank hadn't be replaced by a plastic can suspended above it from a bungee.... Matt.

Hi Jack, Thanks for posting the press release and your kind comments. Steve is correct,it's the rarity of the aircraft which makes this such an important find. Someone suggested it as being the aircraft equivalent of The Mary Rose. Of the five hundred or so P-38F's built only two others survive,one is an incomplete composite,the other is "Glacier Girl" which was recovered from under the Greenland ice cap,and impressive though that aircraft undoubtedly is the rebuild to flying condition required such extensive work that the aircraft is almost a replica. The Welsh P-38F will be conserved in original condition and as such it is unique. Matt.

Hi Guys, Thanks for your replies. Once Jack has posted the press release it will cover pretty much everything,but suffice to say with the people involved in this we have the best there is,if you would like to see some of the other projects please visit http://www.tighar.org Tony you are correct,however in the case of military remains the MOD are primarily concerned here. The USAF are involved already as are the major national UK museums. We will be keeping everyone posted as things develop further. Matt.

Hi Guys, Yes,I'm back :evil: The P-38F was rediscovered three months ago by a local man,but we had decided not to go public just yet. Unfortunately details got out and once it appeared on the BBC website the papers picked it up so we have had no choice but to go public now. I have sent Jack a press release concerning the efforts which are being made to save the aircraft and I'm sure he will put it in the news section as soon as he can. The fuel mentioned in the BBC report is very real,the aircraft could still contain up to 150 US gallons. In regard to the legal protection of the aircraft it is protected under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986,under the act it is an offence for anyone to tamper with,damage,move,remove or unearth any part of a crashed military aircraft. The local police are aware of the possibility of looters and the site is being monitored closely. If anyone has any questions please contact me. Regards to all!! Matt.