Buried World War II Spitfires To Be Unearthed

Some fantastic aircraft flew during World War II all around the world. Arguably, England's greatest fighter plane was the legendary Spitfire. At the end of World War II, some of the Spitfires were dubbed surplus and buried while still in their shipping crates. The aircraft have been underground for 67 years.

In 1945, aircraft were shipped from the manufacturer to Burma in normal shipping crates. Inside the crates, the aircraft were waxed, wrapped in greased paper, and tarred to protect against elements. After the war the aircraft were buried because commanders believed it was simply cheaper and I easier, to bury them rather than ship them home when there was such a huge surplus of used military equipment already.

The man who plans to dig the aircraft up, David Cundall, learned of the location from an offhand comment made by a World War II veteran about burying the aircraft. The man travelled to the location and discovered that it was a true story. The exact location is being withheld, but he says that they used a camera to look at the crates underground and the aircraft seemed to be in good condition. These particular Spitfires are of the rare Mark XIV variety that had larger 2050 hp Rolls-Royce Griffin engines that allowed the Spitfire reach 440 mph.

[via Fox News]