Pacific theatre relics and rescue.

[Rick W]

Has anyone undertaken the task of trying to retrieve vehicles from the pacific theatre of ops? I can see the cost of trying to do it from Europe would be mindboggling, yet occasionally there comes up a tank from a bog, usually in the Russian campaign. Is there a reason why vehicles are not recovered and restored?

[lendlease]

RUST. RUST. RUST. After 65 years, there is nothing much left to bring home! Tropical humidity and high rainfall and salt air....need I say more?

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Indeed, rust is the key.

In the [former] Soviet Union, tanks and other armoured vehicles were regularly swallowed up by rivers and bogs, but the freezing temperatures in that part of the world slowed decomposition by an amazing degree, which is why they keep pulling them out in "restorable" condition. Even then they're pretty bad - just look at the Canadian Valentine at the Canadian War Museum which came from a bog in Russia.

The Pacific theatre is characterised by warm weather and salt water/air - as "Lendlease" said, say no more.

BTW "Lendlease", do you have a real name?

[Lang]

Another reason is there were relatively few vehicles to start with. Compared to Europe the numbers of armoured vehicles were miniscule. Because the Pacific war was a moving feast the servicable and repairable vehicles were put back on the ship for the next innings.

Even soft skinned vehicles were vastly fewer for the same size operations than in Europe due to the difficulties of shipping and the impossibility of driving anywhere in many of the combat areas.

In New Guinea and the Philippines there were huge sales in the late 40's and thousands of the remaining vehicles were sent back to Australia and USA respectively by dealers.

The climate in the Port Moresby area of Papua New Guinea (Which had the largest concentration of vehicles) is actually not too harsh with a distinct wet and dry season much like Darwin or Townsville. I put up some photos of a Dodge workshop area I took only a couple of years ago and there are dozens of restorable, mainly half-ton - Dodge bodies still there.

Very few armoured vehicles were there to start with. Lots of CMP vehicles were run into the ground by civil owners post-war. There are a few places around with groups of LVT's sitting under coconut trees but that is about it in PNG. I saw about a dozen quite complete Japanese amphibious tanks in Palau about 15 years ago but no allied armour.

Lang

[Rick W]

Ahh! Rust! Are there any Japanese vehicles on the scene in Australia, or have all succumbed to the tin worm/jungle?

[Lang]

Rick,

The only Japanese vehicle I know of in Australia is a light tracked gun tractor - quite a sporty little machine. I think it has gone to the War Memorial but may be wrong.

Plenty of Landcruisers though!

Lang

[JackM]

There's this one, too. But it was ours before the Japanese re-badged it.

Jack

[Rick W]

Bizarrely enough, I picked up a copy of Old Glory(Traction Engine magazine), which i do once in a while. There was a short article on Kokopo War Museum, PNP. Heres the link to the website for anyone interested.
http://www.pacificwrecks.com/restore/png/kokopo.html

[Lynn Eades]

What about the tank at Pukapunyal