tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945156073534304138.post2656900302755016508..comments2023-08-05T07:02:39.009-05:00Comments on Cheeky History: Finding the Dakota, It's a Family AffairGrant Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08427367759721561791noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945156073534304138.post-32327687400250203582013-04-06T09:19:02.714-05:002013-04-06T09:19:02.714-05:00An editors' note has been added to the end of ...An editors' note has been added to the end of the article above. Thanks for reading Cheeky History.Grant Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08427367759721561791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945156073534304138.post-40269537677984782212013-04-06T09:15:29.283-05:002013-04-06T09:15:29.283-05:00Thanks Dave! Cheeky History strives to get it righ...Thanks Dave! Cheeky History strives to get it right, but we are only as good as our sources since we don't do any original research. We're glad to have input on any story we write about. <br /><br />Our observation is that if everyone agrees on every detail of a historical event, it's pretty suspect. If a hundred people witness an event you are likely to get a hundred different perspectives on what actually happened. <br /><br />When new information is added to the mix we can get a more complete picture and everyone who loves history is made better for it.<br /><br />Thanks again to The History Blog, they do great work. <br /><br />We'll leave it to you two to fight this one out! Cheers!Grant Davieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08427367759721561791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945156073534304138.post-71329491212063151582013-04-05T20:40:58.307-05:002013-04-05T20:40:58.307-05:00It's a great story- but not accurate. In fact ...It's a great story- but not accurate. In fact the Dakota was first found by and RAF Lancaster bomber at 9.31am on the 21st. I know because my father [Fl Lt G.Head] was the pilot. He wrote:<br />On November 20th 1946, as air/sea rescue officer for our station, I received a request for assistance in searching for a crashed DC3 (Dakota) which had disappeared whilst flying over the Swiss Alps. We were told it contained high ranking American Officers and wives. Within 25 minutes we had dispatched our stand-by aircraft. That night with the search not locating the crashed aircraft I planned to join the search. When I filed my flight plan with group HQ I was told that further searching would be useless. With the lapse of time and the low temperature it was their opinion that any survivor of the crash would have died. My own CO however told me to go for it and this we did, taking off early on Thursday 21st with food supplies and blankets.<br /><br />The search area had been established by 3 radio stations plotting faint signals from the crashed aircraft. After 7 ½ hours in the air we gave up for the day without any sign of the crashed aircraft among the many mountains we searched. <br />We landed at search HQ at Istres in southern France. Early next morning we were requested to search an area about 50 miles north of the original area because during the night a 4th radio station had plotted a bearing further north of the original area.<br />We arrived over the search area only to find it almost completely covered with cloud, with gaps here and there. At 9.30am my rear gunner called out “circle skip- I think I have spotted it”. We then circled over a gap in the cloud and the mid-upper gunner confirmed that he saw what he though was a crashed aircraft. The cloud closed over and we lost sight of it. The navigator was unable to obtain an accurate fix of our position because of the radio interference from the mountains, so we decided to fly a fixed speed and direction course until clear of the interference. This we did-the navigator plotted a radar position and backtracked to plot the position of the crash site. <br />We landed at Istres and gave search HQ all our information, which was relayed to all other search centres and search aircraft, of which there were approximately 100. Later in the afternoon the weather was clearing so we took off and headed for the crash site. Before we reached it other aircraft radioed in that they were over the position we had given and that the aircraft was indeed there. It was on a glacier at an altitude of approximately 11,000 ft. We all dropped our supplies and left it too ground parties to effect the rescue.<br />cheers<br />dave Head , New ZealandAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8945156073534304138.post-75190843947908142522012-08-16T09:03:43.886-05:002012-08-16T09:03:43.886-05:00Dear cheekyhistory blog author,
As an employee of...Dear cheekyhistory blog author,<br /><br />As an employee of Bloggingbooks, I am looking for enthralling, informative and clearly legible blogs, and I discovered yours. <br /><br />Bloggingbooks publishing house, which is a trademark of the scientific publishing house known as SVH Verlag, is actively looking for new authors. <br /><br />Would you be interested in publishing your blog posts in book format? I would be pleased to discuss the publication possibilities that are offered by Bloggingbooks.<br /><br />You will find basic information about Bloggingbooks concept by visiting our homepage: bloggingbooks.net.<br />Of course, I would be pleased to provide you more information and to answer your queries by e-mail.<br /><br />contact email: m [dot] gorbulea [at] bloggingbooks [dot] de<br /> Bloggingbookshttp://bloggingbooks.netnoreply@blogger.com