A teenage fisherman has helped solve a 78-year-old mystery surrounding the fate of three American pilots whose fighter planes disappeared over the North Sea during World War II.

16-year-old Alex Wightman was fishing for Dover sole when his nets traversed part of an airplane’s cockpit and part of its instrument panel.

Historians believe the wreckage was one of three P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft that disappeared in thick clouds over the East Anglia coast in 1944.

It was believed that the fighters, in close formation, accidentally collided and fell into the sea.

But there were no witnesses to determine where the planes went down and no wreckage or bodies were ever recovered, leading to the pilots – Donald Funcheon, Claude Mussey and Dale Stream – being listed missing.

Mr Wightman, who is an apprentice for his family’s fishing business, discovered the remains of one of the planes about three miles from Dunwich, Suffolk.

Teenage fisherman Alex Wightman has helped solve a 78-year-old mystery surrounding the fate of three American pilots whose fighter planes disappeared over the North Sea during World War II

The 16-year-old was fishing for Dover sole off the coast of Dunwich, Suffolk, when his nets fished part of the cockpit of an airplane and part of its instrument panel. Historians believe the wreckage was one of three P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft that disappeared in thick clouds over the East Anglia coast in 1944

P47-D THUNDERBOLT

Produced between 1941 and 1945, the Thunderbolt was primarily used by the US Air Force, French Air Force and RAF.

More than 15,600 examples of the aircraft were manufactured during this period and it served in all theaters of war.

Each aircraft was armed with eight .50 caliber machine guns and the pilot was protected by an armored cab.

It had a wingspan of 40 feet (12 meters) and a top speed of 440 miles per hour (700 km/h).

It was heavily armed, featuring eight wing-mounted .50″ machine guns and up to ten 5″ rockets under its wings.

It could also carry a bomb load of up to 2,500 pounds.

The aircraft also had a well armored cockpit, while its engine was remarkably resistant to battle damage.

The aircraft played an important role in the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944.

It was the most important US fighter aircraft in Europe, surpassing the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang combined.

The teenager noticed something heavy in his nets and was amazed to see he had retrieved debris on September 9th.

He said: “Me and my skipper Jeffery Melton were outside when the net closed. It was strange because we felt something catching on the net.

“We could see the lump on the sonar and just wondered what it was because it was heavy. I couldn’t believe it when we got the nets on the boat and found the remains.

“This part of the sea is about 19 meters deep. I wonder what else could be down there as this is one of the main flight routes for WWII aircraft.

“The blob on the sonar shows there must be more down there.”

Mr Wightman thought he could even smell aviation fuel on the twisted metal wreck as he cleaned it and examined it on the deck of his family’s boat Georgie Girl.

He said: “We could still smell the petrol when we got the parts onto the boat.

“Our first thought was to talk to historians and hand our findings over to a museum.”

Mr Wightman has posted pictures of his find on Facebook, which has alarmed local aviation historian Bob Collis and John Soanes of the Port of Lowestoft Research Society.

Realizing the wreckage came from the cockpit of a P-47 Thunderbolt, the pair contacted the Halesworth Aviation Museum, located on the site of the former air base where three squadrons of fighters were stationed from July 1943 to April 1944.

Richard Pymar, the museum’s secretary and founder, noted that the wreckage had been found in the area where the three planes had collided.

There were no witnesses to determine where the planes went down and no wreckage or bodies were ever recovered, leading to the pilots – Donald Funcheon (pictured), Claude Mussey and Dale Stream – being listed as missing

Claude Mussey and Dale Stream are pictured above in their aviator uniforms. The men were listed as missing along with Donald Duncheon

Produced between 1941 and 1945, the Thunderbolt was primarily used by the US Air Force, French Air Force and RAF

He said he was certain it was from one of three aircraft from the USAAF’s 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, which landed on April 22.

Mr Pymar said: “The records clearly show that only three Thunderbolts were lost in this area and they were all lost on the same day.

“We have a report from another pilot on the same mission saying they were all flying in close formation at 5,000 feet above the coast when they ran into thick clouds.

“When the pilot flew out of the cloud, his three squadron colleagues who had been to his left were no longer there.

“They were believed to have collided and the pilots were listed as missing on the memorial at the American War Cemetery at Madingley, near Cambridge.

“Airborne collisions between friendly planes were commonplace, but usually two planes were involved at the same time. It was very unusual for three to collide.

The wreck, including the left part of the instrument panel, is now on display at the Halesworth Aviation Museum along with other wartime artifacts

Mr Wightman thought he could even smell aviation fuel on the twisted metal wreck as he cleaned it up and examined it on the deck of his family’s Georgie Girl (pictured) boat.

“But they had to fly in close formation to keep in touch because they could easily lose each other.

“This wreckage is clearly from one of the planes that went down that horrible day, but we don’t know which one. We’re conducting further investigation to see if we can figure out which aircraft it is.

“It’s quite sobering to look at the instrument panel and see a young man, probably in his 20s, staring at it as he struggled to save his life.

“We are pleased that it has been found after all these years and that it is helping to provide some conclusive evidence of what happened on that horrible day in 1944.”

The wreck, including the left part of the instrument panel, is now on display at the Halesworth Aviation Museum along with other wartime artifacts.

Mr Pymar added: “Even though the pilots did not make it back, at least part of one of the planes did make it back to Halesworth. Having that back is just amazing.

“The bank dial on the instrument panel actually still works because it has a little spirit level that’s still intact.”

CNN —

President Yoweri Museveni has apologized to Kenyans for tweets posted by his son Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had repeatedly threatened to attack Uganda’s East African neighbor.

In a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, Kainerugaba released provocative messages, including the proposal to unify Kenya and Uganda.

“We, my army and I, would not need two weeks to conquer Nairobi,” Kainerugaba said wroterefers to Kenya’s capital.

“Union is a MUST! No honorable man can allow these artificial, colonial borders any longer. If our generation has men, then these borders must fall!”

President Museveni apologized for his son’s comments and said it was wrong for officials to interfere in other nations’ affairs.

“I ask our Kenyan brothers and sisters to forgive us for the tweets sent by General Muhoozi, former commander of the land forces here, regarding electoral matters in this great country,” Museveni wrote in a statement published on his official website on Wednesday became.

His comments sparked angry reactions from Kenyans on social media, and Kainerugaba, widely regarded as the de facto head of the military and his father’s chosen successor, was ousted as commander of Uganda’s land forces on Tuesday. It was unclear if the change was made after his controversial tweets.

He was later promoted by the lieutenant general to the rank of full general and will remain a senior adviser to the president on special operations, a statement from the Ugandan Ministry of Defense said.

Despite his apology, Museveni justified Kainerugaba’s promotion by saying his son was only wrong in his comments and not in his service.

‘Then why are you promoting him to general after those remarks? This is because this error is one aspect where he acted negatively as an official,” the Ugandan leader said.

“However, there are many other positive contributions that the general has made and can make,” he added, describing Kainerugaba as “an ardent pan-Africanist”.

Kainerugaba is outspoken on social media and has frequently traded barbs with opposition figures and meddled in politics, although his military role prevents him from doing so.

Kainerugaba also asked his more than 600,000 Twitter followers how many cows should be offered as a bride price for Giorgia Meloni, the right-wing politician who is expected to be named Italy’s prime minister this month.

“I would give her 100 Nkore cows right away! For being fearless and truthful!!” he wrote.

Kainerugaba later said the comments were made as a joke. As an advisor to Francesco Lollobrigida, he told reporters Kainerugaba’s offer was not a serious issue.

Ugandan analysts and opposition leaders have long accused Museveni, 78, of tricking his son into taking over him, but Museveni, who has been in power for 36 years, has repeatedly denied this.

For several weeks, the Russians have been using Shahed-136, Iranian kamikaze drones. Inexpensive and effective, they allow Moscow to salvage its missiles. With the help of the United States, Kyiv would hold a parade.

The conflict in Ukraine is like an international weapons laboratory. While Kyiv has European, American or Turkish weapons, Russia is far from content with systems produced within the Federation. Iran, one of the few countries that provides military support to Vladimir Putin, is proving that the drones are being used more and more extensively. According to a CIA report released in July, Moscow bought several hundred of them.

Tehran provides various UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, in French), combat drones (Mohajer-6 and Shahed 129), but in particular Shahed-136, aerial suicide bombers manufactured by the Iranian Aircraft Industrial Company (HESA). Disposal. Those used by Russia are marked “Geran-2”, the Russian term for Shahed 136. Iran used them in 2021 over Houthi groups in Yemen and in 2022 to destroy the headquarters of the movement’s Kurdish separatists.

debris identified

Russia has recently used Shahed-136, but also Shahed-131, the previous generation which is smaller, lighter and less powerful. These kamikaze drones were used in September to destroy an administrative building in Odessa that housed the headquarters of Ukraine’s Southern Command. On October 5, they were deployed again for strikes in Bila Tserkva, a city in Kyiv Oblast less than 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian capital. That night 6 “Geran-2” were fired, with only one being wounded. Debris made it possible to identify these flying bombs.

This is not a small consumer drone modified for military use. This model is 3.5 meters long and 2.5 meters wide. It is not controlled remotely, for example to shoot down a moving target, but rather by programming the GPS coordinates of a fixed target. It can travel 200 kilometers at low speed and low altitude to reach it. They are launched from trucks equipped with racks containing 5 drones.

A Beetle engine

These drones are easily recognizable by their triangular shape with stabilizers at the ends and the widely audible engine noise that allows the Ukrainians to shoot them down like they did last September. They call the latter “the mopeds of the air” because their noise is not subject to any discretion.

As this wreckage shows, the Shahed-136 would use a Chinese MD550 engine. This internal combustion engine is in fact the Chinese version of the German Limbach L550E engine, an engine inspired by the Volkswagen block fitted to the “Beetles”. It can be found on the MadeInChina site for $17.7.

But their low price, around $20,000, allows Russia to send them in large numbers and, most importantly, to save on its cruise missiles at almost $2 million apiece. But these inexpensive drones are effective when, as Jean-Christophe Noël, a researcher at Ifri, tells AFP, “the adversary doesn’t have the means to protect themselves from them or retaliate”.

The parade is underway. In late September, Washington announced the deployment of Titan anti-drone systems. According to BlueHalo, its maker, they will make it possible to jam the Shahed frequencies in just a few minutes.

At least 34 people, including 22 children, have been killed in an armed attack on a kindergarten in Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeast Thailand. According to the police, the shooting involved a former police officer, Panya Kamrab, who initially fled by car after the attack and killed himself shortly afterwards.

News is still scarce, but it is known that the attack took place in the Na Klang district at 12.30 p.m. local time (7.30 a.m. in Italy). The reasons for the attack are unknown, but a police official told Thai TV Panya Kamrab was recently released after testing positive for a drug test.

JUST IN: Gunman shot himself after mass shooting at daycare center in Nong Bua Lam Phu: police confirm#กราดยิง #หนองบัวลำภู pic.twitter.com/oErkJT85qv

– Pichayada P. (@PichayadaCNA) October 6, 2022

BREAKING: Heartbreaking story out #BNNThailand:

Officials confirmed on Thursday that at least 38 people, including children, were killed in a mass shooting at a child care center in northeast Thailand. pic.twitter.com/IWzmgAZz3r

– Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) October 6, 2022

A report by the French Senate, presented last Wednesday (28), examines the practices of the porn industry in France and makes some 23 proposals to warn the government and society. According to the parliamentarians, there is a strong link between pornography, pimping (exploiting, stimulating or abetting the illegal meat trade) and prostitution. The videos would be a gateway into a “predatory” industry, as the senators emphasize.

To compile the 150page report, Alexandra BorchioFontimp (Republican), Laurence Cohen (Communist), Laurence Rossignol (Socialist) and Annick Billon (Centrist) heard dozens of witnesses over six months. These include porn actors and actresses, doctors, specialist journalists, police officers, lawyers and Xmovie producers.

“Today, pornography is violent, demeaning and degrading content. We denounce an industry that generates systemic violence against women, and we are particularly concerned about underage access to this content,” summarized Annick Billon, Senator and chair of the delegation responsible for the report, at a news conference.

With the initiative, the parliamentarians want to make sexual violence in connection with pornography a criminal offense and fine broadcasters for the distribution of illegal content. “There will be legislative followup to this report,” promised Laurence Cohen.

“Solutions are urgently needed because entire generations have pornography as their only source of supply,” concluded Annick Billon.

risks for the participants

The Internet has fundamentally changed both production and consumption in this industry in recent years. The report highlights that consumption in the country has not only become massive but has also become precocious. “Twothirds of children under the age of 15 and onethird of children under the age of 12 were exposed to pornographic images either voluntarily or involuntarily. Almost a third of boys under the age of 15 visit a porn site at least once a month,” the document said.

From an estimated audience of 19.3 million unique visitors in 2021, pornographic sites are consulted by “36% of French Internet users, including 2.3 million minors”, almost 12% of the audience, according to the study presented to the Senate.

On the Pornhub site, the monthly audience in unique visitors would include “1.6 million minors, or an average of 17% of the site’s total monthly audience.” An exhibition that exploded with the increasing presence of mobile devices since elementary school.

They are minors subjected to trauma, disorders, and eating and sleeping complexes, given the physical and verbal violence present in 90% of pornographic scenes, as described by the senators. Against this disclosure, the report presented in France urges websites to find an effective technical solution to verify the age of the people accessing the pages and activate the parental control system, and reiterates that this content is prohibited for minors .

“The pornographic films that children and adolescents watch during their development and socialization will affect their relationships with women in general and their sex lives,” Simon BenardCourbon, assistant attorney at the Bobigny Court, told French newspaper Le Monde.

Exposure to these videos encourages the creation of amateurish pornographic content through social networks of the likes of WhatsApp and Instagram. With the emergence of other apps like Only Fans, which promote pornography for a fee, the problem becomes even greater: it is an incentive to transition into prostitution.

Risks for those who produce

The production of pornographic films, which is now in the crosshairs of the French Senate, has also been the subject of judicial investigations for a number of years, particularly against two major websites in the industry, Jacquie et Michel and French Bukkake. About 15 business owners, producers and actors are charged with aggravated pimping, human trafficking in an organized gang, rape and aiding and abetting rape, rape with torture and barbaric acts.

An actress interviewed during this investigation reported the degrading conditions of the recordings. “This scene [sexual] ended, so I went to the bathroom and had a bleed. Shortly thereafter, a second scene began. From the beginning they tried to dehumanize me,” said the actress, whose identity has not been changed, as revealed by the portal RFI.

Other victims say they were tricked into dating sites and when they arrived at the hotel where they had booked with a partner, they were forced to tape sex with several other people. Then they were blackmailed if they wanted to take the videos off the air.

In order to combat abuses, the French senators propose in the text to oblige producers to inform consumers about the actual conditions under which filming takes place. They also recommend police training to collect reports from porn actresses, following domestic violence investigation standards.