For the most part, living life might seem like going through an everyday routine. Doing regular work, just simply getting by as each day goes on. Imagine what it would be like if suddenly, as you’re just having an average day, you come across something remarkable, and life as you know it suddenly has a whole new meaning. For Daniel Rom Kristiansen, this was exactly what happened. What started out as a simple search for a history class project suddenly blew up into a worldwide phenomenon. And it all started on one fateful day in March 2017.
Daniel Rom Kristiansen — Just Your Average Teen
Daniel Rom Kristiansen, a boy from Birkelse, Denmark was just an average teenager, living a normal life. The fourteen-year-old teen had been given homework on history where he needed to write about World War II. Never in his wildest imagination would he have thought that he would come across something extraordinary in the process. His rather quiet and uneventful life unexpectedly turned around when he made a major discovery that would soon rock the historical landscape. And this groundbreaking moment would not have occurred without his father’s simple joke and his great-grandfather’s old story.
Words of Grandpa — Tall Tale or True Story
Several generations of the Kristiansens had been living on their farmland. Daniel’s father, upon learning of his son’s history homework, remembered a story that his own grandfather had repeatedly been telling him about an event that had occurred on their property during World War II. He jokingly recalled the story to his son, suggesting that he should go out on their field and investigate. Daniel’s father had always regarded his grandfather's story as simply tall tales. However, the father and son began a mission to discover if it was truly just an exaggerated piece of information, or was there actually truth to the story.
A Father-and-Son Adventure — Challenge Accepted
After taking the story a bit more seriously, the father and son went on a historical adventure. Instead of just the regular method of doing homework, researching or being buried in a book, the father and son had something more interesting in mind. With a metal detector in hand, the pair took a chance and went out into the field. They headed out not knowing what to expect, only armed with their handy tool and Grandpa Kristiansen’s words, but they were determined to get to the bottom of their investigation.
Searching Further — Just Keep Digging
The father and son were moving their metal detector all over the ground when the device started beeping. Filled with more curiosity than anxiety, they started digging into the ground as deep as they could. After realizing that they did not have sufficient tools and they had to dig further down, they then enlisted the help of their neighbors by borrowing their excavator. Now more motivated than ever with their possible discovery, they searched deeper until they were able to discover the great treasure that laid deep within their land.
The Big Reveal
After getting four to six meters down the ground, the Kristiansen men finally made a gigantic discovery. To their amazement, about 2,000 to 5,000 pieces of metal debris were unearthed, which appeared to be pieces from a broken plane. Then they discovered the engine of a BF 109 Messerschmitt plane (circa WWII), Luftwaffe munitions, and machine gun bullets. They might as well have struck gold with this discovery alone, but the discovery they had made after searching even deeper beneath the broken parts of machinery, was even more surprising.
Not a Tall Tale After All
The father and son were also able to discover clothes and bones which appears to be from the pilot that ended up stuck inside the cockpit when the plane crashed. The items of clothing that were found were trousers and a jacket, which were parts of a uniform belonging to a German pilot. At this point, the Kristiansen men were more than sure that Grandpa’s story was not merely a tale of fiction. But that was not all, their journey had still not reached the end. They were still able to uncover even more amazing pieces of history beneath the surface.
Calling for Back-up
After discovering traces from the plane’s pilot, the Kristiansens continued digging further, and they found more personal items. They uncovered a wallet that had Gemrna WWII insignia and emblems, cigarette rolling paper, and German bills. They also dug up a little book that looked like a small Bible in one of the pockets. It was at that moment that they had realized that they needed to stop their expedition from going any further and contact the local authorities to look into the matter. After all, what was in store underneath could be something bigger and historically important.
Just the Beginning
Upon finding the many items on their field, the Kristiansens realized that their discovery turned out to be bigger than they could handle and they sought the assistance of local authorities. Klaus Kristiansen contacted the Danish authorities and World War II historians on the phone. The authorities came and took control of the situation. The discovered remains were to be taken to the Nordjyllands Historiske Museum or also known as The Historical Museum of Northern Jutland to be further investigated. Little did they know that this was just the beginning of a series of discoveries that was soon to become the focus of the global community.
A Powerful Warplane
It was soon revealed that the remnants that the Kristiansens discovered belonged to a German World War II plane which was a part of the Luftwaffe’s fighting force. The aircraft, which was a BF 109 Messerschmitt, reached 30,000 in production during World War II and were deployed all over Europe and North Africa. This was considered to be a highly advanced plane at the time, boasting impressive features like its landing gear that was retractable, all-metal monocoque construction, and it also had a closed canopy. It also had a liquid-cooled inverted-V12 aero engine. Indeed, it was something you'd not even learn in history class!
Overnight Sensation
It was no surprise that the events that unfolded on the Kristiansen farm would soon gain the attention of other people. But what they had thought would only make the local news had blown up all around the world. People from the media such as journalists, TV crew, and news outlets all came speeding in to cover the story of the family’s discovery. And if the swarm of people coming over was not enough, people all over the world also checked in through phone calls. Things just got crazier from then on.
Klaus Kristiansen, Now a Believer
Klaus Kristiansen had never been able to see a single trace of what they discovered beneath their property on the surface. In his stories, his grandfather had also assumed that the debris from the plane had been removed by the German forces. Klaus did not entertain the idea that there might be a semblance of truth to his grandfather’s story, and even the rest of their family had not taken the story to heart. Imagine his utter surprise when the story not only proved to be true, but they were able to discover so much more.
The Investigation Continues
The Kristiansen’s field was closed by the police from North Jutland for further investigation. Experts on bomb disposal responded to the site to remove the plane because of the multitude of ammunition that was onboard. The Historical Museum took the plane debris and bones. A spokesman from the German Embassy, Marko Naoki Lins, said that they were working with an organization that has an archive of records from German soldiers who are deceased to aid in identifying the body by matching the discovered remains to their records. Perhaps they'd even go to the extent of identifying DNA!
A Historical Perspective
A historian named Soeren Flensted, who specializes in German airplanes during WWII, reported that the pilot might have been in the middle of a training mission and was also possibly inexperienced, thereby falling victim to an accident. Records showed that in November 1944, a pilot and his plane had crashed in a mire somewhere in northern Denmark. Over 3,000 of the BF 109 Messerschmitt aircraft had been produced during WWII for the Luftwaffe. Flensted also explained that this particular plane went down in history as the fighter aircraft that had the biggest number of units produced. It was supposed to be an interceptor, but then it ended up performing several other tasks acting as an all-weather fighter, ground-attack aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, fighter-bomber, and a bomber escort.
Pieces of the Puzzle
Aside from the pilot’s remains, the museum also conducted an investigation on the guns, the twisted fuselage, and the uncovered engine. The museum’s head of archaeology and curator, Torben Sarauw, also made a discovery that could potentially solve the case on the pilot's identity. The discovered items seemed random at first, but when these little pieces of evidence came together, the whole mystery became a lot clearer and they were finally one step closer to finding the truth. Just a little further and they would be able to know exactly who this pilot was.
Key to the Mystery
Sarauw was able to find several items from the possessions of the pilot in the cockpit. Among the items he uncovered were three unused contraceptives, two Danish coins, and food stamps that were for a canteen in Aalborg, a city in Denmark that housed a German base conducting pilot training programs. The discovery of these items just propelled the investigation forward and it was well on its way to being solved. One of these newfound possessions would surely be the key to answering the great mystery. But the question was: which one would it be?
About to Crack the Code
According to Sarauw, who was hard at work in the museum to investigate the case, the plane was the first German aircraft that was found in Denmark, which could be connected to the Germans’ occupation of Denmark just before the war ended when the plane supposedly met an accident and crashed. This piece of information might just shed light on what really might have happened during that time. Sarauw had reason to believe that the discovered food stamps could imply that the pilot had come from a training base in Aalborg before he had crashed on the farm in Birkelse.
What About Daniel Kristiansen’s History Project?
With all this sudden commotion going on in the lives of the Kristiansens so far, and all of the newly unfolded events that one simple trip out on the field led to, one might wonder, how did Daniel’s homework turn out? We might not be sure of how exactly Daniel would be able to work on the delivery of such a huge story, but it is probably safe to assume that he had an A+ in the bag. Daniel even wanted to update his assignment when further details would become available. And that was definitely a good thing because things were about to get even more interesting.
Case Solved!
The museum experts and historians that were involved in the investigation carefully examined the pieces of the pilot’s service record that were found by the Kristiansen men in the debris. Sarauw said that even though it was not the whole piece, it was still enough to get the pilot’s name. Luckily, his name had also been written on a little calendar. But the main clue was the initials that were etched on a watch, another one of the pilot’s possessions that were uncovered. This was the final piece of evidence that was needed to finally solve the case.
The Mystery Pilot's Identity
Deutsche Dienststelle, an information office in Germany, identified the pilot. The pilot was Hans Wunderwick, and on October 10, 1944, was recorded to have crashed his plane. German authorities had identified him through the bones, food stamps, flight logbook, and other things. According to his military records, he was born in a small town in Bavaria called Neusorg in 1925. There were no known details on what might have caused the crash, but German war records stated that the plane had crashed in a marshy field (now in the perimeter of Kristiansen's property). According to the reports, the efforts made to recover the soldier had been suspended as the mission had been deemed unsuccessful.
The Family of Hans Wunderlich
A Danish newspaper called The Daily Nordjyske, was the first to publish the name of the pilot. The report also stated that the pilot’s remains would most likely be put to rest in a Danish war cemetery. But upon further investigation, it was soon discovered that Hans Wunderlich was unmarried and had no children. His parents passed away in 2006. His sister, who was the last relative left, also passed away shortly after the death of their parents. Because of this, the initial plans on where the pilot’s body would be buried had changed.
The Soldier's Final Resting Place
Because there were no living relatives of the pilot, the Danish authorities ruled that the decision on where the body would be laid to rest would go to the Commission on German War Graves which is tasked to handle the World War II soldiers' funerals. The commission ruled that the remains should be returned to Germany and placed under their care. Wunderlich’s death was officially recorded by the Germans on March 5, 1945 at Holenrunn City Hall. With the pilot's remains being identified and now laid to rest, the case was finally solved. The only concern now would be what effects would all of those events have moving forward.
Moving Forward
It might be interesting to wonder what would happen now that the mysterious case had been solved and how the recent events would impact the future. Sarauw believed the importance of keeping the discovered items together. He also observed that the uncovering of these historical items had caused the Danish schoolchildren to acquire a newfound interest in the history of World War II and perhaps be more attentive in class. Sarauw expressed his desire that the items like the plane as well as Wunderlich’s possessions would help preserve this interest in the future and relay the story of World War II.
Preserving History
The Historical Museum of Northern Jutland kept the discovered airplane parts as well as the possessions of the pilot. They will be used to promote education on World War II. This discovery that occurred 73 years after WWII will perfectly depict the lesson that even if moments have long passed, there will always be traces of them that will remain, some of it might just be harder to discover than others. No matter what day and age we are in, there will always be so much more to discover when it comes to world history.
Germany's Invasion of Denmark During the War
In 1940, Germany invaded Denmark when the German army crossed the country's borders. The plan was part of their operation called Weserübung Süd, in which they had to invade Norway by capturing the airfield outside Aalborg and securing the shipping of iron ore coming from Narvik. The Danish Army was aware of the incoming attack, however, it was not given permission to deploy defensive measures due to the Danish government not wanting to anger the Germans. Because of this, the Germans managed to invade Denmark and until the latter part of 1944, had remained in power.
Moral Lesson of the Story
One thing that Klaus Kristiansen learned was that there was always a grain of truth in every joke. When his grandfather told him the story of the plane crash, he certainly thought nothing of it. Klaus said that even though some stories were not true, this one turned out to be real. He realized that he should have listened to his grandfather more when he was still alive. So the next time an elder tells you a certain story, you might not want to simply dismiss it as nonsense. They might not know a lot about technology, but they certainly know their history. Besides, who knows what you might discover.