The Dutch Aircraft Salvage Service has found the remains of a pilot in the wreck of a German World War II aircraft near the town of Wenum Wiesel, the Apeldoorn town council announced on Friday.

The salvage team spotted the remains as they were trying to retrieve a Messerschmitt BF 109 that crashed near the town 30 January 1944. They were not surprised to find the pilot: the local town council requested that the aircraft be salvaged because they suspected that remains might still be among the wreckage.

Near the pilot the team also found an ‘Erkennungsmarke’, an ID tag with the personal information. The remains and the ID tag will be sent to a laboratory in Soesterberg where specialists will try to ascertain the pilot’s identity.

Aside from the body the salvage team also found an engine, several on-board weapons and a propeller blade. The Aircraft Salvage Service suspects that the aircraft was not carrying any bombs but was ordered to intercept Allied bombers headed for Northern Germany.

According to eye-witness reports the airplane was on fire when it crashed. The exact cause of the crash is unknown.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide