Recovered parts of Lancaster ED627

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Always Prepared

In October 2014 I was contacted by a German researcher of aircraft that had crashed in the area of Germany where he lived and he had found my web site on my cousin and his crew of Lancaster ED627 who had crashed there after being shot down on the 28th August 1943 and was searching the crash site with a metal detector.

His name is Siegfried Neidlein and lives in the Wolpershausen area of Germany near to where ED627 crashed at Hohenberg. Siegfried has an interest in all the aircraft that have crashed in the area he lives, both British and German. He has found items not just from Lancaster ED627 but also a Dornier Do. 217 which crashed on the 2nd May 1938 and another that crashed in a forest near Wolpershausen on the 2nd December 1943. He also believes that an Me262 crashed near to where Lancaster Ed627 crashed.

The items recovered included spent ammunition, one still with the cordite attached, various pieces of the Lancaster including pieces of copper piping and a screw cap, pieces believed to be from the retract mechanism of the Lancaster, jagged pieces of metal which may be shrapnel from bombs exploding and the most poignant item, part of a gold chain which is believed to have belonged to a member of the crew and now resides in the case with the medals of PO. Arthur Fitzgerald.

Siegfried has also recovered a number of items from the Dorniers that have crashed in the area.

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

Retraction unit.

Medals with gold knecklace.

Dornier remains.

All photos © Siegfried Neidlein and Dave Hollingsworth.

My grateful thanks to Siegfried Neidlein for the work he has done in the recovery of some of the remains of Lancaster ED627.