Locating and identifying WW2 aircraft wrecks: The Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project
By Pierre Kosmidis Flight deck of the PBM-3D which crashed at Kwajalein on February 16, 1944 Kwajalein Atoll is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. Dan Farnham speaks to WW2 Wrecks andpierekosmidis.blogspot.com about the Kwajalein Missing in Action (MIA) Project: “The […]
Battlefield Archaeology: Searching for the Missing in Action aircrews in Yap island, by Patrick Ranfranz
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and videos by Patrick Ranfrantz, used by permission Yap island is located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was occupied by Japanese troops in September 1914, and passed to the Japanese Empire under the Versailles Treaty in 1919 as a mandated territory under League of Nations supervision. In World War […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 15: The “Giants of the Skies”, the PB2Y Coronado wrecks
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Big. Lumbering. Utilitarian. The Consolidated PB2Y Coronado served in a variety of critical roles in World War II. Yet it was not considered one of the “glamourous” aircraft, and comparatively little has been written about its service and history. The PB2Y […]
Z Special Unit: The top secret Australian Special Forces “Zed” during World War 2
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and video submitted by Lionel Aitken and used by permission A 13-part documentary series, focusing on Z Special Unit, a largely unknown Australian Special Operations element, is in the making and www.ww2wrecks.com has reached out to Mr. Lionel Aitken, the driving force behind capturing and producing all the interviews with surviving members […]
The WW2 “flying coffin” that never returned: The search for the lost Beaufort
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos and info by Pamela Harrison In a solemn ceremony, the relatives of Flying Officer Arthur Aitken and Flight Sergeant Peter Hastie threw flowers on to the ocean gently lapping the shore. It was on the 72nd anniversary since the ill-fated RAAF Beaufort A9-317 took off from RAAF Busselton Air Base on September 9, 1943, never to be […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 14: Exploring the graveyard of the 11 PBJ-1H Mitchell aircraft wrecks of US Marine Bombing Squadron 613 (VMB-613)
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Designed in 1938, the B-25 ‘Mitchell’ started out as a private, in-house design by the North American Aviation company, and was designated the NA-40B, for North American Model 40B. The NA-40B was originally intended to be an attack bomber for export to […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 13: Searching for the lost Hellcats
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Design started in 1938 by the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation and the XF6F-1 was designed as the successor to the company’s earlier F4F ‘Wildcat’ fighter plane. A contract was signed with the U.S. Navy for the prototype on June 30, 1941, and […]
Aviation Art: The Artwork of David J. Gray – WW2 Aircraft and more
By Pierre Kosmidis Aviation Art by David J. Gray David J Gray is not only an accomplished professional pilot and the mastermind of Freeman Field Recovery Team, a project which led to the Unearthing of rare WW2 treasures of “Project Lusty” but also a noted Aviation Artist who brings back to life historic aircraft with his drawings. Born and raised in southern […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham Part 12 – The story of the lost Commando
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission Designed in 1936 by the Curtiss Aircraft Corporation, the CW-20 was originally intended to be an airliner. The first CW-20 was flown on March 26, 1940 and at the time it was the largest twin-engine transport in the world. It had a […]
The WW2 Pacific Treasures of Kwajalein Lagoon by Dan Farnham PART 11 – The C-47 S/N 42-100988, lost on July 23rd, 1944
By Pierre Kosmidis Photos, text and research submitted by Dan Farnham, used by permission With deep roots in the pre-World War II passenger transport industry, the DC-3 would go on to become the most produced, and one of the most famous, of all transport aircraft used by any nation during World War II. An introduction to […]