Post War Heart Break

[J.A.W.]

Scherf, the Smith collection in Mapua is well preserved, his Mosquito has been under cover most its life & despite its age - appears very original..

I'd have not liked to jump from one in a hurry though,
emergency egress was not well provided for, with the small hatch
right next to the whirling prop..

[Scherf]

Cheers, thanks for that. Glad to hear about the condition, you're a lucky man ...

[J.A.W.]

Yes, Smithy does not run an open shop,
& I was certainly fortunate to be in the company of a couple of other
aircraft buffs on the way to the Wanaka Airshow, & who knew him well.

He was pleased to show us his stuff, [inc' P-40 & etc]
- but clambering up into the Mosquito was a real eye opener, it made me wonder why D-H didn't adopt the blown bubble canopy as used on the Typhoon from `43 [ & later on the Hornet] for the Mosquito too, it would have offered a significant improvement - for vision out & bailing out survivability - I`d reckon..

[Scherf]

I believe the SOP was to go out the door in the floor / starboard sight as going out through the canopy was risked contact with the tail structures. Have read of a number of cases of the crew going out through the roof though.

[Citabria]

While it is sad from a archaeological point of view it is understandable from an anthropological point of view.

This generation fought the largest most intense war ever seen on this planet that resulted in the deaths of millions.

What is more impressive is how much of that energy potential created during the conflict was turned towards peace and prosperity for the victorious and even conquered nations after the conflict.

those that survived this era used their newfound industrial capacity to recycle nearly all the weaponry created for the war and turn it into something else.

they were not interested in remembering what happened they were interested in the future as churchill said eloquently "all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands." that's what happened for large portions of these nations.

Some of what this generation grew up reading could also give more of a glimpse of their psychology behind why they destroyed what are now considered priceless artifacts of unimaginable value...

"The old wisdom born out of the west was forsaken. Kings made tombs more splendid than the houses of the living and counted the old names of their descent dearer than the names of their sons.
Childless lords sat in aged halls musing on heraldry or in high, cold towers asking questions of the stars. And so the people of Gondor fell into ruin. "  -Tolkien

[J.A.W.]

I tried to read LotR, - finding it impenetrable,
 Sven Hassel & Clostermann are much better war fantasy story writers, I.M.O...

& as a bottom line, it would've been a mark of respect to preserve some of each major type.