What happened to the Axis planes after WW2? (1 Viewer)

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The term 'replica' has a lot of room for artistic licence, and you often end up with an aircraft that looks similar, but in reality is nothin like the original.

I think we are getting our definitions mixed up here; a replica is an exact reproduction of an object by the original artist, or in this case manufacturer. A good example is the reproduced Yaks at Orenburg; these are true replicas. The majority of warbirds flying today are reproductions or reconstructions incorporating original components, if you take the exact meaning of the word "replica" literally, because there is little in current warbirds that is from the original airframe - necessary for certification reasons.

Because of the fine standard of workmanship and the adherence to techniques and materials used at the time, some airframes can be described as "late production" models, such as the work of Desmond St Cyrien, who expertly crafted a number of fine reproductions of Sopwith aeroplanes in the 1960s, but concocted a story about them being originals that were 'discovered' in an abandoned barn in France. Even Tommy Sopwith himself, on examining St Cyrien's Sopwith Pup (now at the RAF Museum) claimed that it was exactly as Pups were built by his factory. The work of The Vintage Aviator or what Glynn Powell is doing for the de Havilland Mosquito come under this description, as well.

While some of you might decry the decision to preserve a Tornado F.3 in a British museum, but lament the fact that there are no Westland Whirlwinds (fighters, not choppers) surviving, at least the MOD has the foresight to recognise that today's airframes might mean something in years to come; they don't want to be making the same mistakes as their predecessors. Not everything can or should be saved because of space, cost of maintenance and upkeep etc, but starting with maybe one or two examples of things in proper care is a good thing.

It saddens me when historic ships are disposed of; the UK has an example in the Trafalgar era ship-of-the-line Implacable, which was sunk off the coast of the Isle of Wight in 1949 by the Royal Navy; an absolute travesty since it was originally a French vessel that took part in Trafalgar and was captured by the Brits - how could such an historic ship that survived for nearly 200 years be sunk? Protests from the public saw the clipper ship Cutty Sark spared from a similar fate. Implacable's stern facade and figurehead survive at Greenwich as a reminder of our lack of foresight, although the Falklands veteran HMS Plymouth is under threat now; do we never learn?
 
jap-plane-wrks.jpg
 
Not exactly related, but interesting anyway:


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAKw6px4Nnk

Sadly, the G8N Rita the Americans tested in the US was supposed to go to a museum, but ended up scapred.

For us WWII enthusiasts, not only much of the Axis equipment was extinct, but some Allied stuff as well. The most famous American carrier which I don't remember it's name now was also scapped, against the wishes of many people.
 
WOW! Great picture! I'm always struck by how clear the images from that time are. Was it the film? Camera?

I agree the picture is great. By this time taking pictures war more like an art than now, at first cameras were not cheap, and you don't find all the electonical "user friendly" help that you find nowadays and most of the times war photographer were in charge (so professionals) so maybe guy were taking more time to do a good picutre. Also lens were not so bad, even comparable to what is done now ; I own serveral leica including a rare WWII one (and not a fake...) and lens are prefectly good that is crazy !
But as alway, if you look up for WWII pictures you will also find some poor ones, but they are never published in magasines because they are not presentable ( I mean for something you payed for...). I got some of these back in France taken in germany in german grave yards. Maybe I'll post them one day but I got to get French war archives authorisation ( they were given to me by them ; from negative I don't own originals ).

To Jenish, come one this is not exctly related but this is always great to see these videos ! thanks for sharing :)
The Russian collection always makes me mad !
 
More sad photos. An A6M3 mod 22, with what looks like the rear fuselage of a G4M:

A6M3_Munda_1943.jpg


Atsugi AB:

Atsugi colour 1.jpg


Atsugi colour 3a.jpg


Captured B5N2 (P-47 in background, probably Marianas):

b5n_cockpit.jpg


B5N2 KEB-306.jpg


An Aichi B7A2:

B7A2.jpg


Nakajima G8N1:

G8N1 colour.jpg


Ki-84s, Ki-43 and misc:

Ki-43s and Ki-84s.jpg


Ki-61 (not 244 Sentai):

Ki-61 colour 1.jpg


Kawanishi N1K1s:

N1K1 a.jpg


N1K2-Js ex 343 Ku:

N1K2-J-1.jpg


Mitsubishi Ki-83 (scrapped in US):

Ki-83-6s.jpg


Aichi M6K1 - orange undersurfaces, probably test or prototype:

Seiran colour 1.jpg
 
I guess what seems inexplicable to us now made complete sense given the mindset of the times – the war was over, derelict aircraft were everywhere and it was time to beat the swords into plough-shears. We can hardly blame those who scrapped these planes for not considering whether some might like to see them in one piece sixty years later – after six years of conflict they probably couldn't wait to be rid of them.
One analogy might be the gun buy-back scheme we had here in Oz when firearms ownership laws were changed after a particularly nasty mass shooting a few years back. I won't go into the politics of it - other than to say I'm a fire-arms owner and have absolutely no problem with being required to have a criminal check and obtain a licence as required – but the upshot was that the government gave unregistered firearm owners the option (amongst others) of surrendering their guns and being paid for them, and many owners elected to do so rather than go through the hassle of obtaining a licence. So, the government collected tens of thousands of rifles that had been collecting dust for decades – and scrapped them. You can bet your life that some very collectable guns ended up as six inch nails, but at the time people weren't thinking of that so much as the image of thirty five bodies stretched out on the streets of Port Arthur .
 
Well, that's the deal right there...these aircraft (especially Axis aircraft) were symbols of fear and loathing...for so many years they were the heralds of death until the tide was turned and they were beaten back.

No one wanted these monsters sitting around, especially when raw materials were in such high demand as the world tried to regain it's composure and rebuild. The valuable metals these aircraft (and ships, tanks, helmets, rifles, etc) contained was needed for new building materials, automobiles, kitchen items and so on. Melt 'em down and move onward...

Decades later, we can sit back and lament about thier demise from the relative security of our generation but it wasn't until recently, that the surviving machines had any real value, anyway. Otherwise they would have been digging them up, restoring them and preserving them back in the 50's, 60's and 70's instead of scrapping them when they were no longer airworthy or of interest.
 
Well, that's the deal right there...these aircraft (especially Axis aircraft) were symbols of fear and loathing...for so many years they were the heralds of death until the tide was turned and they were beaten back.

No one wanted these monsters sitting around, especially when raw materials were in such high demand as the world tried to regain it's composure and rebuild. The valuable metals these aircraft (and ships, tanks, helmets, rifles, etc) contained was needed for new building materials, automobiles, kitchen items and so on. Melt 'em down and move onward...

Decades later, we can sit back and lament about thier demise from the relative security of our generation but it wasn't until recently, that the surviving machines had any real value, anyway. Otherwise they would have been digging them up, restoring them and preserving them back in the 50's, 60's and 70's instead of scrapping them when they were no longer airworthy or of interest.

Thus,all the more credit to those organisations and individuals who did decide in the 40s and 50s to store and preserve at least some of the Axis aircraft - that beautiful M6A1 Seiran at NASM and the D4Y at Planes of Fame to name just a couple.

And of course credit and a big THANK YOU to all those dedicated enthusiasts who have done such great jobs of rebuilding/restoring so many of the few.
 
Do you really wonder ? ;)
Old, well known aircraft captured while everyone was looking for jet engines.... ;)
 
Good one Gumbyk !
And sometimes they follow up their original purpose (flying) when the cooker gets mad !
 

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