Overview

• A targeted excavation at the Hambach open-cast mine in early August recovered wreckage of a Short Stirling bomber and human skeletal remains from four meters below the surface.
• The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Luftkriegsgeschichte Rhein/Mosel’s tip led LVR archaeologists to the crash site, which was refilled after one week of careful digging.
• Seventeen crates of debris including uniform fragments, personal items and engine components are stored in Titz pending processing at the LVR-Landesmuseum in Bonn.
• German authorities have informed the British Embassy and plan DNA testing to confirm the identities of four crew members before arranging burial or repatriation.
• Recovered items are earmarked for long-term documentation and display, with planned loan to an air-war history exhibition at Vogelsang IP.