Heinkel 111 recovered from sea photo

[Phil Irwin]

Way back in the 1970s (and as a young boy!!) I bought a book here in the UK that had a photo which I remember as being described as a German bomber being recovered from the sea.

It was either taken from a trawler or a Navy ship, looking over the side at the (port?) wing of a He111 that was sticking out of the sea and alongside the ship. It may have had cables going down into the sea.

If anyone knows this photo please let me know, it's been driving me mad trying to remember where I saw it !!

[Chris Goss]

Doesn’t ring a bell but a photo of a Wellington being pulled out of the sea does

[Franek Grabowski]

Was not there a Ju 88 recovered in Spain?

[John Manrho]

Wasn't there part of a He 111 recovered in the IJsselmeer in the sixties? I also remember such a picture.

[Jaap Woortman]

John,

The only He 111 recovered in the IJsselmeer was :
April 1976, Gooimeer, He 111 of 1./KG 126.
Crashdate 23.5.1940.
Small parts only.

Source : Summary of aircraft recovered by the RNETHAF since 1960.
Published 1 September 1989 by Ministry of Defence, Directorate of Information.

The picture has been scanned from Onze Koninklijke Luchtmacht part 3.

Jaap

[Brian Bines]

There was a number of photos of the recovery of a Ju88 from the sea identified in Vol 1 of the Luftwaffe Crash Archive has 4D+AP lost 29th.March 1940 , a possibility ? I believe this was lifted at an angle so a wing would have appeared first I cannot remember where these photos came from possibly online the Crash Archive has one photo of the complete aircraft being lifted out.

[John Manrho]

Jaap, that was the picture I remembered. Not sure if this was the He 111 of 23.5.1940. It does not seem to be "small parts only"....

[ssg keay]

[quote=Jaap Woortman;310188]John,

The only He 111 recovered in the IJsselmeer was :
April 1976, Gooimeer, He 111 of 1./KG 126.
Crashdate 23.5.1940.
Small parts only.

How is that small parts only? That is a huge fuselage section!

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by Chris Goss

Doesn’t ring a bell but a photo of a Wellington being pulled out of the sea does

And there was the one in the Brooklands Museum that was raised from Loch Ness.

[David Ransome]

Re: Phil Irwin's original post - I have an original press release photo 20cm x 25cm of what I suspect to be the aircraft in question but with the starboard wing and an engine showing but no identifying details. Piece of paper attached to back states:

Nazi planes give up their secrets - even from the seas
Associated press photo shows: a different kind of "rescue" this time - a Nazi Heinkel 111 plane, shot down into the sea off the coast of Britain, is here being seen lifted from the sea and hauled aboard a British patrol vessel. Such planes are always salvaged by these vessels where possible. In many cases they yield valuable secrets as to their construction, engine details, and armament, etc. - and if the salvaged plane gives us no fresh information at the least it provides us with valuable scrap metal to assist the war effort on OUR side.
EAL. 239260/AP. 1493B

I can't imagine the aircraft being hauled aboard, and would think being 'carried' to shore along side the vessel more likely. I'm no expert when it comes to ships but from what can be seen of it and crew in the photo it seems fairly small.