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On the afternoon of the 25th February the museum received a phone call with the news that aircraft wreckage was located during excavation works being carried out at St.Vincent de Paul residence. Staff from our museum gained the necessary permission from the authorities concerned to view the wreckage. It was immediately evident to us that the site was a dump containing wreckage from several different types. Upon gaining further approval from the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage and custodianship of the wreckage, our team members started to excavate deeper into the crater where parts were found.
The unexpected discovery of a BF109 horizontal tail section was the beginning of an exciting few days. The makers plate initially indicated that the part belonged to an F2 variant. Further excavation revealed the wing root of a wing with a W.Nr still clearly visible. Loose rubble was cleared by hand off the wing surface. Once securely lashed at one of the attaching points, the wing was lifted to ground level from about 2 meters underground. Once the wing was lifted it was apparent that more of this aircraft was buried. The fuselage was still there although chopped up in 3 sections. Obviously this was done for ease of disposing. It was also evident that certain parts were copped of and souvenired during the war. With paint markings and W.Nr 8668 still very clearly visible, it was no great feat to figure the history of this Erla built Messerschmitt Bf109 F4Z. The history of the crash in a nut shell is that it was hit by flak during a sortie on the 1st April 1942 while being flown by Unteroffizier Hans Pilz of 5.JG3.
While the museum would have preferred to wait and publish the full known facts of this significant find, we were forced to make our statement due to the fact that this find is being posted over the social media by certain known aviation portals without the museum’s consent.
Special thanks goes to Tamsin Cauchi QP archeologist who oversaw the recovery operation, Ray Polidano, David Polidano, Reno Psaila, Anthony Spiteri and Kurt Galea. Thank you for dedicating your time and effort to recover and secure this wreckage for future generations to enjoy.
- Přílohy
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