FW 190 and body of pilot found recently in Normandy

[bobbysocks]

got this from a gaming forum i belong to. i used google tranlate to put it to english so...might be a little sketchy on the wording. the orignal site is ( which has pictures and a video....:

Le pilote allemand exhumé de son avion après 70 ans (photos-vidéo) | Paris Normandie

9/21/2013

History. Remained buried 70 years ago, a German plane was exhumed yesterday with the remains of its pilot. The identification attempt appears to be extremely difficult.

A plane that was believed lost forever. An enthusiast who is trying to trace the history of an old military tragedy 70 years ... Today, no less than a dozen experts in aeronautics, French and British archeology, have mobilized their knowledge and efforts around a fall of three feet deep ... in the middle of a cornfield.

At Froberville, two people had the memory of the German fighter seen between spicy and Yport Froberville. It was a spring day in 1943. Shot or simply a victim of damage? No parachute in the sky was not so fair to say that the pilot was out. And, of course, the incident was quickly closed by the occupying army.


A final track

Yesterday morning, experts warned by the inventor of this discovery, Laurent Viton factor campaign and passionate history of aviation, mobilized a backhoe to try to learn more. The carcass of the Fock-Wulf FW190, one of these fighters to combat the Anglo-American opponent and Laurent Viton was localized using a magnetometer, actually reappeared more than three meters deep. Completely dislocated, almost to shreds. But among the first elements found, a particular piece of glass can quickly say that the pilot had not jumped. His remains (scattered bones) were actually supported in the presence of military police company of Fecamp, by an official of the German cemetery of La Cambe (Calvados), where they will rest forever.

For Laurent Viton, disappointment is certain. "This is certainly a satisfaction to say that this story had indeed occurred and the memory work undertaken has not been in vain. But it goes without saying that we would like to identify this aviator eventually go back to his family. It happens that we find a wallet, personal effects ... Here, nothing, just a bit of zip, probably his jacket. "

Yesterday, only hundreds of pounds of scrap metal, an engine block and two of the three blades of the aircraft pulled from the soil, and a multitude of parts identified at a glance by the experts, could still testify to this forgotten history. With the only hope of finding a plate riveted to the middle of a stern dislocated. To be continued ...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Let him finally go home.

 

[stona]

Google translate is horrible but it does just about explain that the remains of the pilot will be laid to rest in the German cemetery at La Cambe. Hopefully they will find something to identify the aircraft and possible then the pilot.
Cheers
Steve

 

[bobbysocks]

if anyone speaks french and can translate, that would be great.

 

[Wurger]

 

[Aozora]

Froberville, Normandy - could be he was from JG 26?

 

[vikingBerserker]

 

[stona]

if anyone speaks french and can translate, that would be great.

I do and will give it a quick go. I don't have time to do it properly, but I bet I can out do Google!

"Buried for seventy years, a German aircraft was dug up yesterday with its pilot's remains. Attempts at identification will seemingly be very difficult.

An aircraft thought lost forever. An enthusiast who tries to unravel the seventy year old story of a military tragedy......yesterday no less than a dozen aviation and archaeological experts, French and British, concentrated their efforts on a tomb three metres deep, right in the middle of a corn field.

In Froberville there are two people who remember the German fighter diving between Yport and Froberville. It was a spring day in 1943. Shot down or simply a victim of a failure? There was no parachute in the sky to suggest that the pilot got out. The incident was of course quickly closed by the Occupying Forces.

Yesterday morning the specialists, guided by the discoverer of the site, Laurent Viton, "facteur de compagne" [occupation, maybe a country postman] and a man passionate about aviation history, used a digger in an attempt to discover more. The remains of a Fw 190, one of the fighters which fought the Anglo-American enemy, and which Laurent Viton had located using a magnetometer was found at a depth of more than three metres. It was completely disintegrated almost in tiny pieces. But, amongst the first parts retrieved, a small piece of a zip allowed rapid confirmation that the pilot didn't jump. His remains (some scattered bones) were, in the presence of personnel from the Frecamp Gendarmerie, taken into the care of an official from the German cemetery at La Cambe (Calvados) where they will finally be laid to rest.

For Laurent Viton there is a certain disappointment.

"There is a certain satisfaction in saying [difficult to translate] that the story has been well and truly established and that the work undertaken for the record has not been in vain. It follows that we would like to have identified this pilot so that he could eventually be returned to his family. Sometimes we find a wallet, personal effects......here, nothing, just a bit of a zip, probably from his jacket."

Yesterday only hundreds of kilos of scrap, an engine block, two of the three propeller blades, dragged from the ground and a multitude of fragments, identified at a glance by the experts still bear witness to this forgotten story. The only hope is to find a data plate riveted to a displaced [etambot, literally stern post] part of the structure
.....to be continued."

Cheers

Steve

 

[Wayne Little]

and well done on the improved translation Steve!

 

[Rufus123]

Help me understand this. I thought almost all of Western Europe was heavily populated. I am guessing I have this wrong?

Obviously I am mistaken but I thought planes crashing on land in Western Europe would have been found long ago but they get found. It must not be like I imagine. I need to be careful of my assumptions, they will lead me astray.

 

[stona]

The crash was observed by French civilians (presumably) and the German authorities would have been informed. The loss of the aircraft and pilot would have been noted in German/Luftwaffe records at the time. As the pilot and aircraft had penetrated more than three metres into the ground the crater would have been filled and the surface cleared. This was common practice in the UK too. It's what the author of the report is alluding to when he or she says that the occupying forces, meaning the Germans, quickly closed the case.
Whether the German records survive is by no means certain. Identifying the aircraft by a data plate would help a lot to clarify the situation and quite possibly identify the pilot, if a record for the loss can be found.

You might be surprised how many crash sites went undiscovered, even when an aircraft had been seen to come down. If it fell into a heavily wooded area or a remote hill side it might not be found for a considerable time.
A Hurricane crash site was found in a wood in Sussex in the last few years! The aircraft had been seen to crash, the pilot abandoned it by parachute and survived, but the surprisingly small crater (think of the Pentagon) was simply not found at the time even though the approximate position was known. With a surviving pilot I would conjecture that nobody wasted too much time looking.

Cheers

Steve

 

[Rufus123]

The crash was observed by French civilians (presumably) and the German authorities would have been informed. The loss of the aircraft and pilot would have been noted in German/Luftwaffe records at the time. As the pilot and aircraft had penetrated more than three metres into the ground the crater would have been filled and the surface cleared. This was common practice in the UK too. It's what the author of the report is alluding to when he or she says that the occupying forces, meaning the Germans, quickly closed the case.
Whether the German records survive is by no means certain. Identifying the aircraft by a data plate would help a lot to clarify the situation and quite possibly identify the pilot, if a record for the loss can be found.

You might be surprised how many crash sites went undiscovered, even when an aircraft had been seen to come down. If it fell into a heavily wooded area or a remote hill side it might not be found for a considerable time.
A Hurricane crash site was found in a wood in Sussex in the last few years! The aircraft had been seen to crash, the pilot abandoned it by parachute and survived, but the surprisingly small crater (think of the Pentagon) was simply not found at the time even though the approximate position was known. With a surviving pilot I would conjecture that nobody wasted too much time looking.

Cheers

Steve

That is amazing. When a plane comes down can it possibly bury itself? I am used to seeing pictures of mangled planes but are recognizable. Do some of the planes get turned into little pieces?

How large of a community is Sussex?

 

[bobbysocks]

thanks forr taking the time, steve....great translation....makes it a lot more clear for me. i will post more when i get it.

 

[stona]

When aircraft come down at an acute angle they normally bury themselves in the ground. Heavy parts like engines and armament frequently bury themselves several metres into the ground, along with a lot of lighter material which follows them into the crater. The three metres of this incident is actually not that deep. Some lighter material may be spread on the surface. You can imagine what happens to a human body which impacts solid ground at several hundred miles an hour. There is often not much to find which is why the craters were often filled in and cleaned up. Recognisably human remains, at least in Britain, were recovered when possible.

Sussex is historically a rural County now divided into two Counties (East and West Sussex) together covering about 1400 square miles in the south of England. Despite a substantial population, even in the 1940s, it is still possible to get lost there. If you throw a dart at a map of the County you are more likely to hit an unpopulated area than a village, port or market town

Cheers

Steve

 

[Rufus123]

When aircraft come down at an acute angle they normally bury themselves in the ground. Heavy parts like engines and armament frequently bury themselves several metres into the ground, along with a lot of lighter material which follows them into the crater. The three metres of this incident is actually not that deep. Some lighter material may be spread on the surface. You can imagine what happens to a human body which impacts solid ground at several hundred miles an hour. There is often not much to find which is why the craters were often filled in and cleaned up. Recognisably human remains, at least in Britain, were recovered when possible.

Sussex is historically a rural County now divided into two Counties (East and West Sussex) together covering about 1400 square miles in the south of England. Despite a substantial population, even in the 1940s, it is still possible to get lost there. If you throw a dart at a map of the County you are more likely to hit an unpopulated area than a village, port or market town

Cheers

Steve

Thanks for the information. I am used to 1000sq miles being less than 5k people so I think everyplace is crowded.

 

[bobbysocks]

iirc there was a find in the uk not too long ago that was 8 or 9 meters down.

 

[stona]

iirc there was a find in the uk not too long ago that was 8 or 9 meters down.

It obviously depends on many factors, not least the velocity and angle of the impact and the geology of the terrain. I don't doubt that 8 or 9 metres is possible. I remember the recovery of Ray Holmes' Hurricane from Buckingham Palace Road. Chris Bennett led the excavation team and estimated that the Hurricane was near vertical and travelling at over 300mph when it hit the road. The engine was recovered at about 4m.
This picture of some of the engine block gives an idea of the forces involved.

Cheers

Steve

 

[bobbysocks]

i could be wrong....my mind plays tricks on my at times. but i seem to remember a spit or hurri was dug up in the middle of a town...down pretty deep. will sift through stuff to see if i can find it.

 

[stona]

Holmes Hurricane was recovered from central London! You can't get much more in town than that. The Hurricane came down in Buckingham Palace Road, the bomber with which Holmes had collided came down close by on Victoria Station. The heavy bits of the Hurricane were about 4m down.
Cheers
Steve

 

[bobbysocks]

i thought it was a smaller town in SE uk. like i said i could be mixing things up and putting several stories together. anymore i have to look stuff up to make sure what i remember is the way it was. i have dug through over a hundred pages of threads on a coule different forums and havent come up with it yet...