categoria: deserto
Ritrovato Il Curtiss P 40 Kittyhawk del Sergente Dennis Copping (Volare - Agosto 2012)
Un Curtiss P40 Kittyhawk è dato per
disperso il 28 Giugno 1942 nel Sahara egiziano. Dopo 70 anni esatti i membri
dell'associazione ARIDO scoprono il relitto dell'aereo, mappano con
il GPS la zona e ricercano le spoglie del pilota, il Flight Sergeant
Dennis Copping.
I rilievi sul relitto fanno ipotizzare che il pilota abbia tentato un atterraggio di fortuna.
Gli uomini di ARIDO (Associazione
Ricercatori Indipendenti del Deserto Occidentale) hanno ipotizzato
che Copping avesse cercato di raggiungere l'Oasi di Farafra in
direzione sud – est, distante circa 50 chilometri; un'altra
possibilità era che il pilota avesse cercato di arrivare alla pista
per Ain Dalla. Gli esperti pensavano che Copping, pur disponendo di
un paio di litri di acqua, non fosse stato in grado di percorrere più
di 15 chilometri con temperature di 45°C.
Squadre di due uomini si sono
incamminati su tre percorsi paralleli, tenendosi a 300 metri l'uno
dall'altro. La ricerca porta alla scoperta di alcune ossa umane e un
tessuto proveniente da un paracadute, probabilmente impiegato da Copping per fare un riparo.
Volare Agosto 2012
Altre notizie disponibili in Rete:
- i parenti di Copping sono stati rintracciati per poter fare i test sul DNA ricavato dalle ossa rinvenute.
- Copping faceva parte del 260 Squadron che aveva la sua base In Egitto durante i combattimenti in Nord Africa.
- l'aereo mostra fori di proiettile per cui Copping può essere stato costretto ad un atterraggio di fortuna dopo un combattimento aereo.
- la polizia egiziana ha smontato le mitragliatrici presenti nelle ali dell'aereo e le ha prelevate insieme alle munizioni.
- l'aereo è stato successivamente smontato e stivato in un container in attesa di trovare una sistemazione definitiva in un museo
I giornali inglesi che hanno divulgato la notizia del ritrovamento dell'aereo di Copping hanno trovato e pubblicato delle sue foto:
Altre foto del relitto dell'aereo:
Independent.ie
Mystery of lost war hero may be solved, 70 years on
By Ralph Riegel
Monday August 06 2012
THE body of a World War Two fighter pilot shot down 70 years ago has finally been discovered in the Egyptian desert, his family believe.
The Pryor-Bennett family are praying that DNA tests confirm that the remains are those of Flight Sergeant Denis Copping.
The young pilot has been missing for 70 years after he failed to return to base in his Curtiss Kittyhawk fighter in 1942.
It was initially believed that the young man was shot down by the Luftwaffe near the Egypt-Libya border -- but experts later guessed that the RAF pilot got lost in a sandstorm over the featureless desert before running out of fuel and crashing.
Incredibly, a group of Polish oil workers discovered the near-intact Kittyhawk plane three months ago.
They confirmed that the pilot survived the crash because they found his parachute but no remains.
They concluded that he must have set out on foot across the baking desert to try to reach the safety of Allied lines.
Flt Sgt Copping's nephew William Pryor-Bennett (62), was determined that his uncle's remains should be found -- and his son John (30) was prepared to travel to Egypt to help with the search.
But the Pryor-Bennetts -- who run the successful Mother Hubbards Cafe in Kinsale -- were astounded to receive word that Italian military historians have already found what they believe could be the young pilot's remains.
The discovery was made just over a fortnight ago.
"They heard about the discovery of my uncle's plane and decided to search the area around it. They have been doing a lot of research on the Italian soldiers that fought alongside Rommel," William Pryor-Bennett told the Irish Independent.
The Italians searched the area around the crash fighter plane -- and came across human remains just five miles from the Curtiss.
"They didn't recover much -- just a leg and some vertebrae. We don't know when DNA tests are going to be carried out to see if it actually is the body of my uncle," he added.
The crash site is located more than 200 miles from where the Allied front line was in 1942 -- and, without water or supplies, it was believed the young airman would only have covered 20 to 40 miles on foot.
It is now feared that he only made it five miles before perishing from heat and exhaustion.
"Unfortunately, it looks like it was just too far for him to make it," said Mr Pryor-Bennett.
"Obviously I never knew him but I heard so much about him as I grew up. The family always wanted to know what happened because all we heard at the time was that he was 'missing in action'. But we know now," he said.
The Egyptian authorities have given permission for the plane to be salvaged and brought back to the UK.
The Royal Air Force hopes to restore the fighter and put it on display at the Hendon Aviation Museum in London.
Flt Sgt Copping was assigned with a colleague from RAF's 260 Squadron to fly two US-built fighter aircraft between bases on June 20, 1942 at the height of the North Africa campaign by Hitler's
Mystery of lost war hero may be solved, 70 years on
By Ralph Riegel
Monday August 06 2012
THE body of a World War Two fighter pilot shot down 70 years ago has finally been discovered in the Egyptian desert, his family believe.
The Pryor-Bennett family are praying that DNA tests confirm that the remains are those of Flight Sergeant Denis Copping.
The young pilot has been missing for 70 years after he failed to return to base in his Curtiss Kittyhawk fighter in 1942.
It was initially believed that the young man was shot down by the Luftwaffe near the Egypt-Libya border -- but experts later guessed that the RAF pilot got lost in a sandstorm over the featureless desert before running out of fuel and crashing.
Incredibly, a group of Polish oil workers discovered the near-intact Kittyhawk plane three months ago.
They confirmed that the pilot survived the crash because they found his parachute but no remains.
They concluded that he must have set out on foot across the baking desert to try to reach the safety of Allied lines.
Flt Sgt Copping's nephew William Pryor-Bennett (62), was determined that his uncle's remains should be found -- and his son John (30) was prepared to travel to Egypt to help with the search.
But the Pryor-Bennetts -- who run the successful Mother Hubbards Cafe in Kinsale -- were astounded to receive word that Italian military historians have already found what they believe could be the young pilot's remains.
The discovery was made just over a fortnight ago.
"They heard about the discovery of my uncle's plane and decided to search the area around it. They have been doing a lot of research on the Italian soldiers that fought alongside Rommel," William Pryor-Bennett told the Irish Independent.
The Italians searched the area around the crash fighter plane -- and came across human remains just five miles from the Curtiss.
"They didn't recover much -- just a leg and some vertebrae. We don't know when DNA tests are going to be carried out to see if it actually is the body of my uncle," he added.
The crash site is located more than 200 miles from where the Allied front line was in 1942 -- and, without water or supplies, it was believed the young airman would only have covered 20 to 40 miles on foot.
It is now feared that he only made it five miles before perishing from heat and exhaustion.
"Unfortunately, it looks like it was just too far for him to make it," said Mr Pryor-Bennett.
"Obviously I never knew him but I heard so much about him as I grew up. The family always wanted to know what happened because all we heard at the time was that he was 'missing in action'. But we know now," he said.
The Egyptian authorities have given permission for the plane to be salvaged and brought back to the UK.
The Royal Air Force hopes to restore the fighter and put it on display at the Hendon Aviation Museum in London.
Flt Sgt Copping was assigned with a colleague from RAF's 260 Squadron to fly two US-built fighter aircraft between bases on June 20, 1942 at the height of the North Africa campaign by Hitler's
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/mystery-of-lost-war-hero-may-be-solved-70... 10/08/2012
The Independent - Print Article Pagina 2 di 2
Africa Korps.
"It is incredible that his plane has been found after all this time. We're just hoping now that the remains found are those of my uncle," added Mr Pryor-Bennett.
- Ralph Riegel
"It is incredible that his plane has been found after all this time. We're just hoping now that the remains found are those of my uncle," added Mr Pryor-Bennett.
- Ralph Riegel
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