Pierre Ben's Somme recovery group located the 109F at Caours,
close to the famous Luftwaffe airfield at Abbeville. Believed
to the aircraft 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.
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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. |
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A most unusual find by any standard, the tailwheel
still retracted into the tail section. |
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A close-up of the white-wall tyre. |
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The control column. |
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Pierre and his team back at base with the DB601 engine.
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No doubt about the aircraft's identity - the cardboard
lable from inside the cockpit gives the Werke Nummer and
radio call sign. |
