# Danish boy finds remains of German Messerschmitt in a field **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 8, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708 "2017-03-08T18:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/1 "2017-03-08T18:17:35Z")
This has to be the ultimate homework project. Certainly more impressive than the school work that I turned in. 🙂 > **[Danish boy finds remains of German Messerschmitt in a field](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39196106)** > > How a metal detector and a joke with his dad led a schoolboy to a remarkable discovery. Information on Germany’s ME 109. It’s real name is the Messerschmitt Bf 109. > **[Messerschmitt Bf 109](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_109)** > > The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. It was still in service at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters when it first appeared, with an all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. A liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine po The... > [@](#): > > Their haul included an engine from the ME 109 Messerschmitt plane, Luftwaffe munitions, and the bones of a crew member who died in the crash. > > “In the first moment it was not a plane,” Mr Kristiansen told the BBC. "It was maybe 2,000 - 5,000 pieces of a plane. And we found a motor… then suddenly we found parts of bones, and parts from [the pilot’s] clothes. > > “And then we found some personal things - books, a wallet with money… Either it was a little Bible or it was Mein Kampf - a book in his pocket. We didn’t touch it, we just put it in some bags. A museum is now taking care of it. I think there’s a lot of information in those papers.” ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/2 "2017-03-08T18:26:01Z")
I wonder if the boy’s grandfather buried this plane after the war? The article indicates it’s been used as pasture land for decades. Seems unlikely erosion or silt could do the job in only 70 or so years. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/3 "2017-03-08T18:44:58Z")
Cool story, Brah! My favorite part: " Either it was a little Bible or it was Mein Kampf " ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/4 "2017-03-09T00:19:26Z")
Mein Bible? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/5 "2017-03-09T00:36:17Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Mein Bible? I imagine that flying an ME-109 into the ground shredded the pilot’s body and his book. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/6 "2017-03-09T00:43:02Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I imagine that flying an ME-109 into the ground shredded the pilot’s body and his book. I’d imagine that 80 years of being buried had more to do with it. We can take away that it was a small, well-bound “memento” type of book and thus could have been either of the options mentioned, or something similar like a book of poems or scripture. Fascinating find, though. I imagine the central plains of Europe still hold many. As for not being found, I’d guess that he went down hard in slushy winter or spring terrain and just… disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/7 "2017-03-09T00:54:49Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I’d imagine that 80 years of being buried had more to do with it. They found the aircraft remains eighteen feet underground. Probably both. Poor fellow, even if he was a bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/8 "2017-03-09T02:03:59Z")
The families will be relieved to learn what happened and give the remains a burial. Even after all this time. The older relatives will remember childhood stories of an Uncle or Dad that served in the Luftwaffe and went missing during the war. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/9 "2017-03-09T07:37:04Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > They found the aircraft remains eighteen feet underground. > > Probably both. Poor fellow, even if he was a bad guy. I’d hope we’re passed the notion that every German was a ‘bad guy’. This isn’t a boys comic book story. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/10 "2017-03-09T09:15:35Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > …I imagine the central plains of Europe still hold many… Yes indeed. Many (in non-urban areas at any rate) simply lying on the surface, the wreckage usually treated with a good deal of respect as a memorial. Here’s one from near my new home: > **[1943-10-05|Halifax Mk.II|HR727|No.51 Sqn, RAF|Blackden Edge, Kinder](https://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/crash_sites/peak-district/handley-page-halifax-hr727-blackden-edge/)** > > Handley page Halifax Mk.II HR727 / MH-V of No.51 crashed on Blackden Edge near Edale in the early hours of October 5th 1943   Ernest Hatfield Fenning Sergeant RAF Pilot Killed Jean Gilbert Fel… The site details lots more in just one small area of England. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/11 "2017-03-09T14:40:47Z")
Why can the book found only be the Bible or _Mein Kaumpf_? What if it turns out to be _How to Win Friends and Influence People_? What if it’s _Hot Naked Frauleins_? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/12 "2017-03-09T16:21:12Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Why can the book found only be the Bible or _Mein Kaumpf_? What if it turns out to be _How to Win Friends and Influence People_? What if it’s _Hot Naked Frauleins_? _How to Fly an Airplane in Ten Easy Lessons._ I’m going to hell ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2017, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/13 "2017-03-10T23:58:26Z")
Wow, very cool. > [@](#): > > Their haul included an engine from the ME 109 Messerschmitt plane, Luftwaffe munitions, and the bones _ **of a crew member** _ who died in the crash. Emphasis mine. Crew member? The 109 had only the pilot, right? The 110 had a crew of 2, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/14 "2017-03-11T01:21:16Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > _How to Fly an Airplane in Ten Easy Lessons._ With Chapters 4-10 in mint condition, never read! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/15 "2017-03-11T16:01:20Z")
The famous 1940 edition, with the chapter “Landing Gear” omitted by the printer. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/16 "2017-03-11T17:44:21Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Wow, very cool. > > Emphasis mine. Crew member? The 109 had only the pilot, right? The 110 had a crew of 2, IIRC. German a/c based at Aalborg, near the boy’s home, at the time included Bf 109G-12 two seat trainer versions of which some crashed in the area, but this was apparently not one of them. News stories say the boy’s great grandfather recalled a crash in November or December 1944 where he assumed the Germans recovered the plane/pilot but maybe they had not. This led to speculation it was the Bf 109G-6 of Student Pilot Obergefreiter Bruno Krüger who crashed on a flight from Aalborg November 27, 1944, but whose plane and body were never found. However I’ve read that authorities have denied this and are not ready to disclose the pilot’s identity. Krüger seems to have been the only one to have disappeared in that two month period flying from that base, according to the site ‘Air War over Denmark’. [http://www.flensted.eu.com/](http://www.flensted.eu.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2017, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/17 "2017-03-11T17:55:19Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Why can the book found only be the Bible or _Mein Kaumpf_? What if it turns out to be _How to Win Friends and Influence People_? What if it’s _Hot Naked Frauleins_? Hey, I’ll have you know that if it wasn’t for that book, that Danish field would have gone right through his heart! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/18 "2017-03-12T00:54:56Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Hey, I’ll have you know that if it wasn’t for that book, that Danish field would have gone right through his heart! His heart and the rest of him went right through the Danish field. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2017, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/19 "2017-03-12T05:30:47Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > German a/c based at Aalborg, near the boy’s home, at the time included Bf 109G-12 two seat trainer versions of which some crashed in the area, but this was apparently not one of them. News stories say the boy’s great grandfather recalled a crash in November or December 1944 where he assumed the Germans recovered the plane/pilot but maybe they had not. This led to speculation it was the Bf 109G-6 of Student Pilot Obergefreiter Bruno Krüger who crashed on a flight from Aalborg November 27, 1944, but whose plane and body were never found. However I’ve read that authorities have denied this and are not ready to disclose the pilot’s identity. Krüger seems to have been the only one to have disappeared in that two month period flying from that base, according to the site ‘Air War over Denmark’. > [http://www.flensted.eu.com/](http://www.flensted.eu.com/) Interesting. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708/20 "2017-03-25T20:28:41Z")
They identified the pilot. His last surviving family member, a sister died in 2006. She had no children. That’s a unfortunate consequence of war. Sometimes there’s no one left to continue the family name. > **[German pilot from buried Denmark WW2 aircraft identified](https://www.thelocal.dk/20170324/pilot-from-crashed-denmark-ww2-aircraft-identified)** > > The pilot of a crashed Messerschmidt found buried in a northern Jutland field earlier this month has been identified. He was 19 years old. > [@](#): > > German national information office Deutsche Dienststelle told local news media Nordjyske that authorities had been unable to locate either serial numbers on the aircraft’s fuselage or the identity tags the pilot would have been wearing around his neck. > > But the Berlin organisation was eventually able to identify the young man using a soldier’s log book and a hand-written name on the cover of a food coupon booklet recovered from the crash site. > > Hans Wunderlich, 19 at the time of the crash, was born in Neusorg, a small town in the state of Bavaria, around 200km north of Munich, on July 22nd 1925. > > The crash happened on October 10th 1944, according to German archives, [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/danish-boy-finds-remains-of-german-messerschmitt-in-a-field/781708.md?page=2)