Remains have been found in the wreckage of a British bomber that crashed in the IJsselmeer during the Second World War. This probably concerns one or more crew members of the aircraft, the Lancaster ED603, which was shot out of the sky by a German fighter plane.
The Ministry of Defense started recovering the aircraft on Monday with the aim of giving the crew members a final resting place. Salvage workers tell Omrop Fryslân that they did not expect to find remains so quickly. The aircraft lies upside down on the bottom of the IJsselmeer, making it difficult to reach the areas where the crew sat.
Councilor Petra van den Akker of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân is happy with the quick find. “This is exactly why we said a salvage operation should take place here. This way those young boys in their twenties can find their final resting place.”
Relatives of the crew will come to the salvage site next week for a ceremony. “The people who come here have missed these boys for eighty years,” said the councilor.
On the way to England
The Lancaster was on its way to England after a bombing raid on Bochum, Germany. It was shot out of the air near Kornwerderzand. It ended up in the IJsselmeer, not far from where the Afsluitdijk is located.
The seven crew members did not survive. The bodies of four of them later washed up on the shores of the IJsselmeer. Three of them were not found. Research must show whether the remains found are actually those of the missing crew members.
More than 5,500 aircraft crashed over the Netherlands during the Second World War. A special government program supports municipalities financially in recovering aircraft.
- Bunkers discovered in Vlissingen were for wounded German soldiers in WWII
- Bomber emerges from under the IJsselmeer after 80 years
