Me-323 Was Shot Down In 1943

A Messerschmitt Me-323 that was shot down in July of 1943 off the coast of Italy was discovered by divers looking for another downed airplane in about 200 feet of water.

The Me-323 was the largest land-based transport aircraft of the war. It was reportedly on a mission to deliver supplies as large as tanks to the Tuscan city of Pistoia when it was attacked by a Bristol Beaufighter and went down near the Maddalena Islands.

The U.K. newspaper The Mail reports that the airplane is in very good condition for having been underwater for 69 years. Divers said they "stumbled" onto the wreckage while looking for a different aircraft which reportedly went down in the area. Dive instructor and photographer Aldo Ferruci told the U.K. newspaper the Daily Telegraph that all six of the airplane's engines were visible, and much of the rest of the aircraft was intact.

Historians said the find is "of great historical importance." There were only about 200 of the Me-323s produced by Nazi Germany for the war effort. It first flew in 1942, and was retired from service in 1944. It was designed to carry vehicles, weapons, and troops over long distances in preparation for an invasion of Great Britain.

(Me-323 image in public domain from file)

FMI: www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/me323.html