Well it would appear I have hit the mother load !!!!!

[Bustedwing]

Got home from work tonight, poured a scotch and came back to this site to check on my question of last night. An amazing amount of pics and a great deal that I have never seen so I would assume they are family pictures, excellent !
I have a ton of old photo albums. My uncle was a Mosquito pilot (pathfinder), an other uncle was in the British Army(paratrooper) in SE Asia, My aunt was an Army nurse in N Africa and my father was in Palestine after the war, alas, all are deceased. My father in law landed in Sicily with the Canadian Army and ended up in Holland at the end of the war. He has lots of stories !
I have a ton of Warbird pics that I have taken over the years at local airshows, lots of old war pics, lots of pics of models I have built over the years AND ! a couple of summers ago I was able to take my kids on a tour of a B-17 and a Heinkel 111 that visited one of our local airfields. Didn't get to go up BUGGER ! But it was cool none the less !
I will try and scan and upload them into their relevant categories as time permits.
Awesome site, you have a new recruit !

[lesofprimus]

Well..... Welcome buster...

I think u'll find several members here who have very similar situations, and who'll be looking foward to ur scans with obnoxious anticipation...

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I am looking foward to the He-111 that flew to your airfield. Are you sure it was an original He-111 and not one of the Spanish built ones?

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Actually I just answered that question myself with a quick search. There is only one He-111 that is flyable today and is owned by the Confederate Airforce. It is actually a CASA 2112 which was liscenced built Spanish He-111H powered by Merlin engines rather than Jumo 211.

Actually the last flying one is no longer flying it was destroyed in a crash at an airshow:

CAF GERMAN HE-111 HEINKEL BOMBER CRASHES NEAR CHEYENNE AIRPORT

MIDLAND, Texas (July 10, 2003) - A Commemorative Air Force (CAF) operated twin-engine World War II German Heinkel He 111 bomber crashed at approximately 1:10 p.m.(Mountain Standard Time) on July 10, 2003, near the Cheyenne Municipal Airport, Cheyenne, Wyo. The plane was on final approach when the pilot reported an engine failure. After impacting the ground, it skidded into the Laramie County Independent School District school bus wash facility. The pilot and copilot, the only occupants of the airplane, were killed. Both the building and plane were destroyed by the post- accident fire.

The pilot of the plane, Neil R. Stamp, and the copilot, Charles Stephen Bates, perished in the crash. Stamp, 56, resided in Cave Creek, Ariz. Bates, 54, resided in Phoenix, Ariz. Both were members of the Arizona Wing of the CAF.

Based in Mesa, Ariz., and operated by the Arizona Wing of the CAF, the aircraft departed CAF Headquarters in Midland, Texas, Thursday morning at 10:30 a.m. (Central Standard Time) en route to an airshow in Montana.

The Heinkel He 111 was initially designed as a transport aircraft and was first flown in 1935. The modified bomber version was used extensively in the Spanish Civil War and in World War II. It was technologically advanced for its time and was faster than most single engine fighters. In 1941, the Spanish government acquired a license to build the airplane at its CASA plant in Tablada, Spain.

The CAF's aircraft was a Spanish built version of the He 111 and was officially designated a CASA 2111. The CAF purchased the aircraft in England in 1977. According to Denis Bergstrom, editor of Gallant Warriors, the CAF's He 111 (CASA 2111) was the last flyable aircraft of its type.

The CAF is nonprofit organization dedicated to flying and restoring World War II aircraft. Based out of Midland, Texas, the organization has over 9,000 members and operates a fleet of over 140 World War II aircraft

For more information please contact Tina Corbett at (432) 563-1000, ext. 2231.

http://www.commemorativeairforce.org...r-03-0710.html

[Bustedwing]

Originally Posted by DerAdlerIstGelandet

I am looking foward to the He-111 that flew to your airfield. Are you sure it was an original He-111 and not one of the Spanish built ones?

Funny, when I first saw it I thought it was odd looking. The exhaust stacks vented over the top of the wings. Turns out after talking to the guys flying it they told me it was in fact part of De Franco's fleet and when they restored it they installed Merlins. It was painted up like a BOB Version so yeah, maybe not an original but still a cool plane to climb around in. The thing that got me was how cramped the B-17 seemed in comparison.

[Bustedwing]

Ok here is the pic, that's me and my son walking up to it. It was at Pat Bay Airport along with a B-17

[Gnomey]

Nice pic Bustedwing, look forward to more. Welcome.

[evangilder]

Nice stuff! It really is a shame about the 111. I knew one of the guys on board. That particular plane was Franco's personal transport as well.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Nice pic. And Busted it is an original aircraft, you should feel lucky you got to see it before it crashed. Now there are none left. Spain built them under liscence between 1941 and 1945. The guys that restored it probably just replaced the Merlins. Spain could not get the DB-601's so they put in Merlins instead.

[Bustedwing]

So sad that it crashed, I heard recently that the only original 109 crashed as well and the pilot was killed. When you think of the thousands that were built !

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

There is one more 109 flying again. It was at an airshow in August near where I live and I missed it.

Here is one unfortunatly I do not have a pic of it:

Werk #: 3579
Civil Registration:
N81562
Model(s):
Bf 109E-3
Bf-109E-4
Bf-109E-7
Name: None
Status: Airworthy
Last info: 2002

History:
Built by Arado as Bf-109E-3, 19??.
Delivered to Luftwaffe as Nr3579, 19??.
- Allocated to JG2, 19??.
-- Shot down over France, Sept. 1940.
- Rebuilt as Bf-109E-7.
- Allocated to 4/JG5, 19??.
-- Flew as "White 7".
-- Crashed, Pjaozero, Russia, Aug. 2, 1942.
Charleston Aviation Services, Colchester, 1991-1997.
- Recovered from crash site in Russian marsh.
David G. Price/Museum of Flying, Santa Monica, CA, 1992-1998.
- Restoration to airworthy, Colchester, Essex, UK, 1993-1998.
- Used parts from Bf 109/WkNr 1342.
Museum Of Flying/Supermarine of California Ltd, Santa Monica, CA, Aug. 13, 1998-2002.
- Registered as N81562.
- Airfreighted from Heathrow to Chino, CA for final restoration, Jan. 14, 1999.
- Fitted with DB601A engine.
- First flight, Chino, CA, Sept. 29, 1999.
- Flown as Luftwaffe/White 14.
Ed Russell, Ontario, Canada, 2003-2004.

There is a Bf-109E-3, 2 Bf-109G-6, Fw-190A-3, Fw-190A-8 and a Fw-190F-8 being restored to flying condition with original parts.

[Erich]

actually buste, I would like to hear of your uncles Mossie missions as a pathfinder...... any photos of him and his bird, unit ?

please share

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes that would be interesting as well. Probably answer a lot questions here also.

[evangilder]

Me too! I got caught up in the 111 discussion and forgot to mention that. You mention the Army nurse in North Africa as well. My wife's uncle was treated in a British Army hospital in North Africa after he was wounded in Italy.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes that would be interesting to hear as well.