Oakey Spitfires

[Lang]

Here are some photos of what is now the Australian Army Aviation Centre but in 1948 was the scene of destruction of hundreds of Spitfires, Beaufighters and numerous others.

[Private_collector]

How could you show this to us?

For some years now, I have managed to put such horrors out of my mind. My father has seen destruction like this in person at end of WW2, and when he told me about it, I nearly shed tears. The road to recovery was long but I managed to get through it.

Now I relive the nightmare again.

[David_Hayward (RIP)]

I seem to recall that there was almost a mutiny on an aircraft carrier when Seafires were just thrown overboard on the way back from the Far East. Who could have foreseen that a few years later, at least for a time, Spitfires would have been useful in Korea! Seafires were of course used for a time.

The photo does make me cry though...I have a few shots (lo res) taken by a magazine of RAF aircraft such as a Typhoon, at an airfield where they were used as targets and and for fire-fighting demos.