By Richard Alleyne
The Kittyhawk P-40 has remained unseen and untouched since it came down on the sand in June 1942 and has been hailed the "aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb".
It is thought the pilot survived the crash and initially used his parachute for shelter before making a desperate and futile attempt to reach civilisation by walking out of the desert.
The RAF airman, believed to have been Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping, 24, was never seen again.
The single-seater fighter plane was discovered by chance by Polish oil company worker Jakub Perka exploring a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town.
Most of its cockpit instruments are intact and it still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian military.
There are also signs of the makeshift camp the pilot made alongside the fuselage.
No human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot may lie within a 20 mile radius of the plane.
The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft and display it in the future.
A search will also be launched in the hope of finding the lost airman.
The defence attache at the British embassy in Cairo is due to visit the scene in the near future in order to officially confirm its discovery and serial number.
But there are fears over what will be left of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments from the cockpit for souvenirs and scrap.
Historians are urging the British government to step in sooner rather than later and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be protected until the plane is recovered.
Military historian Andy Saunders said: "The aviation historical world is hugely excited about this discovery.
"This plane has been lying in the same spot where it crashed 70 years ago. It hasn't been hidden or buried in the sand, it has just sat there.
"It is a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb.
"It is hundreds of miles from anywhere and there is no reason why anyone would go there.
"It would appear the pilot got into trouble and just brought it down in the middle of the desert.
"He must have survived the crash because one photo shows a parachute around the frame of the plane and my guess is the poor bloke used it to shelter from the sun.
"The radio and batteries were out of the plane and it looks like he tried to get it working. If he died at the side of the plane his remains would have been found.
"Once he had crashed there nobody was going to come and get him. It is more likely he tried to walk out of the desert but ended up walking to his death. It is too hideous to contemplate.
"The plane is in a very good condition but sadly it is being stripped by some locals who don't regard it as part of their heritage but as a piece of junk that may have some scrap value.
"Things are happening very slowly with the recovery, mainly because we are in the hands of the Egyptian authorities.
"The MoD needs to act and get the plane out of there as soon as possible rather than embarking upon a great deal of hand-wringing and meetings to discuss its future."
Ft Sgt Copping was the son of a dentist and came from Southend, Essex.
In 1942 he was a member of the RAF's 260 Squadron, a fighter unit based in Egypt during the North Africa campaign.
By June of that year the Allies were retreating from 'Desert Fox' Erwin Rommel and his German forces.
On June 28 Ft Sgt Copping and another airman were tasked with flying two damaged Kittyhawk P-40 planes from one British airbase in northern Egypt to another for repair.
During the short flight Ft Sgt Copping lost his bearings, went off course and was never seen again.
Military historians are confident the Kittyhawk found in the desert was the one flown by Ft Sgt Copping, based on identification numbers and letters on the plane.
It was documented at the time that there was a fault with its front landing gear which would not retract and the photographic evidence suggests the aircraft had its front wheel down when it crashed.
According to experts, a plane making a controlled crash landing in the desert wouldn't have its landing gear down and would belly-flop on the sand.
There is also flak damage in the fuselage, which is also consistent with documented evidence of Ft Sgt Copping's plane.
Ft Sgt Copping's name appears on the El Alamein war memorial. It is not thought that there are any immediate family members of his left in the UK.
Captain Paul Collins, the British defence attache to Egypt, confirmed there will be a search carried out of the area around the plane in the hope of finding his remains.
He said: "The pilot isn't in the plane but there is evidence to suggest he got out.
"It is likely he walked away and was clearly lost. We are talking about a 100 square kilometre area and it is extremely unlikely that we will find any remains.
"The scene is close to a smuggling line from Sudan and Libya. We will need to go there with the Egyptian army because it is a dangerous area."
Ian Thirsk, head of collections at the RAF Museum, said they are working with the MoD to make efforts to recover the plane.
read.....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9256879/WWII-fighter-plane-hailed-the-aviation-equivalent-of-Tutankhamuns-Tomb-found-preserved-in-the-Sahara.html
Most of its cockpit instruments are intact and it still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian military.
There are also signs of the makeshift camp the pilot made alongside the fuselage.
No human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot may lie within a 20 mile radius of the plane.
The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft and display it in the future.
A search will also be launched in the hope of finding the lost airman.
The defence attache at the British embassy in Cairo is due to visit the scene in the near future in order to officially confirm its discovery and serial number.
But there are fears over what will be left of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments from the cockpit for souvenirs and scrap.
Historians are urging the British government to step in sooner rather than later and have the scene declared as a war grave so it can be protected until the plane is recovered.
Military historian Andy Saunders said: "The aviation historical world is hugely excited about this discovery.
"This plane has been lying in the same spot where it crashed 70 years ago. It hasn't been hidden or buried in the sand, it has just sat there.
"It is a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb.
"It is hundreds of miles from anywhere and there is no reason why anyone would go there.
"It would appear the pilot got into trouble and just brought it down in the middle of the desert.
"He must have survived the crash because one photo shows a parachute around the frame of the plane and my guess is the poor bloke used it to shelter from the sun.
"The radio and batteries were out of the plane and it looks like he tried to get it working. If he died at the side of the plane his remains would have been found.
"Once he had crashed there nobody was going to come and get him. It is more likely he tried to walk out of the desert but ended up walking to his death. It is too hideous to contemplate.
"The plane is in a very good condition but sadly it is being stripped by some locals who don't regard it as part of their heritage but as a piece of junk that may have some scrap value.
"Things are happening very slowly with the recovery, mainly because we are in the hands of the Egyptian authorities.
"The MoD needs to act and get the plane out of there as soon as possible rather than embarking upon a great deal of hand-wringing and meetings to discuss its future."
Ft Sgt Copping was the son of a dentist and came from Southend, Essex.
In 1942 he was a member of the RAF's 260 Squadron, a fighter unit based in Egypt during the North Africa campaign.
By June of that year the Allies were retreating from 'Desert Fox' Erwin Rommel and his German forces.
On June 28 Ft Sgt Copping and another airman were tasked with flying two damaged Kittyhawk P-40 planes from one British airbase in northern Egypt to another for repair.
During the short flight Ft Sgt Copping lost his bearings, went off course and was never seen again.
Military historians are confident the Kittyhawk found in the desert was the one flown by Ft Sgt Copping, based on identification numbers and letters on the plane.
It was documented at the time that there was a fault with its front landing gear which would not retract and the photographic evidence suggests the aircraft had its front wheel down when it crashed.
According to experts, a plane making a controlled crash landing in the desert wouldn't have its landing gear down and would belly-flop on the sand.
There is also flak damage in the fuselage, which is also consistent with documented evidence of Ft Sgt Copping's plane.
Ft Sgt Copping's name appears on the El Alamein war memorial. It is not thought that there are any immediate family members of his left in the UK.
Captain Paul Collins, the British defence attache to Egypt, confirmed there will be a search carried out of the area around the plane in the hope of finding his remains.
He said: "The pilot isn't in the plane but there is evidence to suggest he got out.
"It is likely he walked away and was clearly lost. We are talking about a 100 square kilometre area and it is extremely unlikely that we will find any remains.
"The scene is close to a smuggling line from Sudan and Libya. We will need to go there with the Egyptian army because it is a dangerous area."
Ian Thirsk, head of collections at the RAF Museum, said they are working with the MoD to make efforts to recover the plane.
read.....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/aviation/9256879/WWII-fighter-plane-hailed-the-aviation-equivalent-of-Tutankhamuns-Tomb-found-preserved-in-the-Sahara.html
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