Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

The British heavy bomber was shot down in Holland following an air raid over Germany in 1943.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, November 10, 2023 at 05:10 PM ET

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An aerial view of the cofferdam built for the recovery of British Lancaster bomber ED603 [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The remains of Avro Lancaster ED603 and several of its crew members have been recovered from the sea floor, eight decades after the British heavy bomber was shot down during World War II.
The joint recovery mission by the RAF and Dutch Air Force, part of a larger Dutch project, aimed to locate three previously unaccounted-for crewmen of the bomber, which crashed in Lake IJsselmeer in 1943.
Human remains were found during the meticulous operation, and efforts are ongoing to confirm identities, with the primary goal of providing closure for the families of the fallen airmen.

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The remains of Avro Lancaster ED603 and several of its crewmembers have been recovered from the sea floor, eight decades after the British heavy bomber was shot down during World War II while returning to the U.K. following an air raid over Germany, the Royal Air Force has announced.

Avro Lancaster [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

The recovery mission was conducted by the RAF’s Joint Aircraft Recovery and Transport Squadron (JARTS) and Dutch Air Force counterparts. It is part of a 15 million euros ($16.026 million) Dutch aircraft recovery project to locate aircraft and crew downed across Holland.