jumpjet From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2005, 218 posts, RR: 0 Posted (6 months 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 5792 times:
I've just heard on the BBC news that the British farmer, David Cundall, has found the 36 brand new crated MkXIV Spitfires buried by the RAF in Burma at the end of the second world war. What a modern treasure hunt story!
redflyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4181 posts, RR: 30 Reply 2, posted (6 months 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 5622 times:
So who legally owns them at this point? I presume Myanmar, but from the article it would appear they will give them back, probably for some kind of fee. But would the UK government claim them or will this gentleman, Mr. Cundall, have unfettered claim to the prize as the finder?
moo From Falkland Islands, joined May 2007, 3614 posts, RR: 4 Reply 4, posted (6 months 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 5566 times:
Quoting redflyer (Reply 2):
So who legally owns them at this point? I presume Myanmar, but from the article it would appear they will give them back, probably for some kind of fee. But would the UK government claim them or will this gentleman, Mr. Cundall, have unfettered claim to the prize as the finder?
The deal is apparently that Burma get half of the recovered aircraft to sell, and as for the ownership issue, it could easily be argued that the British Government abandoned them when they failed to recover them and then lost all knowledge of their location - and that ignores any transfer of ownership that may have occured when they were shipped to Burma in the first place (hence they may have been owned by the Burmese Government in the first place).
rfields5421 From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 6191 posts, RR: 25 Reply 5, posted (6 months 3 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 5514 times:
Quoting moo (Reply 4): they may have been owned by the Burmese Government in the first place
There was no Burmese Government until 1948.
In 1945 when the planes were presumably shipped - it was a British colony.
However, I agree the British would have lost title to them as abandoned war materials and abandoned colonial possesions when Burma became an independent nation in 1948.
Unlike most former British colonies - Burma did not join the commonwealth.
The Brits (and the Burmese) always had a record of where they were buried. Actually the location was quite public to anyone curious enough. My grandfather was a Spitfire pilot in the Burmese airforce back in the day and a couple American warbird enthusiasts have approached him to help them recover. But it was when Burma under Snr General Than Shwe so things were harder.
Now with the sales the money is going to my gov (and it's big money!) so I really do pray that ₤₤₤ don't get used to feed the white elephant of the current capital or some former-general-turned-civilian gov guy importing new Lambos.
EagleBoy From Niue, joined Dec 2009, 1634 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (6 months 3 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 4821 times:
Quoting kanban (Reply 6): Wasn't all this discussed months ago under a thread with an ambiguous title.. like PM goes to Myanmar?
That thread focused on the PM discussing the Myanar Govt allowing the English prospector that permission to excavate the Spits. he had previously located them but was unable to get permits to excavate and export them.
Very cool. The Mark XIV was a great plane - equal to the P-51D at least (although shorter legs). Finding 36 that could be made flyable would be a great prize. According to this web site, there are currently only 5 flyable Mark XIVs still around
moo From Falkland Islands, joined May 2007, 3614 posts, RR: 4 Reply 11, posted (6 months 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 4508 times:
Quoting Dreadnought (Reply 10): Sadly, only a single Mark I Spitfire (the one that fought the Battle of Britain) is still flying.
Just a quick note to say that the MkII did indeed take part in the BoB as a few frontline squadrons were equipped with them in August and September 1940, with the bulk of the marks deliveries coming afterward.
GDB From United Kingdom, joined May 2001, 12735 posts, RR: 79 Reply 13, posted (6 months 2 weeks 5 days 6 hours ago) and read 3886 times:
Quoting moo (Reply 11): ust a quick note to say that the MkII did indeed take part in the BoB as a few frontline squadrons were equipped with them in August and September 1940, with the bulk of the marks deliveries coming afterward.
MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64 Reply 14, posted (6 months 2 weeks 5 days 3 hours ago) and read 3829 times:
I remember having read about ten years ago about some fishermen off the Australian coast, who´s nets snagged on boxes filled with F4U Corsairs and other US made fighters, which got dumped there after WW2, still in their shipping crates, covered with corrosion preventive compound. Later divers went down there to investigate. The aircraft have apparently been dumped there due to the rules of the lend-lease agreement, which stipulated that at the end of the hostilities, Britain and her dependents had either to buy the hardware (not possible, no cash), return it to the US (the US didn´t want it back, they had enough planes of their own) or to destroy it.
From what I remember, the Australian military and government declared the area off limits and banned any recovery operation.
I understand that suddenly having a few dozen perfect condition warbirds coming on the market would really destroy the value of the existing and restored aircraft, so I think their owners were quite happy (and maybe involved in this decision).
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