German war plane dug up – using 99p plastic spade

THE remains of a German war plane that crashed on a beach in 1941 have been uncovered – using a 99p plastic spade.

Chris Gleadell stumbled across part of a Luftwaffe bomber that crash landed in Norfolk after aborting a Second World War raid on Liverpool.

The 56-year- old tripped on a cog from the engine sticking out of the sand a mile west of Sheringham last week during low tide and dug it up using the small plastic spade.

The remains were of a Ju88, a German twin- engined plane which was used heavily during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

Mr Gleadell, from Sheringham, said: ‘I dug out around it for an hour or so to expose one camshaft. I had an inkling it might be a plane due to the size of the parts.’ He dug out as much of the bomber as possible before the high tides returned and the parts disappeared.

The plane was designed to outrun fighters and around 16,000 were produced, making it the backbone of the German fleet.

Reports show that a Ju88 crashed just off the Norfolk coast in May 1941 and large sections of the plane remain missing.

It is thought to have been shot down over Skegness by gunfire from a Boulton Paul Defiant night fighter of 151 Squadron.

Mr Gleadell added: ‘There has been a lot more deterioration but there’s still a fair old chunk of engine there, 4ft in length and 2ft across with the possibility there’s much more hidden underneath still.’

But he believes changing tides mean it may not emerge again for years and that removing the parts will prove very difficult.

‘A fair old chunk of engine’