Ghost Stories?

[Richard_Schrader]

Michael has got the story right. Floyd Gibbon's book "the Red Knight of Germany" tells the story. Boelcke attacked a
B.E. 2 several times killing the crew. Boelcke, Richthofen, and the other pilots of Jasta 2 flew along side of the Ghost ship and escorted back to the English lines. The last that the pilots saw of it, was the B.E. flying Westward into a Cloud. Von Richthofen was very moved by the incidence.

I heard a story similar to phil's about a B17 that landed and when the ground crew reached the plane there was know one in side!!! The crew was never found and were listed as missing in action!

Hi,Mike.The B-24 whose wreckage was found was the "Lady be Good'.The Lib which was never found but which(according to the story I read in '68 or '69)and which is said to fly over Wheelus every year on the same day(when there coincidentally happens to be a sandstorm)was the 'Tag Along McManus'.Another story.On the day 'Laddie'Roy was killed by Harald Auffarth(22.7.18,0850hrs.,British time,over Carvin),his mother was taking his dog Blobs for a walk by his school,St.Pauls,(then)in South Kensington,when she heard schoolboys shouting"Well done,Laddie,well done,Laddie"!School was SHUT for the holidays,and Laddie's mother KNEW(and this was confirmed by telegram)that her son had died AT THAT VERY MOMENT!It's stories like that bring out the poignancy and futility of war,shorn of all its glory(what glory for a dead child's mother?).Sorry for the silly sentimentality.Mukund.

[Darryl]

Hi Michael,
Absolutely right, (got to stop drinking before I read these posts) Be2 for Bolcke.
Re the Harry Tate: The later models of the RE8 were more stable (but don't fit our time line for Bolcke).
In any event, lateral stability would not be as important as pitch or roll stability in an uncontrolled glide. Most problems with lateral are caused by rudder input or "weather vaning" which would not be a factor in the random situations we are discussing?

regards

Darryl

Man! Is this a groovy string or what!!? I heard a report of a dead JU-87 Stuka crew making it back across the Channel in 1940 during the B of B. It supposedly made a soft grass field landing in a pasture near Calais. The pilot was missing his head and the dive brakes were still on. Could be BS, I've never seen a written account.

[Mac]

Hi guys, the bomber that crash landed in the Libyan Desert was written up in Life Magazine. One crewman was from Hollywood, FL I still have the mag. The guys walked for some time & died of thirst. They'd chuted & left good coffee thermos' on board. Only their skeletons were found. So young.

Um...I'm no expert on WWII aircraft (or WWI aircraft, or much of anything for that matter), but about that Stuka noted above, I can't think that it glided very far with the dive brakes on...? Wouldn't that stall the bird out in level flight rather quickly?

Mac I kinda wanted spooky stuff about WWI but I thought I might coment on the B-24 you are Talking abought. You say They died of thirst becase they left a thermos of coffy on board? The thermos would be a hell of a lot more usefull than the coffee in it . Coffee and Alcohol are Among 2 of the worst things you can consume in the dessert because they dehydrate you

But I like coffee and alcohol for dessert!

[mike_baram]

Phil,
The thermos was standard equipment on long missions, especially night flights...and when the crew bailed out, they had no water. They were incorrectly under the impression that they had just passed the coastline. Had they known where they were, it's logical to assume that they would have done a 180º. I don't remember if they lost radio contact...or they were under radio silence, but it's pretty sure that they totally lost their bearings. I wonder if the navigator messed up, or maybe his watch was off...whatever...it's a sad ending.
Mike