Diving in Poland, Scuba Diving Destinations, Scuba News, Underwater Archeology

They found an air cannon from the WWII era in the lake!

Listen to this article During a dive in Lake Wolsztyn divers found an artefact dating back to World War II. According to the local news service, a Soviet aerial cannon fell prey to divers combing the bottom near a nearby pier. To be precise, a 23 mm calibre WJa-23 (Russian: ВЯ-23, from Volkov-Yartsev) cannon was

ByTomasz Andrukajtis

Published: June 30, 2019 - 20:09

Updated: July 22, 2023 - 18:21

They found an air cannon from the WWII era in the lake!

Listen to this article

During a dive in Lake Wolsztyn divers found an artefact dating back to World War II. According to the local news service, a Soviet aerial cannon fell prey to divers combing the bottom near a nearby pier.

To be precise, a 23 mm calibre WJa-23 (Russian: ВЯ-23, from Volkov-Yartsev) cannon was found. The Soviet design, dating from 1941, was used in IL-2 assault aircraft. According to available information, the weapon was preserved in very good condition, and in addition, ammunition was also found.

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Jarosław Rostkowski of the Regional Museum told Wolsztyn.naszemiasto.pl that it may be one of the pieces of equipment from a Soviet plane shot down in the area during World War II. According to available information, it is known that the machine crashed near Chorzemin, but, as Roskowski points out, this is a very close distance.

During the cleaning of Wolsztyn Lake, near the pier, our team found such a “surprise”

Posted by Wolsztyn Diving Club – Bad Fish on Saturday, June 29, 2019

Another hypothesis is assumed, according to which the cannon was deliberately sunk after the war. This theory is supported by the fact that unnecessary weapons were often “disposed of” in a similar way. Another argument in favour of this course of events is the very good state of preservation.

As you can see, cleaning up local bodies of water can turn into an unforgettable adventure, and the found objects can write a new chapter in the pages of local history. We would like to congratulate the divers on their impressive find, and encourage others to organise underwater cleaning campaigns in their neighbourhood. Who knows what else is waiting to be discovered in Polish lakes?

Source: wolsztyn.naszemiasto.pl
Photo: Wolsztyn Diving Club – Bad Fish

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About author

Tomasz Andrukajtis

Editor-in-chief of the DIVERS24 portal and magazine. Responsible for obtaining, translating and developing content. He also supervises all publications. Achived his first diving certification – P1 CMAS, in 2000. Has a degree in journalism and social communication. In the diving industry since 2008.