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Me109 dig near Abbeville, France
Messerschmitt Bf109F-4
Werknummern (serial): 8338
White 8+
1./JG2
Pilot: Uffz Fritz Herke (killed)
Date: 5th June 1942
Place: Abbeville, France
Pierre Ben’s Somme recovery group located the 109F at Caours, close to the famous Luftwaffe airfield at Abbeville. It was believed that the aircraft was shot down by Squadron Leader Eric ‘Timber’ Woods of 249 Squadron. The 109 dived into a soft field and buried itself. The recovery was carried out in May 2010.
The soft ground that swallowed Fritz Herke’s Me109 had a very high water table that made excavation difficult, but protected the remains for 68 years
A most unusual find by any standard, the tailwheel still retracted into the tail section
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