Originally posted by Charge
I have read of planes bulldozed in a pit and buried in Germany after the war. I wonder if they are still there to be found or were they dug up and melted into something "useful"...
-C+
Horrible to think about in this day of million dollar warbirds. But, I'd bet those planes are good and gone. Not only would the bulldozing cause way more damage to aluminum components than it did to steel armor plate, but as I recall most aircraft materials from the 40s are pretty unstable in contact with moisture and dirt. I remember reading that magnesium components simply dissolve, and aluminum alloys get incredibly brittle with time and exposure. Even with fairly preserved warbirds, repair shops have to custom mill so many replacement parts that the original pieces are often in the minority by the time they're done with the work.
There is a small shop a couple hours from here, and a friend once brought me a piece of original skin from an SBD (or was it an avenger) they were working on. Has the primer still on it, looks good, but it wasn't structurally sound enough and they replaced it as they rebuilt,
