Amelia Earhart mystery solved?

[bodes]

Mil-Archive, Well thought out post...However, I'm still intrigued by the photo....What would potentially two caucasians doing amongst Pacific islanders next to the Koshu?.....Bodes

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

thousand of Dutch, Australian, American and British civilians/policemen/militiamen were living in the Mandates.
Many fleed the Japanese invasion in 1941/42, many stayed and were or killed by the Japanese or the fights, or became POW.
A few started partisan warfare against the Japanese, became watchmen and informed the Allied of arrival of Japanese planes/ships (they saved thousand of lives doing that), and some other helped Allied pilots that were shot down.
Some civilians how escaped the Japanese were used by US and Allied intelligence, especially to get as many info as possible about the area.
For example to get the maps straight, to get info on the reefs, the waves and the beaches of atolls...
Amongst the best example, the preparation of the Tarawa landing, with the help of various local Caucasian skippers/capitains.

And we not have to forget the tourists. Asia was always a favorite of many Europeans. No matter the hard life in the Pacific.

See You

Vince

[eldenwaff]

Of course it's possible......However eighty years has transpired.....I don't believe the sunken remains of the Titantic took even that long to locate......With the technology we have today and knowing the whereabouts of where their last contact occurred, one would think her plane would be found....Bodes

I think you drastically underrate the vastness of the sea, and to compare a massive structure like the Titanic [whos exact place of sinking was known] to a tiny little airplane that could be anywhere in 1,000's of square miles ,, Well, you get the point.

If it crashed into the sea, any intact remains would long ago have been dispersed and buried.

[bodes]

I think you drastically underrate the vastness of the sea, and to compare a massive structure like the Titanic [whos exact place of sinking was known] to a tiny little airplane that could be anywhere in 1,000's of square miles ,, Well, you get the point.

If it crashed into the sea, any intact remains would long ago have been dispersed and buried.

And in fairness, perhaps many underestimate Earhart's piloting skills.....If they did know fuel was an issue, whose to say they couldn't have landed on/near some island?......I would be curious as well to know whether they had any type of safety equipment such as a raft or the like.....Or if all spare space was given up for fuel storage?.....Bodes

[bodes]

And in fairness, perhaps many underestimate Earhart's piloting skills.....If they did know fuel was an issue, whose to say they couldn't have landed on/near some island?......I would be curious as well to know whether they had any type of safety equipment such as a raft or the like.....Or if all spare space was given up for fuel storage?.....Bodes

At the risk of underminding my last reply, seems to me Amelia Earhart was not considered the premiere female pilot at that time......However she was a media darling and great self promoter....Earhart was in competition with a fellow female pilot, when she came up with the idea of the round the world flight....This was her way of upping the ante and fighting to stay on top....Bodes

[Kelly w]

I missed that show darn.

But I agree with the following.

The navigation could have been correct. Modern day flyers flew that route and found the maps of that time had the island 10 miles off course. That is pretty much the ballgame. Off course, out of fuel = water landing.

That photo is crap.

The landing on the island 300 miles away is also crap.

Why has the plane not been found? Might have to do with the fact there is some real deep water around there, like Titanic deep and more.

What amazes me is why some really rich Americans don't fund a really good search. I mean if they find it their name will be attached to the discovery for all time. I do understand the world has much more pressing issues then this but.....

We spent a lot of time on this subject in the community forum a few years back.

[Kelly w]

I agree with this also.

Since 1937, not a single proof was provided about the "Japanese conspiracy".

[Kelly w]

Hi,

currently three theories exist :

- many specialists studied the planned flight, and suspected a poor planning & execution, which may explain that the plane ran out of fuel out of sight of Howland Island. The possible remains are on the seafloor, at 5km below the water. This is the more plausible explaination.

- since 1985, the "Koshu theory" (Japanese cover-up : Amelia and Noonan crashed on a reef off Mille Atoll, the "Koshu" recovered the plane, Amelia and Noonan, and carried them to Jaluit Island for medical treatment, then took them to Truk. Amelia and Noonan were then flown to Saipan. There, Amelia and Noonan lost their life. The recent "update" is a supposed picture of Amelia and Noonan at Jaluit).
This theory is in contradiction with a) official Japanese reactions at the time and b) no factual interest by the Japanese to “hide anything”, as there was… nothing to hide, as confirmed by other US intelligences and witnesses that were able to freely visit the Mandates.

- since 1988, the Gardner (now called Nikumaroro) Island is the main theory of the TIGHAR exploration group.
This theory is based on :
@ a skeleton and a sextant said to be have found in April 1940 (which is not available anymore). The skeleton was said to be of a man in 1941, a woman of northern European ancestry in 1998 (based of the existing data, by the TIGHAR). In 2015, a critical review confirmed that the skeleton came from a man.
@ in 2007, TIGHAR found "bronze bearings" that may came from the plane, and "a zipper pull that may came from Amelia's flight suit". They also found "bones that may came from a human finger". Another study was made on the bones and was inconclusive (human or... sea turtle).
@ in 2012, a picture taken in 1937 of the Nikumaroro reef was said to have "something that looks like a landing gear".
@ in 2012, TIGHAR said that some sonar images "looked like a possible wreckage site". TIGHAR also found an aluminium panel, a small piece of Plexiglas, and a Cat’s Paw Heels that “may be from Amelia’s footwear”. In 2015 another sonar exploration said that the sonar images were more probably a coral ridge.
The “proofs” of TIGHAR are indeed not very substantial to say the least.
Interestingly enough, TIGHAR are the first to deny the “Koshu theory”. Business is business after all.

This is interesting to see that the complete picture is showing a very quiet and complete overview of the Jaluit pier. Only civilians and fishermen.

https://peopledotcom.files.wordpress...?w=2000&h=1209

See You

Vince

It sure is amazing how people can jump to conclusions based on one small photo. Those are clearly local people even without the enlarged version good job locating it.

When I mentioned the navigation could have been correct, I mean the Navigator on the plane might have done everything right. the maps they used were incorrect.

[bodes]

Kelly, You just couldn't let this thread fade into obscurity, could you?.....

The photo still has me intrigued...Does it solve anything?....Unfortunately it adds nil in terms of evidentual value....But why place or keep a photo of the Koshu in the archives?.....I cannot believe there is much here, if the sole intent was supplying photos for intelligence purposes....

The story has also raised more questions in my mind...Was Earhart warned by our government not to fly over Japanese held territory?....What were the Japanese soldier's orders regarding any unidentified aircraft flying over?.....Potential prisoners taken?...

And what measures if any did Earhart do to prevent crashing into the ocean?.......Did their plane use a gas gauge or did they estimate using distance/hrs.?.......If they knew fuel was running out, wouldn't it have been a good idea to descend close to the water?....Than put down....As opposed to dropping from let's say 10k feet?.......Again if they had survival gear, it would be indicative of a contingency plan......And who flies around the world w/o contingency plans?........

And lastly the people in the islands she purportedly went down in, believe she survived......They even printed stamps commemorating something to the effect.........Too many unanswered questions in my mind.....Bodes

[Kelly w]

The photo is all local people. The Amelia look alike is clearly a young local guy small in stature, with the wrong haircut.

The other theories while some might be possible they are not very probable.

[FrenchVolunteer]

Hi,

The story has also raised more questions in my mind...Was Earhart warned by our government not to fly over Japanese held territory?....What were the Japanese soldier's orders regarding any unidentified aircraft flying over?.....Potential prisoners taken?...

the fascinating story of Americans and other non-Japanese travellers around the Mandates before WWII tells that Japanese were used to try to forbid "suspicious" people to travel, like telling them that the next ship was full over and over...
But many foreigners, including journalists and US soldiers were able to travel on the various islands without any problem.

The interest of Japanese Navy HQ (to start a rescue operation) tells that they had no problem with the Amelia's travel.

See You

Vince

[bodes]

Hi,



the fascinating story of Americans and other non-Japanese travellers around the Mandates before WWII tells that Japanese were used to try to forbid "suspicious" people to travel, like telling them that the next ship was full over and over...
But many foreigners, including journalists and US soldiers were able to travel on the various islands without any problem.

The interest of Japanese Navy HQ (to start a rescue operation) tells that they had no problem with the Amelia's travel.

See You

Vince

Curious as to whether these same conditions existed in China?.....I would tend to doubt it, as Japan was knee deep there.....And with the mass executions of the Chinese populace, and Roosevelt's disdain for Japanese aggression, I doubt there was such an open door policy.....Bodes

[bodes]

Curious as to whether these same conditions existed in China?.....I would tend to doubt it, as Japan was knee deep there.....And with the mass executions of the Chinese populace, and Roosevelt's disdain for Japanese aggression, I doubt there was such an open door policy.....Bodes

I would also have to say, any peaceful overtures made by the Japanese government should be viewed with some reservations.....Remember our two countries were having diplomatic discussions when they attacked Pearl Harbor......Bodes

[Kelly w]

Nauticos

Just watched a you tube clip on the latest search conducted this year around Howland Is. They found nothing with almost 2000 sq miles covered. They were searching north west of the island. This is not the first search but one with the latest search equipment and $2 mil spent for 3 weeks. They had subs and sonar, so called experts from radio and computer fields etc. So maybe she really was way off course more then what was thought.

[bodes]

Just watched a you tube clip on the latest search conducted this year around Howland Is. They found nothing with almost 2000 sq miles covered. They were searching north west of the island. This is not the first search but one with the latest search equipment and $2 mil spent for 3 weeks. They had subs and sonar, so called experts from radio and computer fields etc. So maybe she really was way off course more then what was thought.

Curious as to who's footing the bill for this search?......Would have to be privately funded, as the government has no vested interest in such endeavors.......Bodes