Wreck of WWII bomber plane found in Dronten forest

A plane wreck from the Second World War was discovered in the soil of the Van Veldhuizen forest in Dronten. It is believed to be a British Avro Lancaster bomber. The Ministry of Defense and its Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) service have asked the municipality to cordon off the area until the plane is recovered next year, Omroep Flevoland reports.

Defense started investigating the forest after metal remains and a tire were discovered there in 2022. During their investigation, the Ministry also discovered fragments of aircraft bombs on site. These indicate that the plan probably crashed on its way to Germany with cargo on board, the municipality of Dronten told the broadcaster. The remains are around 2.5 meters deep in the ground.

In 1959, human remains were found with a gun turret that was part of an aircraft in the same area. The bodies were buried as “Unknown Airmen” in a military cemetery in Nijmegen. It is likely that the aircraft remains recently found belong to the same plane as the gun turret and airmen found over sixty years ago, though that will only be confirmed once the plane has been recovered and its identification number is known.

“This also brings us a step closer to the identity of the ‘Unknown Airmen,’ and hopefully, the surviving relatives will have the opportunity to get dignified closure,” the office of mayor and aldermen wrote to the municipal council about Defense’s plans to recover the aircraft. “Given the special bond that the municipality has with the Airgunners, we are happy to cooperate.” Dronten invited Airgunners to WWII commemorations every year. The last Airgunner has now died.

Because the plane may still have ammunition on board, Defense asked the local authorities to cordon off the surrounding area. It also advised imposing a ban on using metal detectors in the area and setting up extra police surveillance. The municipality has placed fences and warning signs around the location.

The salvage operation is scheduled for November 2025. It will be a complex operation, including cutting down trees and removing shrubs. A work area will be created on-site where excavated soil will be seived and found wreckage and ammunition will be processed and removed. The project is expected to cost around 800,000 euros. The government will cover 750,000 of this amount, and the municipality the remaining 50,000 euros.