Croatia: wreckage of the JU-87 R-2 bomber found

On every side we get news of further interesting finds made in recent days and weeks. In fact, wreck after wreck, and the variety is overwhelming. There are ships, vessels and planes. The age of the finds from 70 years to even 4000! We will try as much as possible to give you details of the most interesting ones. First, the latest discovery from the Balkans, where the wreck of a Junkers plane from World War II was found near one of the Croatian islands.

-- Advertisement --

The plane was tracked down near the island of Žirje and identified as a German JU-87 R-2 dive bomber. The divers investigating the Stukas kept everything secret for several weeks in order to properly prepare the area around it and secure the wreckage.

Interestingly, the find was made possible (as has happened more than once) by information provided by local fishermen. Thanks to this, researchers from the Department of Underwater Archaeology of The Croatian Restoration Society, the ZG-SUB diving club, and the Ministry of Defence Military Museum, may have hit the jackpot! They found a real treasure, but more on that below.

Looking at the pictures of the found wreck, it must be emphasised that it is in surprisingly good condition. It should be remembered that the delicate construction of aeroplanes very badly tolerates the moment of going under the water and often only splinters are left from the machine. Meanwhile, Junkers stands beautifully on the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, as if it just recently landed softly according to plan. The only thing missing is the engine, which was probably torn out when it hit the water.

This turn of events is both good and bad news and it is up to us to interpret it. After all, the better preserved the wreck, the more pleasant it is to dive… unfortunately, in this case we are in for a disappointment. The machine will be pulled to the surface and repaired, after which it will enter the collections of one of the Croatian museums. We therefore have a situation similar to that of “our” Douglas A-20, which is still waiting to be raised from the Baltic Sea.

Unlike the A-20, which has about 12 surviving examples worldwide, the aforementioned Junkers will be… the 3rd surviving of the 5709 produced. The other two are in museums in Chicago and London. No wonder, then, that the Croatians want to take care of a rarity in such sensational condition at the expense of another diving attraction, of which there is no shortage in the area.

As far as the history of the found aircraft is concerned, it was most probably found at the bottom as a result of being shot down by the Yugoslavian army in March 1941. In the archives we found information about a clash between 3 aircraft of the 239th Squadriglia, 97 Gruppo Bombardamento a tuffo, which on April 12, 1941 engaged in a battle with hydroplanes of the Royal Army of Yugoslavia, stationed in Jadrtovac Bay. As a result, two of the attacking aircraft were hit. One of them crashed and its crew was killed, while the other launched. It is this second machine that has been recovered and will probably surface again soon.

Source: sibenskiportal.hr
Photo: Romanian WW2 Aircraft Archeology