European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 23, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 a the stars and stripes sunday february 23, 1992 plane excavator Kitwe Benkel shows How a world War ii fighter Pilot would have worn the face mask. A Backhoe operator carefully scoops the Messerschmidt a a engine out of the pit. A amps Peggy Davidson Farmer s Field yields world War ii Harvest by Peggy Davidson Kaiserslautern Bureau sch Edelbach Germany As f-16s from nearby Ramstein a roared overhead a group of German citizens focused More on the remains of an older aircraft buried deep in a Farmer s Field below. Uwe Benkel a German businessman who Hunts for downed world War ii aircraft in his spare time identified the plane As an me-110 Jcsse Schmitt that had flown with a Crew of two. That determination was made after the excavators found 20/nm shells 17mm machine gun ammunition and 30mm Cannon ammunition at the site. A single scat fighters never had that much ammunition Quot Benkel said. He estimated that the search Crew had found around 200 rounds of heavy Cannon ammunition and 50 to 60 shells As Well As the gun barrels and Cannon muzzles. The Crew had begun the heavy chore of digging into the Farmers Field outside sch Edelbach a Village a few Miles from Ramstein a. They raked through the mud pulling out parts of the planets engine pieces of the pilots oxygen mask the Landing gear and even bits of the pilots map. Fumes of old fuel were overwhelming smelling As sickly Sweet As Skunk Musk As the Backhoe dug closer and closer to the remains of the plane which went Down during the night of dec. 24 or 25,1944. Benkel suggested that since no remains were found among the wreckage the bodies of the Crew May have been removed and buried by local citizens who then simply filled in the Hole and planted the next years crop. A it was the end of the War Quot he said. A the holes from crashes were covered Over by Farmers and the Fields planted. They had to  Benkel also said it seemed that the plane Hadnot been airborne Long before it was shot Down. He based his assumptions on the amount of live ammunition still at the site and noted that several pieces of the wreckage had Bullet holes in them. Air Battles were not uncommon in the area during the War. Benkel began his crusade to locate downed and a recovered aircraft after a trip to England in 1989. There he visited museums displaying recovered world War ii aircraft. He asked museum officials where they found the aircraft and was told that the planes had been dug up from reported crash Sites. Now Benkel visits libraries and archives to research reports of downed aircraft be they German american or British. When he finds references to crashes he visits the specific area and begins asking questions sometimes going door to door. A i try to find eyewitnesses a he said. A sometimes i see old people on the Street and i Stop and talk to  not everyone is Happy with Benkell a efforts. A sometimes these people done to want to be bothered by the past a he said. A they say to leave them in the  Benkel is surprised by such attitudes. These airmen a need to have a real burial with their names on the grave a he said a so the families can come and put Flowers on  Werner Zell shares Benkell a eagerness to see that the airmen Are finally Given a proper burial. Zell a resident of nearby Besbach and numerous other spectators watched As the pieces of the Jcsse Schmitt were excavated. He passed around pictures of himself As a Young Pilot and proudly pointed out pictures in his scrapbook from his world War ii service. Zell also invited Many in the crowd to visit a cemetery where one of his Crew mates As Well As other airmen Are buried. A you come visit a he said to germans and americans alike. A you can  also of concern to Benkel is the environmental and safety Issue. The old aircraft leak fuel Are made of metals that can Leach into the soil and often have live ammunition on Board he said. A a they re going to destroy the ground Poison the water a he said. A also lots of the ammunition Are still alive its dangerous. What if a child or a dog digs it up a some of the ammunition found at the sch Edelbach site was discovered a Mere few inches under the soil he added. The plane itself was Between 16 and 22 feet Down. When this plane crashed he said a the heavy part went straight into the  Benkel receives no pay for his work recovering the old planes. The parts once they Are cleaned and identified Are Given to the German military for exhibition in their museums he said. Even the Backhoe operator at sch Edelbach volunteers his time and skill Benkel added. As his next project Benkel said he has found evidence of an american p-47. He hesitates to specify where the plane went Down for fear curiosity seekers will violate the site. A a we re 99 percent sure that the remains of Pilot is still there a he said. And when that one is done he will move on to the next one. And the next. A i will do this until there a no More aircraft in the ground a he  officials european trip Cost $62,140 Washington a Amtrak a resident and nine Board members spent 62,140 of the company a Money last september to Fly to Europe and ride High Speed trains in five countries. Amtrak says the fact finding Mission was Worth the Cost because it May Lay the groundwork for faster trains a and hopefully More passengers a in the United states. But some of the federally subsidized passenger railroads unions say the a Lap of luxury journey insults Amtrak a workers at a Lime the line is withholding pay increases and cutting jobs. Amtrak says the trip was a strenuous a whirlwind Quot that resulted in decisions to bring the swedish fast train the x-2000, to the United states for experimental runs along the railroads Northeast corridor. The federally subsidized passenger line says use of the train could eventually Cut an hour off the run from new York to Boston. Amtrak spokeswoman sue Martin confirmed the trip costs. The breakdown includes $44,600 for air fare $14,309 for hotels $4,672 in miscellaneous expenses and $3,509 for rail fares. She said $4,950 of the costs was reimbursed by two . Officials and an aide to Wisconsin gov. Tommy Thompson Amtrak a Board chairman who travelled with the group. Each of the nine Board members also received a $300 directors fee for each Day of the trip which opened with a regular two Day Board meeting in Stockholm Sweden. The party then spent five Days Riding High Speed trains in Sweden Germany Italy France and Spain. A the extravagant $62,000 european trip by the Amtrak Board was a slap in the face to Amtrak a workers a said Mac a. Fleming president of the brother Hood of maintenance of Way employees. A the fact that they would spend $14,000 on lavish accommodations alone shows that they have no understanding of the plight of their employees. Our workers male an average $21,000 a year and have gone three and one half years without a pay raise a he said. A i cannot understand How Amtrak a management can poor Mouth at the bargaining table and do something like  a it was absolutely not in any shape or form a vacation for any of them Quot Martin said. A it was a very strenuous trip a whirlwind. There was not a spare moment. But it was extremely