Remains of WWII dive-bomber found off the coast of Croatia

The wreck of a dive-bombing aircraft that struck fear into the Allied ground troops is found underwater off the coast of Croatia


The Junkers Ju Stuka (Sturzkampfflugzeug) 'dive bomber' Photo: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

By Nick Squires
12:38PM BST 02 Oct 2014

The ghostly remains of a remarkably well-preserved Stuka dive bomber, an aircraft that struck terror into Allied forces during the Second World War, has been discovered lying on the seabed of the Adriatic.

The lichen-encrusted wreckage of the Stuka, a ground attack plane officially known as the Junkers Ju 87, was discovered by divers more than 70 years after it was shot down.

The two-man aircraft was found at a depth of around 90ft off the coast of Croatia, close to the island of Zirje.

Although German-made, it is believed that it was being flown by the Italian air force and that it may have been shot down by a Yugoslav warship in April 1941 when the country was invaded by the Axis powers.

"The plane is lying on its wheels as if it smoothly landed on the seabed," Igor Miholjek, of Croatia’s national conservation institute, told AFP.



"The engine, which was most likely ripped off when the plane hit the water, was missing and was found nearby, but the rest of the aircraft is complete and in very good condition," said Mr Miholjek, who took part in the diving expedition that found the wreck.
It was not clear whether the plane could be recovered and brought to the surface.



The two-man aircraft was found at a depth of around 90ft off the coast of Croatia (AFP/Getty Imags)
Nearly 6,500 Stukas were produced during the war but only two aircraft survive.
They are on display at the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon and in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Two more were discovered on the seabed off the coasts of Greece and Norway, but they were in much worse condition than the one discovered off Croatia.
'Stuka' bombers were designed to dive at a steep angle and release their bombs at a low altitude for maximum accuracy.
The name “Stuka” is a contraction of its full title in German, Sturzkampfflugzeug.
The aircraft were operated by a pilot and a rear gunner.
Stukas made their combat debut during the Spanish Civil War, when they were deployed against Republican forces by the Luftwaffe’s Condor Legion.
The aircraft were notorious for making a screaming sound when they dived, striking fear into troops on the ground.
They became a symbol of Germany’s Blitzkrieg campaigns in northern Europe at the start of the war.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...f-Croatia.html

Looks to be in amazing condition considering its 70 years in that environment.

It is certainly in good enough condition to be easily recognised.

I imagine it is somewhat fragile though and may just be a shell.

Where do you find this stuff? It's incredibly interesting.

Most of the main European media sources carry WW2 news, since it was fought there they are always digging up bombs or bodies.

Stuka from what I understand was a pretty good ground support air craft but not good for anything else , to slow .

Originally Posted by tetvet

Stuka from what I understand was a pretty good ground support air craft but not good for anything else , to slow .

It was referred to as flying artillery due to its abilty to support troops but in later stages it also made an excellent anti-tank platform, Rudel had something like 600 killls credited to him by the end of the war (open to discussion on the accuracy of those numbers though).

Originally Posted by tetvet

Stuka from what I understand was a pretty good ground support air craft but not good for anything else , to slow .

Quite correct. When the Junkers 87 was used to attack radar sites on the South Coast of England British fighters shot them down in droves. So much so they were never to attack the UK mainland again.

Originally Posted by crazytanker

Where do you find this stuff? It's incredibly interesting.

If you are interested there is a lot of information/personal stories here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/categories/

Kudos to the pilot. To put that bird down with its fixed landing gear and not flipping it over is really impressive.

Originally Posted by BritinAfrica

Quite correct. When the Junkers 87 was used to attack radar sites on the South Coast of England British fighters shot them down in droves. So much so they were never to attack the UK mainland again.



If you are interested there is a lot of information/personal stories here:-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/categories/

I'll take a look, thanks.