In March 2017, a 14-year-old boy discovered something big and important on his family’s farm. The discovery made the quiet town of Birkelse, Denmark, a hot spot for forensic specialists, historians, and media crews.
Source: NewsD
Nobody would have expected their town to attract international attention from the media. And nobody would have guessed that a teenage Danish boy would be the one to unearth a very important piece of history.
It started with a joke
It all started with homework. Teenager Daniel Rom Kristiansen was given an assignment for his history class and that was to do some research on World War II. He had no idea that his homework would end up in the international news later. And it is hard to imagine that it all started with a joke.
Source: NewsD
When Daniel told his parents about his homework, his father, Klaus Kristiansen, joked that he should check out the fields on their farm. Klaus remembered his grandfather’s stories. His grandfather had insisted that something important happened on their family’s farm 73 years ago.
The family farm
And everyone who heard the story would think it was all made up. The farm of the Kristiansen had been in the family for several generations. Their family cultivated the land for cattle grazing and agriculture. But as it turned out, that land had been home to more than animals and plants.
Source: WorlDemand
In an interview with Danish news station DR P4 Nordjylland, Klaus recalled the moment he made the joke. “When Daniel was recently given homework about World War II, I jokingly told him to go out and find the plane that is supposed to have crashed out in the field.”
Looking for the truth
Klaus did not expect Daniel to actually make it a mission to see if the plane really exists. When Daniel asked his father for help, Klaus thought his son was crazy at first, but in the end, he decided to join in. After all, this was a chance to finally determine whether the story was true or not.
Source: NewsD
Both father and son set off to the fields to start their search. Klaus borrowed a metal detector and took it with them in the field. He thought it would be cool if they found something that Daniel could show off in school.
Finding something
The two immediately got excited when they noticed the metal detector beeping loudly.
Daniel and Klaus grabbed their shovels and started digging in the area. After going through 12 feet of land, they were able to unearth tiny metal fragments that could possibly belong to the plane.
Source: NewsD
Realizing that there may be more around, Klaus sought help so that they can dig deeper. Klaus ended up borrowing an excavator from their neighbor. When he was able to go through four to six meters of land, they were unable to unearth a lot of parts from the plane.
Calling the experts
Daniel was also shocked to see some human bones. Daniel was also able to spot some personal items like clothing, a book, and a wallet that still had some cash in it. They were able to find the motor of the plane too. Klaus could not believe it. His grandfather had been right all along.
Source: CBC Radio
Klaus contacted World War II historians and Danish authorities to check it out and verify if these were really from World War II. They transferred everything carefully into bags and did not touch them. It was a wise decision. If they had carelessly handled the items themselves, they could have done some irreversible damage to this historical find.
It was a German WWII plane
The next few days would turn an ordinary cattle grazing field into an important historical discovery spot. After more digging and some inspecting, it was later on determined that their findings were part of a German fighter plane that was used during World War II.
Source: All That’s Interesting
The human remains were confirmed to be the pilot’s. The clothing matched the uniform worn by Nazi pilots during World War II. His wallet was filled with Nazi emblems and insignia. The wallet had cigarette rolling paper and German money. But who was the pilot and why did the fighter plane crash?
Working on a timeline
Klaus had suspected that the plane crash happened sometime in November or December of 1944. His basis for this was that his grandfather told him that he and his grandmother were baking Christmas cookies when the crash happened.
Source: NewsD
Since Klaus had a rough estimate of when the Nazi plane had crashed on the farm, the experts did not have to start from scratch. They started working around the timeline Klaus gave and did a meticulous analysis of the site.
The investigation
The formal investigation required the excavation to be shut down. As a result, the North Jutland police secures the perimeter and there was even a bomb disposal unit in the area in case the fighter plane still had bombs with it that was buried somewhere.
Source: CBC Radio
Other experts were also called into the area to ensure the safety of those doing the investigation. While the investigation was ongoing, the wreckage of the plane and the pilot’s remains were brought to the Nordyllands Historiske Museum (The Historical Museum of Northern Jutland).
A special find
There are still a lot of things to explore and consider before forming any final conclusions about what happened. The recovered engine, twisted fuselage, and ammunition from the plane crash provided vital information though.
Source: NewsD
Torben Sarauw, the archaeologist of the Nordyllands Historiske Museum, closely examined the recovered items to shed light on some matters. Sarauw shared that although the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a common fighter plane, this one can be claimed as a special find.
A closer look
After all, Sarauw said that it was the only German plane located in Denmark. This information happened to be a crucial one as they tried to piece what happened 73 years ago. Sarauw also took a closer look at the pilot’s remains and belongings. He and his team came across other items.
Source: NewsD
The pilot was carrying two Danish coins, food stamps, and three unused condoms. The food stamps were for a canteen in Aalborg, Denmark. This was not a surprise since the Germans had a pilot training base in Aalborg during World War II. But a closer look at the food stamps revealed more than that.
Identifying the pilot
Since the fighter plane was the first of its kind to be found in Denmark and the pilot had those food stamps, it was speculated that the pilot had just finished his training camp before his plane crashed in the Kristiansen farm. But the question still remains – who is this mystery pilot?
Source: NewsD
Historians and museum experts worked together around the findings of Sarauw’s team to piece together the identification of the pilot. They found that the pilot’s watch had initials inscribed on the back. And those initials could be connected by the name recorded on a small calendar book.
Identity and records confirmed
In the end, they determined that the pilot is Hans Wunderlich. His identity was confirmed based on the remains, food stamps, and flight log book. He was only 19 years old at the time of his death. Deutsche Dienststelle, a German government agency, confirmed this finding.
Source: NewsD
The agency also disclosed that they have information that Hans died in a plane crash on October 10, 1944. According to official records, Hans’ death was officially registered on March 5, 1945. Sadly, nobody could determine the cause of the plane crash.
Burying the remains
The Germans actually had records of Hans’ death. But his records simply stated that the plane crashed in a swampy field in Denmark. However, it looked like the search operations for Hans were suspended for some reason.
Source: NewsD
Once the pilot’s identity was confirmed, the Daily Nordjyske published his story. He had no living relatives at the time. The newspaper stated that the remains would be buried in a Danish war cemetery. But this plan did not push through after Germany intervened.
Bringing the remains home
The German War Graves Commission decided to send Hans’ remains back to Germany. The commission is responsible for the funerals of World War II soldiers as well as the maintenance of German War graves.
Source: NewsD
Although Hans’ remains would be buried in Germany, the rest of the discovered items will remain in Denmark. As Sarauw stated, “We think it’s important to keep the findings together.” Sarauw believes that the historical artifacts found would continue this interest in history among future generations.
A media frenzy
Klaus would have never thought that one of his grandfather’s stories would lead to a historical discovery? Klaus and Daniel, with the help of specialists, were able to uncover and retrieve a piece of history. We bet Klaus’ grandfather feels proud of this accomplishment.
Source: Pixabay
Nobody from the Kristiansen family was prepared for the aftermath of this historical discovery. They thought only the local press would be involved but as the news spread, the story attracted attention from various media outlets from all over the world.
Lesson learned
For the longest time, Klaus’ grandfather’s story about the plane crash was dismissed by the family. Now that this was proven true, Klaus expresses regret and wished his grandfather was able to witness it. “Unfortunately, he died 15 years ago, but I should have listened more to him when he was alive.”
Source: NewsD
Klaus definitely had learned a valuable lesson. He plans to continue telling his grandfather’s story to his own grandchildren when the time comes – and now, he has proof that it is all true. To commemorate the historical discovery, the Kristiansen family decided to put up an exhibit in their barn.
Giving back
Kristiansen’s exhibit featured replicas and images of the recovered German aircraft since the real thing is in the museum. The Historical Museum helped the Kristiansens in this project as well so the exhibit is accurate.
Source: NewsD
Klaus and his wife, Britt, also wanted their exhibit to center around the local history to help their community. And this was made possible with the help of the local history association. The Kristiansen was truly giving back to the community.
A family effort
Aside from Klaus, Daniel, and Britt, 17-year-old Marie is in charge of posters and the exhibit’s page on Facebook, and the 11-year-old twins Kamilla and Laura were in charge of selling tickets by the door.
Source: NewsD
Each member of the Kristiansen family had a role in the completion of the exhibit. The exhibit was opened to the public in the summer of 2017. It turned into a summer vacation job for the whole family.
A historical homework
Could you imagine living on land that had a historically significant item buried underneath it and having no idea that it really exists? Klaus had been living on the farm for over 40 years and he still could not believe it.
Source: NewsD
Fortunately, Daniel was curious enough to seek out the truth. Otherwise, an interesting World War II artifact would have remained to still be hidden on their land. And as for Daniel’s history assignment? We bet he got a perfect score on that.