Greek divers lift WWII bomber wreckage - German Junkers-87 Stuka dive-bomber

AP on Yahoo ^ | 10/6/06 | Nicholas Paphitiis - ap

[NormsRevenge]

ATHENS, Greece - Greek military divers Friday successfully raised the wreckage of a German World War II Stuka bomber from the sea off the eastern island of Rhodes, the air force said.

The Junkers-87 dive-bomber was shot down in 1943 and will be conserved and displayed at the air force museum at an airport near Athens, air force spokesman Col. Ioannis Papageorgiou said.

Papageorgiou said there was no trace of the two airmen's bodies.

"The plane was raised a couple of hours ago, and I don't know yet whether there are any remains inside," he told The Associated Press.

He said part of the plane's tail section appeared to be missing.

The two-seater's wreckage was located two years ago by a trawler, which caught it in its nets seven miles offshore at a depth of 492 feet, and dragged it close to the island's southern coast.

Air force experts believe the plane was part of a Luftwaffe squadron operating from Rhodes that lost several Stukas to allied ships and aircraft on Oct. 9, 1943.

"Once we locate the serial number, we will be able to identify the plane, what squadron it belonged to and the crew," Papageorgiou said.

Fitted with a screaming siren for maximum psychological effect, the gull-winged, single-engine Stuka was a feared symbol of Nazi military power.

Used in action in the Spanish Civil War, it played a major role in the German invasions of Poland and France, but was outdated and severely outgunned by allied fighters by 1943.

Out of some 6,000 aircraft produced between 1936 and 1944, only two survive intact in museums, while the wrecks of three more Stukas have been salvaged.

[Rb ver. 2.0]

I bought a 2nd hand Cox Stuka at a church bazzar sale for $5.00 when I was 12. It made one flight. Vertical landings are tough on any plane.

[VeniVidiVici]

lol! I may have to start looking on EBay.

[fso301]

He flew Me 262s at the end of the war.

I think you are mistaken. Rudel flew Stukas until the very end. Adolph Galland flew ME-262's at the war's end.

[PzLdr]

Radio operator/tailgunner

[PzLdr]

Rudel flew Me 262s at the end of the war. Only holder of the highest grade of Knight's Cross. Sunk a Russian Battleship in either Lake Ilmen or Lake Ladoga. Flew a Stuka with two 37 mm cannons mounted when he was a tankbuster.

[PzLdr]

STUKA is an abbreviation for STURTZKAMPFLUGZEUG- German for dive bomber

[Fierce Allegiance]

wow!

[PzLdr]

I crashed mine on its first dive.

[PzLdr]

The screech was from sirens attached to the wheel struts. The Germans called them "Jericho's trumpets". they were Udet's idea.

[Fierce Allegiance]

LOL! Me too! After I learned the pt 19 control line trianer.

[endthematrix]

Here in Chicago we are fortunate to have a Ju 87 at Museum of Science and Industry...as well as one nice clean Nazi U-boat!

[endthematrix]

"lol! I may have to start looking on EBay."

http://search.ebay.com/Cox-stuka_W0QQfromZR8QQssPageNameZRC0022

[PzLdr]

For some reason I thought Rudel, like Steinhoff[?] was burned in an Me262 crash. My mistake - like reposting the same answers to this thread I did before, because I'm having a senior moment, and forgot the thread showed up because of your post #43.

[VeniVidiVici]

I crashed mine often. Though if I remember correctly I was always imagining it was getting shot down :)

[Fierce Allegiance]

Was the 262 the jet?

[Fierce Allegiance]

And a kick-butt coal mine display! Oh yeah, they also have the baby dislay, which never ceases to gross me out!

[endthematrix]

Speaking of gross, how about body world?

[PzLdr]

Yeh. But another Freeper indicated I was mistaken. Checked my copy of "Stuka Pilot". Turns out he was right. Rudel didn't fly jets.

[wolficatZ]

"November 1, 1940 file photo " . That's a Ju87B, not the later Ju87D that was recovered in Greece.

 

 Not that anyone in the gAyP would give a flying frick.

 

The D model entered service in 1942 and incorporated some major design changes which make it instantly recognizable from the earlier B.

 

Ju 87D-3/trop. (W. Nr. 2883)

 

OCTOBER 5, 2006   A JUNKERS JU-87 "STUKA"  IS RAISED FROM THE  THE SEA NEAR RHODOS ISLAND

On  October 5, 2006, the HAF Underwater Operations Team (KΟΣΥΘΕ) successfully carried out the salvage of a Luftwaffe Ju87D-3/Trop Stuka, from a depth of 15 metres, half a mile off the coast of Prassonisi at Rodos (Rhodes) island.

According to a combination of available historical data, it appears that the aircraft is most probably S7+GM (100375), crewed by Lt. Rolf Metzger & Uffz. Hans Sopnemann - both MIA), which was shot down on 9 October 1943.

On that very day the II/St.G. 3 lost a total of nine Ju 87D-3/Trop when they were intercepted during their mission against Royal Navy and Hellenic Navy ships in the Aegean. Of these nine, seven crashed into the sea and two made emergency landings on Rodos. A week before, German troops had landed on the island of Kos, which fell the next day.

 On 9 October 1943, HMS cruiser "Carlisle" and other destroyers, returning from a sweep west of Kos, were dive-bombed SW of Rodos Island by a formation of Ju-87 Stukas. "Carlisle" was seriously damaged and HMS destroyer "Panther" was sunk. Most of her crew were saved by the RHN destroyer "Miaoulis", which has also claimed firing against the Ju-87 formation and probably hit a couple of them.

According to information supplied by HAF Museum experts, from a first inspection of the fuselage, it is suggested that the aircraft has most probably been hit by aircraft fire. In this case, a plausible explanation is that it was downed by P-38s (Lightning) belonging to USAAF 37th Fighter Squadron, led by the famous double Ace Major William Leverette.

 On that same day, seven P-38s on a mission to protect RN warships in the Mediterranean sighted a formation of 30 German Ju-87 dive bombers. Following fierce dogfights, 37th Sq has claimed downing several Luftwaffe Stukas and a Ju-88.

Almost sixty years after her loss, in October 2004, the wreck was caught to the net of the fishing boat "Konstantinos" belonging to Captain Spyros Varvaris from Kalymnos Island, seven miles off the southern cape of Rodos.

It was then dragged all the way to shallow waters and the incident was reported to the Hellenic Coast Authorities. Given the historical importance of the aircraft, the HAF General Staff decided to proceed to its salvage.

The precise position of the wreck was pointed out by diver Yannis Glinatsis, resident of Rodos. Following this, the aircraft was videotaped by the HAF divers in order to determine the optimum salvage method. Technical drawings were made available by the HAF Museum, while HAF experts suggested the strongest points, from which the aircraft could safely be suspended and lifted.

 All these were taken into consideration by the HAF diving engineers, who have more than 20 years accumulated experience in salvage and deep submergence operations, including the successful salvage of a RAF Blenheim in 1996 at Crete (and another one at Prespes Lake), a Ju-52/3m off Leros Island, not to mention several modern fighters, fire-fighters and helicopters (including a CH 47/D from the unprecedented depth of 960 metres!).

All the above led to an exceptionally precise weighing of the A/C, which was smoothly lifted from the seabed intact.
Soon after the aircraft was brought to the surface, the HAF Museum technicians took care of her. The plane was washed with water and special chemicals were applied in order to avoid corrosion due to exposure to the atmospheric air. Following this, the aircraft will be taken to the local airfield of Maritsa, where first degree restoration will be applied.

The outer parts of the wings will properly be dismantled and the plane will be shipped to the HAF Museum at Dekeleia Air Base, Tatoi, where a full restoration programme will be carried out. It is anticipated that the Stuka will be available for viewing during the HAF Celebration Day on 8 November 2006 which this year is dedicated to the participation of HAF in WWII.

 

http://koti.welho.com/msolanak/news.html

 

[Fierce Allegiance]

so what gave an incoming 88 round the distinctive sound?