Salvage of British Bomber in IJsselmeer Reveals Human Remains

Omrop Fryslan / Jantine WeidenaarThe place on IJsselmeer where the aircraft is salvaged.

In association with

Omrop Fryslân

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:42

Human remains have been found in the wreckage of a British bomber that crashed in the IJsselmeer during World War II. Presumably it concerns one or more crew members of the aircraft, the Lancaster ED603, which was shot down by a German fighter aircraft.

The Ministry of Defense began salvaging the aircraft on Monday with the aim of giving the crew members a final resting place. Bergers say against Omrop Fryslân did not expect to find remains so quickly. The aircraft is upside down on the bottom of the IJsselmeer, making it difficult to reach the areas where the crew was.

Alderman Petra van den Akker of the municipality of Súdwest-Fryslân is happy with the quick find. “This is exactly why we said a salvage should take place here. This is how those young boys in their 20s can find their final resting place.”

Relatives of the crew will come to the storage site next week for a ceremony. “The people who come here have missed these guys for eighty years,” said the alderman.

En route to England

The Lancaster was on its way to England after a bombing raid on Bochum in Germany. It was shot from 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. Investigation must show whether the remains found actually belong to the missing crew members.

More than 5500 aircraft crashed over the Netherlands during the Second World War. A special government program supports municipalities financially in recovering aircraft.

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2023-09-07 18:42:25


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