Records show the Halifax JP-276A took off on its final
flight from the Italian city of Brindisi around 2000 GMT on
4 August 1944.
The crew of five Canadians and two Britons, led by
Canadian pilot Captain A.R. Blynn, were flying on a
mission to drop weapons and ammunition to the Polish
underground.
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This is an
extraordinary, rare find
Project manager Piotr
Sliwowski
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Although a small amount of human remains from the crash
were found and buried in Poland in 1944, the wreckage
has remained buried along with most of the remains for
more than 60 years.
Warsaw's Museum of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising started
to recover the wreck about two months ago.
Relatives search
Project manager Piotr Sliwowski, who heads
the museum's history department, told the
Associated Press news agency: "This is an
extraordinary, rare find - there are only
three Halifaxes in museums around the
world."
Although the museum's officials were
intrigued to find the hull of the bomber
as well as documents and personal
belongings, it was the discovery of the
remains of its crew of young men that
left the biggest impression.
The historians have contacted the
British and Canadian embassies in
Warsaw in the hope that the families
of the airmen can be notified.
Mr Sliwowski said: "These were
boys aged 28 or 30. Their
remains were for decades in the
ground, now they will be able to
return to their homelands."
Documents, notes and maps
and personal items belonging
to the crew, like a folding
knife and a well-preserved
aviator's badge, were also
discovered.
"It takes you back 62
years and you start
thinking, 'What were
they like? What did they
look like? Did they have
girlfriends?'" Mr
Sliwowski said.
Rebellion
Containers of
weapons and
ammunition were
also found on
board the
crashed Halifax.
The plane's
mission was
part of the
Allied
effort to
assist
Poland's
resistance
towards the
end of World
War II.
The
city's
Home
Army had
launched
a
rebellion
in an
attempt
to
liberate
the
Polish
capital
from the
Nazi
occupation.
Two
restored
Halifax
bombers
are
on
display
at
the
Yorkshire
Air
Museum
at
Elvington,
York,
and
at
the
Royal
Canadian
Air
Force
Museum
in
Trenton,
Ontario,
Canada.
A third is on display in what is described as "as recovered" condition at the Royal Air Force Bomber Command Museum in London.