Posted on 06/11/2012 1:43:47 PM PDT by greatdefender
BERLIN (AP) German military divers are working to hoist the wreck of a Stuka dive bomber from the floor of the Baltic Sea, a rare example of the plane that once wreaked havoc over Europe as part of the Nazis' war machine.
The single-engine monoplane carried sirens that produced a distinctive and terrifying screaming sound as it dove vertically to release its bombs or strafe targets with its machine guns. There are only two complete Stukas still around.
The Stuka wreck, first discovered in the 1990s when a fisherman's nets snagged on it, lies about 10 kilometers (6 miles) off the coast of the German Baltic island of Ruegen, in about 18 meters (60 feet) of water.
The divers have been working over the past week to prepare the bomber to be hoisted to the surface, using fire hoses to carefully free it from the sand. They have already brought up smaller pieces and also hauled up its motor over the weekend.
They are now working to free the main 9-meter (30-foot) fuselage piece and expect to bring it up on Tuesday, depending on the weather, said Capt. Sebastian Bangert, a spokesman from the German Military Historical Museum in Dresden, which is running the recovery operation.
Initial reports are that it is in good condition despite having spent the last seven decades at the bottom of the sea, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Yeah you’re right, they don’t call it the “Warthog’’ for nothing. Still, the Germans built weapon systems that were nightmarish to look at, like the Stuka and the Tiger tank. And their uniforms. Clearly they were an army that dressed like they meant business. Good thing they lost.
Rudel also flew FW-190’s for awhile where he racked up his air-to-air kills.
Those sirens on the Stuka were called the “Trumpets of Jericho”... The later versions of the Stuka that fought the Russians, didn’t have the sirens. They were for psychological warfare only.
Rudel claimed that either his rear gunner got the Russian or the Stuka's prop wash in their tight turns caused the Russian to lose control at their low altitude and spin into the ground.
I tend to believe Rudel, but whatever the case, he was a helluva pilot and warrior.
|
|
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
Thanks greatdefender. I'm catching up a little. :') |
|
|
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.