::: CRASHED and Found! P-40!! 70 Years Later!!!
CANADIAN WW II ACE, "Stocky Edwards" predesessorly marked aircraft…flown first by an RAF pilot has just been found, last month (March 2012), 70 years later, in the North African desert of Al Wadi al Jadid.
Remarkably intact, the fighter-plane came down "power on" (the propeller is seen in the foreground, blades bent backward) back in 1942. Right now little is known of the RAF airman who crash landed the Kittyhawk seven decades ago.
Presently, Vintage Wings of Canada flies a P-40 painted up in Stocky's desert campaign colours, in honour of Canada's wartime hero. Stocky's Kittyhawk "K" version aircraft with the "B H S" marking replaced the downed in the desert Kittyhawk "D" version aircraft seen in the recent crash photo.
Born in Nokomis, Saskatchewan, James Francis "Stocky" Edwards, CM, DFC & Bar, DFM, CD was Canada's highest scoring ace in the Western Desert Campaign of WW II.
Edwards took out the famed German ace Otto Schultz (51 kills) on June 17, 1942.
Stocky is 91 years young…and lives in Comox, BC with his wife Toni.
Thanks to Vintage Wings of Canada who recently posted this Kittyhawk news!
I'm giving a shout-out to Dave O'Malley…of VWofC, who brought this story to my attention!
That guy is amazin'!!
See his Kittyhawk HS-B article here:
Read ALL of DAVE'S fantastic articles, rife with splendid photography and interesting info, HERE:
This crashed P-40 was manufactured in Buffalo, NY.
