Lost WW2 Planes Hidden in Lakes

Lost and Found

The British Isles witnessed intense aerial activity in World War II with thousands of Axis and Allied planes crashing due to combat accidents or mechanical issues.

However, you won’t see them laying about in farmer’s fields since they have long since been scrapped. Only a few scattered remains visible on land almost in remote and mountainous areas. However, there’s somewhere where almost intact WWII planes exist, untouched, and these are bodies of inland water like rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

Many of these planes were never recovered either because it was too difficult or uneconomical to do so at the time. As the decades have passed and the scarcity of WWII aircraft has increased, there have been fascinating examples discovered.

For instance, in 1976, Vickers Welling Mark 1A bomber was accidentally found in Loch Ness in Scotland remarkably intact since ditching there on New Year’s Eve 1940. The plane was recovered in 1985 and is currently on public display at Brooklyn’s Museum in Surrey in England.

Another one is the most famous WWII plane sits in Lough Foyle in Northern Ireland a Vought F4U Corsair that crashed into the Lough. The wreck is often exposed during low tides. Meaning, it has been extensively picked over by souvenir hunters. Coupled with natural erosion, not very much remains today.

Do you know any WWII planes hidden in lakes? Let us know your thoughts!