During a routine reconnaissance flight over a remote region of Papua New Guinea, the soldiers come across something truly incredible. There’s a massive plane on the ground below them, waiting for them. However, this isn’t just any old plane. It’s the one that puts a 30-year-old mystery to rest. In addition, there’s a fascinating backstory to this rusted bomber.
When The Military Discovered The Plane That Was Hidden For 30 Years, It Was A Watershed Moment
Undiscovered
It’s understandable that the plane went unnoticed for so many years. Papua New Guinea is home to some of the most beautiful and remote wilderness on the planet. That’s because those lush tropical forests are capable of concealing virtually anything, including a behemoth of an airplane.
Undiscovered
Crocodile-Infested Swamp
To be clear, the plane was actually in Agaimbo, a remote swamp teeming with crocodiles where the pilot was attempting to land. Because of this, it is understandable why the find was in such excellent condition. It’s also not the kind of place you’d stumble upon by accident. Dealing with crocs would not be a pleasant experience, either!
Crocodile Infested Swamp
Mystery Plane
But what was this mysterious aircraft? As it turns out, it was a World War II bomber that was given the nickname “Swamp Ghost” after the swamps of Louisiana. The aircraft was eventually regarded as something of a “holy grail” in the history of military aviation as a result of its accomplishments. When Fred Hagen, an aviation archaeologist, spoke to Southern California Public Radio in 2010, he said, “it was widely believed that it would be impossible to salvage this airplane.” One individual, on the other hand, did not believe it was impossible.
Mystery Plane
Swamp Ghost
Enter David Tallichet Jr., a World War II veteran, and entrepreneur from Dallas who was born in 1926. The collection and restoration of military aircraft was a part-time business for him. He once owned more than 120 planes, including a B-25 Mitchell bomber and a P-40 Tomahawk, and he was a member of the RAF. Even though he was well-versed in his field at the time, could he save Swamp Ghost?
Swamp Ghost
The Greatest Dream
Tallichet’s military career had included co-piloting the same type of four-engine bomber like the one discovered in Papua New Guinea, which was a happy coincidence. In the early 1980s, Hagen and Tallichet began a salvage operation that would last decades before it was successfully completed. According to Hagen, a spokesperson for South California Public Radio, “It was our greatest dream.” The reason for this is that, for some reason, it captured the imagination of people all over the world.
The Greatest Dream
Boeing Agreed
What about that colossal aircraft? It was a B-17E Flying Fortress of the United States Air Force, to be precise. And, according to legend, the model’s name was inspired by a journalist from the Seattle Times. “That’s why it’s a flying fortress,” he was said to have declared. Boeing appears to have agreed!
Boeing Agreed
Flying Fortress
The wreckage of this particular Flying Fortress had been remarkably well preserved at the time of the crash. And when Tallichet and Hagen finally got around to excavating it, they were able to take home a piece of aviation history. Swamp Ghost was one of only four B-17Es in the world to have been recovered at the time of its recovery.
Flying Fortress
Battle Scars
The plane was later described as “arguably the world’s only intact and unretired World War II-era B-17E bomber” by the Pacific Aviation Museum in Hawaii. […] [It’s] an exceptional example of an aircraft that was critical in the victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. “It is also the only B-17 in the world that has retained its battle scars from World War II.” It was a truly remarkable discovery, not least because it put an end to a 30-year-old mystery.
Battle Scars
Modernizing The U.S. Military
Swamp Ghost, on the other hand, would almost certainly not have existed without FDR. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s drive to modernize the United States military included the commissioning of a new generation of bombers – ones that could transport large payloads and travel to remote bases in places like Hawaii, Panama, and Alaska. And, to begin with, the prototype of the B-17 appeared to be a good fit for this description.
Modernizing The U.S. Military
Unexplainable
Over the years, the plane’s design has evolved to incorporate technological advancements that have been made. Finally, in September 1941, the first B-17E bombers went into service in the United States. In total, more than 12,000 B-17 planes were used during the war, including 8,600 of the final B-17G model, which was used in the Pacific Theater. However, none of this provided an explanation for what had happened to Swamp Ghost.
Unexplainable
A Disaster Struck
Just one day before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Swamp Ghost was assigned to fly into the city from San Francisco. But, as fate would have it, the plane did not join the Kangaroo Squadron on that particular day. Instead, it went on to participate in some of the first WWII American bombing missions. Then something bad happened.
A Disaster Struck
Bombing Of Japanese Ships
The Japanese invaded Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, on January 23, 1942, threatening Allied bases in the area. Swamp Ghost was then dispatched a month later to bomb Japanese ships in Rabaul’s harbor. Regrettably, things did not go according to plan.
Bombing Of Japanese Ships
There Were Problems
When the crew attempted to open the bomb bay doors, the plane began to have problems. When the doors jammed, pilot Captain Fred Eaton Jr. was forced to circle the massive Japanese freighter that was their target. While the men were able to drop the bombs on the second pass, they had already drawn Japanese fighter planes and anti-aircraft batteries’ fire.
There Were Problems
Forced Crash Landing
The Flying Fortress claimed three out of a dozen enemy fighters in the ensuing skirmish. Then a round of flak punctured her port wing. When she began to leak fuel, the crew knew they’d have to make an emergency landing. Would the men be able to make it?
Forced Crash Landing
Approaching The Owen Stanley Mountain
It was a frantic race against the clock. Eaton needed to find a safe landing spot as well as a way to save his men. He then saw what he thought was a large wheat field as he approached the Owen Stanley Mountains. But what about that “wheat”? It turned out to be ten-foot-high swamp grass.
Approaching The Owen Stanley Mountain
Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere
The plane miraculously landed without any serious injuries to the crew. Only one disadvantage remained: they were now stranded in the middle of nowhere. So the men wandered for days, hungry and exhausted, wracked by mosquitos and scorched by the sun.
Stranded In The Middle Of Nowhere
Reunited With U.S Forces
Malaria struck all of the men as well. However, the Americans were saved when a helpful native led them to the safety of his village. Eaton and his crew were eventually nursed back to health, and after reuniting with US forces, they were sent on a new tour of duty almost immediately. But what about the downed Flying Fortress? Until the helicopter flyover, she was forgotten.
Reunited With U.S Forces
Her First Public Viewing
In 2006, Hagen’s salvage operation was finally completed. After four years, Swamp Ghost was finally granted permission to return to the United States. Her first public viewing took place in Long Beach, California, with family members of the original crew among the attendees. But what does the famous plane’s future hold?
Her First Public Viewing
They Plan To Restore The Bomber
Swamp Ghost has been in the hands of the Pacific Aviation Museum in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, since 2013. The bomber will be restored and displayed in a hangar on Ford Island, a small islet within the harbor. While the restoration may cost more than $5 million, it’s a small price to pay to protect a national treasure.
They Plan To Restore The Bomber
A WWII Plane
After all, you don’t come across a WWII plane like Swamp Ghost every day. However, finding valuable war relics does not require flying over Papua New Guinea. On a backcountry hiking trip in Greenland, Imgur user CanadaSpeedoMan and his wife came across a haunting reminder of the distant past. The couple had been walking through the fjords for days, getting further and further away from civilization. Then they came across stacks of old barrels and the twisted frames of buildings that had long since collapsed.
A WWII Plane
The Rusting Remains Of A Facility
East Greenland is a lonely and isolated part of the globe. It has a mountainous and lake landscape, and it is encased in pack ice for much of the year. However, the hikers discovered the rusted remains of a facility in this vast wilderness – one that dates from a time when the area was vital to national security.
The Rusting Remains Of A Facility
Slowly Collapsing Into Dirt
The United States had built an airstrip among the rocky peaks, close to an Eskimo encampment known as Ikateq. It was built to serve as a refueling station for military planes flying from America to Europe during WWII. It’s still there, gradually crumbling into the dirt.
Slowly Collapsing Into Dirt
They Found The Best Location
The airstrip, known as Bluie East Two, was built in 1942. A year before, America had taken over Greenland’s defense and began looking for suitable locations for a 5,000-foot runway. They eventually settled on a location 35 miles northeast of Tasiilaq is the best. On July 26, 1942, a supply flotilla arrived, and construction work began.
They Found The Best Location
The Importance Of Bluie East Two
From 1942 to 1947, the airfield was operational. However, after the war ended in 1945, the significance of Bluie East Two began to fade. In fact, it was decommissioned two years later, along with other American bases in Greenland. However, the site’s inaccessibility is largely to blame for the fact that its legacy is still visible to those who are fortunate enough to stumble upon it.
The Importance Of Bluie East Two
It Had To Be Shipped
Everything the Americans used to construct Bluie East Two had to be imported. East Greenland has few, if any, trees, so the timber had to be ferried over. When it came time to leave, however, there was no desire to take anything from the site.
It Had To Be Shipped
There’s Still Fuel In Their Rusting Shell
However, it wasn’t just the structures that remained. Almost everything had been left to the elements to fend for itself. The area is now littered with hundreds of barrels. These containers were used to refuel planes, and some of them still contain fuel inside their rusted shells. Overall, it’s an odd find in the middle of nowhere.
There’s Still Fuel In Their Rusting Shell
Huge Pieces Of Machinery
Huge pieces of machinery now stand alongside the barrels. These would have been used to construct the runway at Bluie East Two’s heart. The gravel landing strip, which was completed in 1943, can still be seen cut into the cold earth today.
Huge Pieces Of Machinery
They Were Left Behind
The native Inuit people have removed the majority of the useful items left behind at Bluie East Two over the last 70 years. Anything that couldn’t be carried away on foot or in small fishing boats, however, was left behind.
They Were Left Behind
It Wasn’t Just Machinery
Old photos from the time the facility was being built also show that it took more than just machinery to build the airstrip. There were also large crates of explosives used. After all, East Greenland isn’t exactly the kind of place where large complexes are easy to construct or maintain.
It Wasn’t Just Machinery
The Base Was Resupplied
The base was resupplied by the American coastguard every season when it was possible. And, when the area was engulfed in snow and the runway couldn’t be cleared, provisions were dropped from the sky. The Danish government had no interest in Bluie East Two after the Americans had left.
The Base Was Resupplied
It Never Gained Its Importance
While the Americans no longer used Bluie East Two, it did provide some benefit on occasion. In 1958, the facility provided critical supplies for the construction of an early-warning radar system at Kulusk, further south. The site, however, never regained its former prominence after the war ended.
It Never Gained Its Importance
Other Interesting Items Are Found
There are now other interesting items among the twisted metal that were left behind when the Americans left. Shards of glass with the Coca-Cola logo litter the ground, a clear reminder of the airfield’s brief occupation by US airmen.
Other Interesting Items Are Found
It Collapsed
Other stationery pieces of machinery remain alongside the earth-moving machines. The boilers and furnaces that once heated and powered the base are mostly still in good working order. One even has the logo of the New York firm that built it. The structures around them, on the other hand, have long since collapsed.
It Collapsed
Decaying Metal Boxes
There are also other pieces of equipment visible. The frame of a radio mast lies collapsed, pointing to a body of water where icebergs drift by eerily. Radios are still around, as well. But, standing in the middle of a freezing plain, they’re mostly just decaying metal boxes.
Decaying Metal Boxes
There Were Also Tires
It’s not just metal that’s remained. Among the wreckage are thick black tires. Some of them are still wearing snow chains, which would have come in handy during the coldest months of the year. “United States Rubber Company” is written on the tires.
There Were Also Tires
It Was Abandoned For Half A Century
The site has been abandoned for over half a century, but there’s a chance it won’t last much longer. Cleaning up Bluie East Two has been a point of contention between the Greenlandic and Danish governments for quite some time. However, it appears that the two have come to a decision.
It Was Abandoned For Half A Century
It Is Time To Get Rid Of The Area
The two governments decided in 2017 that it was time to remove all of the debris from the abandoned airstrip. It’s thought that efforts were made to remove this strange, rusted WWII relic from the area. The clean-up work was supposed to start in 2018.
It Is Time To Get Rid Of The Area
The Last People To See The Remains
If this is the case, CanadaSpeedoMan and his wife could be the last people to photograph the airstrip’s ruins. It’s entirely possible that once the massive clean-up is completed, the American base will be completely demolished. East Greenland’s wilderness will be almost devoid of humans once more.
The Last People To See The Remains
The Biggest Conflicts In Human History
This, of course, emphasizes the significance of these photographs. Bluie East Two was involved in one of the most important wars in human history. Even though it’s been abandoned and allowed to rot, it’s still an intriguing, strange place – made even stranger by its incredible surroundings.
The Biggest Conflicts In Human History