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www.niger-meteorite-recon.de
Libya 2004 - illustrated report
go to page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Team | Area Map
Battlefield Northafrica. One of the relics that stood the test of time in the Libyan sands is the wreck of the "Lady Be Good". The B-24 Liberator of 367th Bomb Group missed the airstrip in Solluch when returning from a night bombing raid from Italy on April 4th 1943 and continued 400 miles into the desert. It took 15 years until the wreck and all but one of the crew were discovered. Eight airmen survived the bail out and marched some 90 miles towards the coast before they died an atrocious death. Until today one of the crew is MIA.
1996 the wreck of the "Ghostbomber" was transported to a museum in Tobruk where it is on display today. Photo courtesy: Reinhart Mazur
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Tail guns of the "Lady Be Good"
Photo courtesy: Reinhart Mazur
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At midday the entire plain suddenly seems to move in a bizarre way. In some way the Zeiss binocular has metamorphosed into a kaleidoscope. The gravel pavement is disintegrating in vapors of heat reflected from the baking ground. We're passing through scenery full of lakes but they're just phantoms under a quicksilvery sky. In the hazy heat, small pebbles turn into palmy islands. Like objects of an evil charm they shrink to their natural size as we approach. On the featureless plain only the wheels seem to roll but not the car itself. Flat as a pancake, the billowing environment provides no scale to indicate our movement. Due to the straining visibility conditions we quit and stop for lunch.
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Despite a couple of bullet holes the German army "Jerrycan" is still in good shape. It bears the stamp "Wehrmacht 1941". The Jerrycans were a favoured booty for the Long Range Desert Group since the British 4 gallon Drums appeared to lack robustness.
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At noon in April the Hammada is everything but a pleasant summer resort. Al Samum, the hot wind from the northeast, blows steadily, turning one's throat into sandpaper a minute after the last sip from the ghirba. When the wind turns south, like right now, things get even worse. Al Dschumdschab, the Uburi Sand Sea's glowing breath, haunts the plain as if a giant oven was combusting behind the southern horizon. As we man the car at three in the afternoon, the temperature inside is still 132 F°.
Our first sighting this afternoon turns out to be a bullet-holed jerrycan. Originating from an improvised Italian airfield from the North African campaign, the canister bears the German army inscription "Wehrmacht 1941". Although our party is focusing on extraterrestrial litter, we take coordinates and examine the place closer, since battle relics are quite uncommon in the central desert. Pierced Italian equipment, empty M 38 Carcano clips as well as plenty of British calibre 303 rounds add to the on-site findings. Back home the research will lead to the assumption that we came across the remains of a skirmish the T-patrol of the British Long Range Desert Group fought in late 1942. The desolate landing strip once served as an outpost on the air route to Murzuk and it was presumably not the most glorious day in the Duce's Army when the LRDG raided the place.
Keeping our initial goal in mind, I bring my team back to work but not before Ammul, our fearless cook, has successfully excavated a 1940 pattern canvas sleeping bag. His booty tied to the car for "dry cleaning" in the airstream, we're ready to continue.
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Brass clip of the M 38 "Carcano", the Italian standard carbine during the African campaign. The manufactoring stamp "SIM 24" stands for
"Societa Metallurgica Italiana (Campo Tizzoro, Toscana) 1924". Bottom picture shows a loaded specimen for comparison.
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Like most of the HaH, the area we reach at dawn is criss-crossed by a dense spider web of tracks. We pass single meteorite look-alikes around which the tracks circle. Marks that bear witness of the countless hunts combing the terrain for space debris in the past. We add a few of these desert "crop circles" but none of the encircled rocks qualifies for cosmic pedigree.
First strike
Although the searchable area on the HaH spans a vast 50,000 km2, the two decades of prospecting have obviously taken their toll. The glorious days of finding a dozen different falls in one afternoon are irretrievably gone.
But the Ah'schar nayzak, the black thunderstones, as the locals call them, are still out there. We know how meteorites in the field look like, but from previous expeditions I also know that an initial find is always needed to adjust one's search pattern. While the Touareg friends ask Allah for assistance, I follow the saying, "Trust in Allah but tie your camel" and carefully plan our next day's route.
www.niger-meteorite-recon.de
Libya 2004 - illustrated report
go to page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Team | Area Map
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