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When you
walk up to the Betty site the first thing you see is the
huge tail standing like an enormous monolith at the site. |
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Sans
glass, the tail gun compartment is remarkably intact. This
style tail cone identifies the G4M as a late production
Model 11. |
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Looking
at the tail gun compartment from a slightly different angle.
Surprisingly, part of the 20mm cannon still remained,
including the barrel. |
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Walt
gives an idea of the cramped space the rear gunner had to
work with. |
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Several
views inside the fuselage. |
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Looking
out from inside the tail gun compartment. |
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The back half of the fuselage
bolts together to the front half. This is another diagnostic
of the G4M Model 11. |
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The port
side of the fuselage. Notice the circular crew hatch
opening. |
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The
starboard side of the fuselage. |
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Upon closer inspection we were able to make
out two different sets of numbers on the tail. The first set
was:
-213 (note the dash in front)
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second set had been chiseled in, probably while prepping the
old paint to accept the new coating.
The number was:
2?72
The ? was either a 3, 8, or possibly a curved 7. |
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If you
look closely, slightly right of center you can make out a 3.
On the left, and slightly going off the photo you can see
the chisel marks in the shape of a 7 as well as some yellow
paint in places. The chisel marks on the upper right are the
start of the 2. |
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Look closely, on the left side of the picture
you can see the chiseled 2 on top of the older
- (dash) which is
followed by a non-chiseled 2 on the right side of the
picture. Also the yellow number paint is slightly more
evident in this photo. |
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The tail
section is about 20 meters away from the rest of the main
wreckage. |
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Pictured
on the right is looking from the main wreck to the tail. On
the left is looking from inside the tail towards the cockpit
section in the main wreckage as John takes notes. |
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In this
photo the main wreckage is in the far left and the tail on
the far right. Farther away, behind the trees in the center,
is a bomb crater with the right wing. |
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On the
left is what the left wing looked like when we first walked
in.
On the
right is the left wing after clearing the vegetation. |
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Again,
before and after clearing vegetation. These shots are from
the left wing tip looking across the main wreckage area at
the cockpit section. |
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Looking
across the main wreckage area from the cockpit section back
at the left wing tip. |
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Looking
at the front of the cockpit section. (Left)
Looking
at the crew seats in the cockpit section. (Right) |
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Two views
looking at the instrument panel, throttle quadrant, and
control column. |
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Several
views of the main wreckage area, all with the cockpit
section in the background. |
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Three
views of the engine next to the left wing. Note the cockpit
section in the right picture for reference. |
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There
were so many parts in the main wreckage area it was somewhat
overwhelming! Here I think Gary is looking for a fender for
a `58 DeSoto. (Actually he is making notes for the site
map). |
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However
it would not have surprised me if he found the fender,
because we did find a tail section of an A6M Zero intermixed
with the Betty wreckage. |
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Some
instrument panels, probably from the Betty, found
lying on the Zero, |
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The
Leaning Ladder of Yap. While Gary was taking notes for the
site map, I decided to climb up the other side of the ladder
to obtain overhead shots of the wreckage. Considering the
heavy rains and soft ground... bad idea! I bailed as the
ladder sank, but Gary never said a word and just kept taking
notes as if he didn't even notice. |
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Another
view of the left wing along with some of the miscellaneous
parts on top of it. |
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One
of the waist gun openings. |
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In the
foreground to the right of the cockpit is the rear portion
of the top dorsal machine gun hatch. The left wing is in the
background with Gary next to it still looking for the `58
DeSoto fender. |
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A data
plate on the left horizontal stabilizer. (Right picture is
zoomed in) |
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A data
plate on the right horizontal stabilizer. |
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A data
plate on a gear box. |
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A data
plate on the bomb rack. (Right picture is zoomed in) |
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A radio. |
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This is
the bomb crater located in between and behind the tail
section and main wreckage. Walt gives some perspective to
the size and depth of the crater. |
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The right
wing protruding out of the edge of the crater near the top. |
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A fuel
sight gage attached to the root of the right wing. This
would have been visible inside the fuselage. |
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We
experienced occasional heavy down pours... |
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...and
the tail section made a relatively good shelter, barring a
few holes in the roof. |
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The tail
also made a good office to do paperwork. |
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