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To the rescue.
A friend of mine, Al Hammel, sent me some pics of this, the Davis-Monthan AFB, Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AKA the USAF Bone Yard) located in Tucson, AZ. Additional views are , here, and here. Kodak has put together a very interesting tour of the facility here. These aircraft were serviced and flown by our vets.
They provided food and ammunition to our fighting troops.
They flew the wounded to hospitals.
They dropped thousands and thousands of tons of bombs.
They strafed enemy positions and blew up tanks.
They destroyed radar facilities.
They interdicted the resupply of opposing forces.
And a lot more...
Total American Air Force aircraft losses during World War II:
27,694 aircraft, including 8,314 heavy bombers, 1,623 medium and light bombers,Out of 135,00 men assigned to the 8th Army Air Force, 30,000 men lost their lives in combat.
and 8,481 fighters as destroyed in combat.
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These aircraft are a lot like our vets. They don't complain and they still serve as best as they can. Like the men who flew them, these craft are a credit to our nation.
This is the only AFB facility that makes a profit.
Davis-Monthan is where military aircraft are stripped down and prepared for storage in the hot, dry desert climate. With over 1,600 aircraft, the USAF Bone Yard is is the third largest air force in the world. Most of the aircraft that come into the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center are flown in under their own power. Some are refitted and readied for sale to other nations. Others, such as B-52's, are stripped of vital parts and used to keep their brothers alive and flying. Some planes are reassembled for use as target practise or in movies.
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After WWII, the US had several facilities where surplus aircraft were stored and/or scrapped. Hundreds of millions of pounds of aircraft aluminum were recovered in this fashion.
By 1959, Davis-Monthan alone had 4,000 aircraft. In 1965 it was chosen as the single, primary facility for storage of all USAF surplus planes.
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