Warbirds from the past beckon to soar again

May 14, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
People the world over are still fascinated by the last global conflict of the 20th century.
The Second World War and all of its military history are one of the most studied and examined periods in our recent history.
Artifacts from the war are hot collectibles to this day, and more are being uncovered in European countries. They draw interest from far and wide.
Some baby boomers, with a fondness for history and some extra money to spend, are among the top collectors of war memorabilia. Through the Internet and literally thousands of websites, you can find everything from weapons and armored vehicles to airplane parts. Looking at distribution sites like WG Henschen will help you find the right parts you need for airplanes.
Aircraft enthusiasts become wide-eyed children when they come across relics from crashed Allied and German combat aircraft.
One former Toronto resident makes uncovering the past his passion.
Edmonton native Michael John Fuller has spent more than a decade breathing new life into historic Luftwaffe aircraft. From bits and pieces of tangled metal to shell casings and rubber tires, Fuller has not only amassed thousands of pieces of war history, but he’s documented each batch and put together as much historic data as he can. His ultimate goal is to put together a warbird for all to see.
Fuller, based in Malibu, California, explained that until the early 1990s, most European countries did not care about aircraft salvage. If there was an aircraft wreck on your property, it was basically yours and your problem if you wanted it removed. Due to the heavy interest in war-time aircraft restorations, some governments are now intervening and they’re demanding permission be granted before any excavation begins.
In the countries where Fuller obtains his wrecks, he hasn’t encountered much interference, but in others, corruption is widespread, so artifact seekers have to pay someone under the table to make sure the paperwork goes through.
To find the wrecks, Fuller said he scans historic documents, local eyewitness accounts and even common metal detector finds.
He explained that most high speed/high altitude impacts can be up to 10 metres deep, so uncovering a wreck is not something a local historian or collector could do on their own. Anything beyond two metres requires a lot of equipment, warm weather and water pumps.
Every month Fuller finds something new and interesting. There are a couple on his list of gems.
The first item is a complete Messerschmitt Me109 G4 left wing. It still has its serial number painted on it internally, and from the research he’s done, it was originally fitted to a Me109 G4 that served in Africa. After a bad take-off accident, the wing was salvaged and placed on another G4 type that eventually served in Italy. That plane was wrecked in a landing accident. Somewhat surprising, Fuller noted that half of all Me109s destroyed in the war were due to take-off and landing accidents, linked to the narrow stance of its landing gear.
In April of 1943, that wreck was found by the RAF, and then eventually brought back by the U.S. as either a war prize (usually used to display and promote war bonds), or as a spare wing for some of the Me109 fighters that were captured and being tested in the U.S.
After the war it remained in storage (either Freeman or Wright field) and at some time (probably in the 1970s), a decision was made to scrap it. Someone saved it from being torched and it changed hands a few times before Fuller was able to acquire it.
“It remains as the largest Me109 airframe part with the original desert/tropical paint. Obviously weather, age and vandalism has caused much of the paint to fade or flake off, but it remains as close to original as it was when it was captured in 1943.
“Having an item with that much history, and still being as complete as it is, makes it quite a rare piece,” he said.
His second prized item is a rare wood horizontal stabilizer from an Me109 K-4 (last model type). In 1944, due to the scarcity of aluminum, Germany decided to change any parts they could over to a wood structure. Messerschmitt even experimented with an all-wood wing for the Me109.
Fuller found this item in October of 2013. It was sitting in a pile of wrecked aircraft parts in Germany, basically collected by a farmer in 1945. Sadly, the farmer cut out some large pieces of wood from it for his personal use, but it still retains a camouflage pattern and color that has only ever been seen on occasion, and only in black and white archive photos.
There is only one other wood Me109 horizontal stabilizer known to exist, and that sits nicely on a Me109 G10/U4 in Arizona. So in this case, rarity plays a big part.
He calls his fascination with German aircraft almost inexplicable, dating back to when he was a boy.
He loves the technological advances German engineers made in aircraft design and function. Breakthroughs in rocketry and jet engines contributed to boosting post-war aircraft design and even the U.S. space program.
Fuller said the German aircraft instruments were way ahead of their counterparts. He likens it comparing a Mercedes to a Ford.
His favorite plane of all time is the Me109, Germany’s most prolific (34,000 built) and competitive fighters. He also likes the innovative Ta152.
Fuller worked on the Canadian-made Avro Lancaster bomber, as well as helping with the restoration of a Lanc in the Prairies. And he has a fondness for the legendary Avro Arrow.
There are straightforward ways of identifying aircraft from the war.
Fuller said finding the main data plates on German aircraft (cockpit and tail sections)?will tell you exactly the type and the serial number. But wrecks often don’t have these data plates, due to the condition of the wreck.
Most of the German records were destroyed or lost in 1945, so when it comes to identifying wrecks (or the history with them), it can be a major challenge. The Germans tended to keep more loss records than they did production records.
Identifying the type of aircraft is a bit easier.
Most recently, a contact recovered a wreck which, based on local accounts, he concluded was an Me109 G6 that was on a recon flight, shot down by flak. After acquiring all the wreckage, he knew immediately that it was a WNF built Me109 G10/U4 (wood tail, rudder, type of guns etc.). But there are no recorded losses for any G10s in that area. For now, all he knows is that it’s an Me109 G10/U4, and the serial number.
“There are many online forums where one can simply ask the history of a certain aircraft serial number, or wreck location and many people all over the world will reply – some with the exact answer you need.”
Interest has certainly grown the past 20 years or so. The sad fact is that after 70 years in the ground or under water, it can leave nothing left to salvage. The hurdles nowadays, are finding them, and actually recovering them without great expense.
Fuller said he once found a complete wing from a Ju87 Stuka, still with the original paint, sitting in a scrap yard in the Ukraine.
“I jumped on the bandwagon to obtain it. The owner of the yard did not want to go through the trouble of shipping the piece, and seeing only scrap value, he cut it into pieces!”
In the end, Fuller was only able to obtain a few bits from it.
“Once gone, these are gone forever.”
With the high interest in WW2 history, there is more of a need to preserve the items of that time period, regardless of what nation they are from.
Fuller’s small company sells artifacts on eBay to clients from Canada, the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and India.
“My personal view is that items of this time period need to be saved because once they are gone, they are gone.”
It’s sad, he said, when these wonderful flying machines are relegated to scrap or junk.
The “Memphis Belle,” the first American B-17 to complete 25 bombing missions, sat outside until the 1980s, enduring vandalism and damage from the weather. The RCAF scrapped VR-X, which had the most bombing missions of all Canadian Lancs.
Because he specifically deals with the Germany and Japanese technology of the time, most museums are not interested in his pieces.
However, Fuller is considered one of the foremost experts on the Me109 and has volunteered his services at a local museum with one of their restorations.
Most of the interest really lies with private museums where the owners get involved due to a personal passion, as well as small collectors. Much of the historical/technological information and debates/exchanges are usually between enthusiasts and through online forums.
Hollywood is also known for its war epics.
Fuller said Nancy Spielberg is currently finishing a documentary titled, “Above and Beyond,” which details the Israelis’ first fighter squadron, which used a post-war version of the Me109. Being an actor, Fuller would love to get involved in “Master of the Air,”?a mini-series about the 8th Air Force being produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
Fuller is currently working on an Me109 G10/U4 restoration, W. Nr.611984. Sadly, there is no loss history on the aircraft, but she was built in 1945.
“Being a perfectionist, I am using all original WW2 German Me109 airframe parts where possible, and anything unobtainable is being made new.”
Since it’s a personal endeavor, the budget is limited. A major restoration of an aircraft can cost upwards of $2 million. So for Fuller, every part he has acquired remains unassembled and in storage until he has the money to proceed.
He noted there is another Me109 project in Canada being done by Don Bradshaw in Saskatoon. Fuller said they’ve worked together on many issues since they both share the same passion and dream.
Fuller has started a website – www.me109.com – which will cover the progress of the projects, parts collected, and will hopefully generate further interest to those wanting to get involved.
“I am always looking for denotations.” He noted that families of veterans have been extremely helpful in donating Me109 parts they acquired as souvenirs.
“I hope that my interest will catapult others wanting to learn not just about the aircraft, but also the pilots who flew them. I have met numerous pilots on all sides who share a common camaraderie and a love for flying.”
If you’d like to find out more about Fuller and his work, visit his website, or send him an email, me109g@verizon.net.