Remains Of WWII Plane Is Found In Danish Teen's Backyard

For a 14-year-old in Denmark, a history homework assignment suddenly got a lot more interesting when he discovered remains of a German Messerschmitt plane and its pilot from World War II in his backyard.

Daniel Rom Kristiansen and his dad Klaus couldn’t believe in their eyes when they first saw pieces and the engine of the WWII airplane in their backyard.

Previously, Klaus’s late grandfather had told him that a plane had crashed there. However, as sometimes his grandfather told stories that were intriguing but not true, Klaus told the BBC that he assumed his grandfather was making it up. They had never seen a piece of metal on the surface of the field and of course, never tried to dig in his farm with the hope of discovering pieces of a 1944 aircraft. After all, even if the event did happen, Klaus believed that the wreckage had been removed years before.

A crashed German Klemm Kl 35 trainer (s/n PF+LB) in Italy

However, when his son Daniel announced that he had history homework on the topic of World War II, Klaus suggested for him to do a little excavation in their backyard for the remains of the aircraft that his grandfather had mentioned. A piece of metal of a German Messerschmitt would definitely spice up his homework and give him a good grade.

“When my son Daniel was recently given homework about World War II, I jokingly told him to go out and find the plane that is supposed to have crashed out in the field,” Klaus told Danish news station DR P4 Nordjylland.

Of course, they didn’t believe they would find something but still thought it would be fun to search every inch of the field with a metal detector and so they did. When the electronic instrument started beeping, the father and son duo started digging. They had to borrow an excavator from a neighbor in order to reach the remains that started appearing at 13 feet underground (four meters) and were reaching up to 20 feet (six meters).

When Daniel and Klaus realized that what they were looking at were thousand of pieces of a WWII aircraft and parts of his pilot bones as well as whatever had remained of his clothes and personal objects, they were shocked. They immediately called the Danish authorities who are now looking into the discovery.

Forensic police are now working to ascertain the identity of the pilot. Meanwhile, what’s left of the pilot’s belongings — including books and a wallet with money — are currently in the care of a museum. As for Daniel? He’s handed in his homework but plans to update it once more details about his surprising discovery emerge.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.