Japanese "Betty" bomber near Darwin. OBVIOUSLY THAT CANT BE ACHIEVED FOR ALL WRECKS AS THERE WOULD NO WHERE TO PUT ALL THE DC3'S FOR EXAMPLE. AND PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS PWD OFTEN GET IT WRONG AND ARE RELUCTANT TO CHANGE THEIR REPORTINGS WHEN THE ERRORS ARE EXPOSED. Only after we removed the aircraft did those, who had done nothing, complain about our act of preservation. Email Address Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Therefore, both pilots . Greinert was responsible for having its salvage permit re-issued, a permit that was deemed illegal by the PAC.]. The rubber mat shaved about 6 mph from the G4Ms speed and reduced range by almost 200 miles. Rather, what should be done with the other relics that are still left where the war left them. An MXY7 Ohka Model 11 suicide attack plane can be installed in place of the bombbay, or displayed on a carrier. The B-25 was crewed by six men; pilot, copilot, bombardier or nose gunner, radio operator or waist gunner, flight engineer or navigator and tail gunner. It's a good day when Dick Cole stops by for a visit, and at Winds Over Houston, Dick came by to say hi and even did a short little interview for us. One specially detailed Betty crew was even assigned to seize a Superfortress and fly it back to Japan. Ericka Woolever, 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron Photographer, documents the landing of a B-1B Lancer after supporting a Bomber Task Force mission at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, on Feb. 21, 2023. In 1994 restoration was started to create Bettys Dream. No one ever imagined it would grow to the organization it has today but it certainly has become one of the foremost organizations in the field of aviation preservation. Douglas couldnt have played its hand better if it had tried. One ran off the runway during takeoff from Ie Shima and damaged its landing gear; the other ran out of fuel and ditched short of its destination in Japan. The Japanese might have thought that amusing, but they called the Mitsubishi G4M Rikko, truncating their phrase for land-based attack bomber. (The G4Ms predecessor, the Mitsubishi G3M Nell, was also called Rikko.). TOO MANY TO RECOUNT. ** Updated 2021-08-30**. AS I AM FINANCIALLY INDEPENDEDENT I DONT HAVE ANY NEED OR DESIRE TO PLAY THE COLLECTOR MARKET. The press ran articles of stolen RAAF aircraft and alike. Many of the Grumman F4F Wildcats and Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers on display today were recovered from Lake Michigan years after training crashes sent them to rest on the murky bottom. The 345th Bomb Group Association reunion, November 8-12, 2012, commemorated the 70th anniversary of the group's activation at Columbia Army Air Base on November 11, 1942. The aircraft was probably based at Oppama Air Field near Yokosuka . Unknown to the crew of the Abele, the G4Ms carried the new single-seat, piloted flying bombs in their open bomb bays. During the Malaya campaign, they took . What challenges do wrecks salvaged from PNG present? What are your feelings about the 'Swamp Ghost'? Mitsubishi produced a total of 2,414 G4M airplanes but few remained when the war ended on August 15, 1945. WE HAD A GREAT WEEK UP THERE AND SOME IMPORTANT STUFF WAS SAVED. ITS GREAT TO SEE KEARBYS FIN ON DISPLAY AT [USAF Museum at] DAYTON. The American system of nicknaming World War II Japanese aircraft gave female names to bombers, male names to fighters. We called her Betty. The bomber crew (little Arthur Askey & co) try to avoid betrothal, while convincing the girls to update their traditions. Delivered to the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) as Type 1 Attack Bomber / G4M1 Model 11 Betty manufacture number 1280. Mitsubishi tried again to reduce the bomber's tendency to burn. Yamamotos weapon of choice was the torpedo, and the Betty was first and foremost a torpedo bomber, carrying a single 1,890-pound Type 91 tin fishthe worlds most accurate and powerful aerial torpedo right up until the end of the war. One of the best-known Betty carcasses was on display for years at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, Calif. $34.95. National Interest Newsletter. Appetizers include chili, fresh tortilla . VINTAGE 1967 LINDBERG MITSUBISHI G4M3 BETTY BOMBER MODEL KIT 1:72 SCALE.576-200. Mention the Australian Beaufighters Recovered Robert Greinert interview with Pacific Wrecks, Tell about your 'export permit' with the. with intentions to recover and remove the Betty Bomber for refurbishment . Language: English. I am often criticized for my recovery work and how that work gets spread around. Today it sits in a rather clever display in Aeroplane Hall where nearly one million visitors a year pass through. Not a single Betty survives as anything more than a battered, partial hulka situation unique among warbirds built in such numbers and active in so much combat. The first production G4M rolled off the line in April 1941. CLARIFICATION A VERY SELECT SAMPLE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES IS MORE LIKE WHAT I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN. Opens in a new window or tab. They ranged across the length and breadth of the Pacific Theater, attacking targets from the Aleutians to Australia. Navy crews suffered 4,300 fatalities and 5,400 casualties, or seven percent of all crew casualties incurred during the entire Pacific war. I ONLY RECOVER FOR MY OWN RESTORATION WORK AND PASS ON SURPLUS MATERIAL. Initial results were impressive, but the Navy shelved the bomber for a time in favor of a variant to be called the G6M1. Invariably those sources dont have a clue as to whats going on or how its actually happening but they still go out of their way to promote false facts. The decision not to incorporate the heavier, safer fuel tanks was necessary to meet the Navy's range requirements. The white Bettys flew from Japan to Ie Shima, a small Okinawan island, where the Japanese were transferred to a C-54 and carried on to Manila to meet with Douglas MacArthur and his staff. salvager, restorer? From the replica 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer built by the Wright Brothers through aircraft of the Great War of 1914-1918, including an actual flying veteran of that war. Rather than pull all-nighters, he spent a lot of time in Cambridge playing poker. YOUR STATEMENT IS A BIT SENSATIONALIST AND REFLECTS YOUR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE SUBJECT. Anti-aircraft guns decimated them. Honjo apparently also decided that an untapered fuselage ending in a large tail-gunners station made sense aerodynamically. It missed, but it has been written that the entire corps of Rikko pilots, aware that they were riding fiery mounts, had agreed to seek out a target to crash into if their airplane was terminally damaged. Anson Interior. Many one-of-a-kind aircraft on display in museums owe their existence to wreck chasers. IN REFLECTION, I THINK THAT ITS BEST TO CONSIDER SALVAGE, IN ORDER TO SAVE THE AEROPLANE FROM THE ENTHUSIASTS. More Videos Our Prime Minister John Howard has also honored the HARS recently with a personal visit and a $250,000 grant towards our new multimillion dollar facility in Albion Park. The Bettys wet wings were its tanks, with fuel cells neatly defined by the main spar and a secondary spar forward of it, the ends sealed by solid wing ribs. Tell About Yourself and your background However, in the 1970s, records revealed that there were only two, not three, Betty bombers in Yamamoto's flight. One highly regarded Japanese book about Bettys in combat is titled Wings of Flame. The recovery of aircraft is never an easy task and it was a great thrill to be part of one of aviation's great adventures with the recovery of the Super Constellation VH-EAG from the Tucson desert. at Popondetta, PNG, Robert Greinert Clear front, dorsal and rear turret canopies. Retail $37.11. You have salvaged a variety of aircraft from PNG that were displayed at airports and their museum. Both the YB-40 and the G6M1 were failures because they were too heavy to keep up with companion bombers that had dropped their ordnance. Six escorting Zeros flew guard but in a matter of seconds, the Air Corps pilots shrugged off the escorting fighters and sent both BETTYs crashing down in flames. Pappy Gunn, an engineer in Australia, removed the bombardier-navigator from his greenhouse compartment in the nose of a B-25 and found he could install eight forward-firing .50-caliber machine guns in the aircraft. All of a sudden my world changed and I decided that maybe it was just possible and one should start looking. AUW 6 lbs. Early versions of the aircraft as deployed against Force Z could fly at up to 230 knots (265 mph) with a maximum range of 3,250 miles. The Allies gave the G4M the code name "Betty". The Aboriginal elders at Kalambaru were so impressed with our passion and our sense of history that they gave us the aircraft. I LOVE THE PLACE AND THE PEOPLE. Betty was actually a waitress in Pennsylvania. Flights will be offered on the third Saturday of each month subject to any weather or mechanical/maintenance restrictions. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty. Many items from the PNG museum's collection were removed in late 2000-1 by yourself and '75 Squadron' What is wreckage used for when exported? Air Force photo by . A LOT OF THE SPECULATION AND MYTH PROMOTED BY PEOPLE SUCH AS YOURSELF WILL BE DEALT WITH. Betty . In 1936 Japan renounced the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty, which had stipulated that the capital-ship-building ratio between the U.S., Britain and Japan should be 5:5:3. The tail section may have been in bad shape and all the glazing and weaponry was missing. Striking distance meant 20 miles or less, thanks to the Ohkas tiny load of rocket fuel, and Betty pilots too often pulled the release handle early. In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earharts disappearance. from Papua On June 27, 1950, all-weather F-82Gs shot down the first three North Korean airplanes destroyed by U.S. forces. Nor did he provide armor for the crew. To re-balance the bomber, dihedral was added to the horizontal stabilizer. A LOT OF THE WORK WE DO IS DETAILED IN THE CURRENT P-47 ARTICLE FEATURED IN Classic Wings Magazine. The final version of the Betty, the G4M4, had an entirely new laminar-flow wing with integrally self-sealing fuel tanks. The museum displays the only complete Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber in a setting depicting the way it was located in the jungle. . Just picked up a Lindberg 1/72 Betty bomber and it looks like an old Aurora or Revell release from the sixties.Literally no interior detail,no instrument panel,joysticks radio s nothing,just 3 seated crew figures.Also features over size rivets that I had to sand down.True I only paid five bucks but wow worse than an old Airfix kit!On the positive side,it does seem to have the correct general . WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO UNDERTAKE A PROFIT MAKING EXERCISE. Greinert was responsible for having its salvage permit re-issued]. Interview April 2006. We are now sought out by governments and institutions, nationally and internationally, for our expertise in the restoration and operation of vintage aircraft. AND THE ACTIVITIES ARE WELL RECORDED IN PUBLICATIONS AND ALIKE OVER TIME, CREDIBLE MEDIA OUTLETS SUCH AS Classic Wings Magazine PROVIDE EXCELLENT COVERAGE. Escorted by four RNZAF Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighters, it was flown to Jacquinot Bay on October 14,1945 by Warrant Officer Kataoka Goro . THE GREATEST SOURCE FOR LOCATING WRECKS ARE THE ACTUAL LANDOWNERS WHO WANT TO SELL THE WRECKS SO THEY CAN BUY THE BASICS OF LIFE THAT YOU AND I TAKE FOR GRANTED. I TRADE PARTS GLOBALLY SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU CANT GET A LOT OF THE STUFF NEEDED FROM THE JUNGLE. Our model is a B-25J which didnt have a nose gunner but instead had eight .50 caliber machine guns controlled by the pilot. Another hulk is in the collection of Australias Darwin Aviation Museum. Their next stop was the Philippines where the Allied delegation, led by General Douglas MacArthur, would witness the Japanese officials signing the surrender agreement. Two major portions survive: the nose including the entire flight deck, and ten feet of the fuselage. EVERYBODY KNEW ABOUT THEM, NOBODY WAS DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT, IT WAS GREAT TO SAVE THEM AND SEE THEM GO TO GOOD HOMES. WE ARE CURENTLY PLANNING A WEB BASED PRODUCT EITHER ATTACHED TO ANOTHER WEBSITE OR A STAND ALONE TO TELL THE WHOLE STORY. Based at Ng Whare Waatea marae in Mangere, it is located in the middle of the biggest Mori population in Aotearoa. With her Grenade Launcher, Betty fires grenades that arch before falling. The DC-4E design proved to be so bad that the company started over again, producing the successful DC-4 airliner. I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE COMPLETION OF MANY MUSEUM PROJECTS AND UNDERTAKEN THE RECOVERY OF AIRCRAFT FROM MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD INCLUDING RUSSIA. Before serial production of the Betty began in 1940, Mitsubishi was ordered to first create a G4M heavy fighter variant designated the G6M1. ON MY FIRST VISIT TO POPPONDETTA I WAS APPROACHED BY THE LANDOWNERS WHO DID NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES TO MOVE IT AND WERE FEARFULL OF THE AIRCRAFT BEING SCRAPPED. 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