World War II fighter aircraft discovered in Lalmonirhat

[The Ronin]

The wreckage of a crashed World War II fighter aircraft has been discovered buried underneath an agricultural field some five kilometers from Lalmonirhat Airport.

A team comprised of police and Air Force officials, led by Lalmonirhat district administration, has been carrying out an excavation of the wreckage following its discovery on Saturday morning.

From 8am to 2pm, the excavation team has already recovered the fighter plane’s main propeller, two landing gears, oil burning exhaust, ammunition, five guns and fragments of the aircraft.

However, Air Force officials present at the scene could not confirm the origin of the aircraft based on the findings till now.

The excavation team is also looking for the cockpit and the skeletal remains of the pilot from the wreckage.

Lalmonirhat airport, which was constructed between 1939-1940 over a massive area in Mahendranagar and Harati union of sadar upazila, was in use during the second world war. The airport, however, remained abandoned following country’s independence.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Lalmonirhat Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Shah Alam said: “One worker named Shohel Mia found some bullets when he and others workers were digging an agricultural field owned by farmer Rezaul Haq at Guriadh area under ward 2 of Gokunda union of Sadar upazila. Later, the land owner informed the police of the findings on Friday afternoon”.

“We informed officials of Bangladesh Air Force in Lalmonirhat on Friday night after Sub-Inspector Hafizur Rahman confirmed the findings after visiting the spot,” he added.

“On Saturday morning, an Air Force team together with police and locals started excavating the site in presence of Nezarat Deputy Collector TM Rahsan Kabir. The excavation is going on.”

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Flight Lieutenant Mahmudul Hasan Masud, in-charge of maintenance and supervision unit of Bangladesh Air Force at Lalmonirhat, said: “The excavation is going on. We have already recovered several pieces of the aircraft. We cannot say anything before the recovered items are thoroughly examined.”

World War II fighter aircraft discovered in Lalmonirhat

The excavation team is also looking for the cockpit and the skeletal remains of the pilot from the wreckage

www.dhakatribune.com

 

[Michael Corleone]

Hope they try to preserve it for the museum

 

[Bilal9]

View attachment 680308

The wreckage of a crashed World War II fighter aircraft has been discovered buried underneath an agricultural field some five kilometers from Lalmonirhat Airport.

A team comprised of police and Air Force officials, led by Lalmonirhat district administration, has been carrying out an excavation of the wreckage following its discovery on Saturday morning.

From 8am to 2pm, the excavation team has already recovered the fighter plane’s main propeller, two landing gears, oil burning exhaust, ammunition, five guns and fragments of the aircraft.

However, Air Force officials present at the scene could not confirm the origin of the aircraft based on the findings till now.

The excavation team is also looking for the cockpit and the skeletal remains of the pilot from the wreckage.

View attachment 680309

Lalmonirhat airport, which was constructed between 1939-1940 over a massive area in Mahendranagar and Harati union of sadar upazila, was in use during the second world war. The airport, however, remained abandoned following country’s independence.

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Lalmonirhat Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Shah Alam said: “One worker named Shohel Mia found some bullets when he and others workers were digging an agricultural field owned by farmer Rezaul Haq at Guriadh area under ward 2 of Gokunda union of Sadar upazila. Later, the land owner informed the police of the findings on Friday afternoon”.

View attachment 680310

“We informed officials of Bangladesh Air Force in Lalmonirhat on Friday night after Sub-Inspector Hafizur Rahman confirmed the findings after visiting the spot,” he added.

“On Saturday morning, an Air Force team together with police and locals started excavating the site in presence of Nezarat Deputy Collector TM Rahsan Kabir. The excavation is going on.”

Talking to Dhaka Tribune, Flight Lieutenant Mahmudul Hasan Masud, in-charge of maintenance and supervision unit of Bangladesh Air Force at Lalmonirhat, said: “The excavation is going on. We have already recovered several pieces of the aircraft. We cannot say anything before the recovered items are thoroughly examined.”

World War II fighter aircraft discovered in Lalmonirhat

The excavation team is also looking for the cockpit and the skeletal remains of the pilot from the wreckage

www.dhakatribune.com

That looks like a shaft from a landing gear leg and hydraulic lines, the deformed round part is a rim of the wheel and cover, which was suspended from the leg. The rubber from the tire aorund the rim has long since deteriorated.

We know that Lalmonirhat housed/hosted P47 Thunderbolts (USAAF) and Hawker Hurricanes (RAF) from the image below. The Landing gear leg could have been from either types. I am leaning toward the Thunderbolt.

P47 landing gear leg

Hurricane landing gear leg

 

[bluesky]

I was expecting some stupid fellow to send many photoshopped pictures. ধান বানতে শিবের গীত।

 

[dbc]

These planes were in India (now Bangladesh) to support the Chinese fight against Imperial Japan during WWII

6 brutal facts about 'flying the hump' — the deadly World War II air route over the unforgiving Himalayas

The only way to get supplies to Allied forces in China was to fly them in over the Himalayas, a route as deadly as the Japanese lurking around it.

www.businessinsider.com

Beyond the inefficiency of flying the Hump, it was incredibly dangerous. More than 1,000 men and 600 planes were lost over the 530-mile stretch of rugged terrain, and that's a very conservative estimate. It was dubbed the "Skyway to Hell" and the "Aluminum Trail" for the number of planes that didn't make it.

 

[Michael Corleone]

These planes were in India (now Bangladesh) to support the Chinese fight against Imperial Japan during WWII

6 brutal facts about 'flying the hump' — the deadly World War II air route over the unforgiving Himalayas

The only way to get supplies to Allied forces in China was to fly them in over the Himalayas, a route as deadly as the Japanese lurking around it.

www.businessinsider.com

Beyond the inefficiency of flying the Hump, it was incredibly dangerous. More than 1,000 men and 600 planes were lost over the 530-mile stretch of rugged terrain, and that's a very conservative estimate. It was dubbed the "Skyway to Hell" and the "Aluminum Trail" for the number of planes that didn't make it.

Not Chinese fight literally. Japs were stopped at Burma by British Indian army, these used to conduct operations in Burma

 

[dbc]

Not Chinese fight literally. Japs were stopped at Burma by British Indian army, these used to conduct operations in Burma

The Japanese were trying to cordon off China, the only way to get supplies into China was from India/Bangladesh the Japanese were trying to interdict via Burma.
But all this was to keep China from materials and supplies in their fight against Japan. Their interest in Burma was limited to containment of China.

 

[Michael Corleone]

The Japanese were trying to cordon off China, the only way to get supplies into China was from India/Bangladesh the Japanese were trying to interdict via Burma.
But all this was to keep China from materials and supplies in their fight against Japan. Their interest in Burma was limited to containment of China.

That I agree with

 

[Jernail Sahib]

Hope they try to preserve it for the museum

So we will see it in BAF service soon?