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CThomas · 9 November 2009, 09:20 AM

To All-
Thank you for the great observations & for your replies. Please keep them coming! I have learned much from this thread so far.

I agree with some of the other observations in that there appears to be a strong possibility the pilot survived this incident. If that is the case, it would stand to reason he made an attempt to cover the wreck for future retrieval. Whether or not he was made a POW after the fact, is a point I'd love to be settled.

My gut impression is that what we see here, is an attempt by the Germans to camouflage the scene for future recovery. There are at least two soldiers stripped down to their basic uniform. At least one armed guard watches over the scene (two more soldiers are wearing steel helmets-can't tell if they are armed or not). One of the tree branches appears heavy enough that it would have taken some effort to place it over the wreck. This attempt at camouflage looks like a concerted effort done by people with time on their hands.

There are a couple of other interesting details I should mention here that may not be clear in the scan provided. There is a road in the background which can be seen right behind the soldiers standing to the left. On the opposite side of that road, I get the faint impression of there possibly being a barbed wire field. Along this road, I also see at least 2-3 trees.

Could it be possible the pilot survived the accident & had plenty of time to do all this work himself? Maybe. I'm more inclined to think it is an attempt by the Germans to retrieve the wreck at a future date.

-Chuck

9 November 2009, 09:20 AM	#16 (permalink)
CThomas Scout Pilot Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: WAAAY North Minnesota, eh? Posts: 323	To All- Thank you for the great observations & for your replies. Please keep them coming! I have learned much from this thread so far. I agree with some of the other observations in that there appears to be a strong possibility the pilot survived this incident. If that is the case, it would stand to reason he made an attempt to cover the wreck for future retrieval. Whether or not he was made a POW after the fact, is a point I'd love to be settled. My gut impression is that what we see here, is an attempt by the Germans to camouflage the scene for future recovery. There are at least two soldiers stripped down to their basic uniform. At least one armed guard watches over the scene (two more soldiers are wearing steel helmets-can't tell if they are armed or not). One of the tree branches appears heavy enough that it would have taken some effort to place it over the wreck. This attempt at camouflage looks like a concerted effort done by people with time on their hands. There are a couple of other interesting details I should mention here that may not be clear in the scan provided. There is a road in the background which can be seen right behind the soldiers standing to the left. On the opposite side of that road, I get the faint impression of there possibly being a barbed wire field. Along this road, I also see at least 2-3 trees. Could it be possible the pilot survived the accident & had plenty of time to do all this work himself? Maybe. I'm more inclined to think it is an attempt by the Germans to retrieve the wreck at a future date. -Chuck __________________ To be alone, to have your life in your own hands, to use your own skill, single-handed, against the enemy. It was like the lists of the Middle Ages, the only sphere in modern warfare where a man saw his adversary and faced him in mortal combat, the only sphere where there was still chivalry and honour. If you won, it was your own bravery and skill; if you lost, it was because you had met a better man -Cecil Lewis Last edited by CThomas; 9 November 2009 at 09:21 AM. Reason: a simple correction...