​WWII Dakota Plane Wreckage Uncovered After Recent Heatwave Melts Glacier

The wreckage of a WWII plane that crashed 72 years ago has been unearthed in Switzerland, following the effects of the recent heatwave, the Daily Mail reports.

The American C-53 Skytrooper crash-landed onto the Gauli Glacier in the Bernese Alps on 19 November 1946. All eight passengers and the four crew members were rescued four days after the crash - in what was hailed at the time as the largest alpine rescue operation the area had seen - but the wreckage remained buried.

Even though the propeller of the military plane - which is also known under its RAF name of Dakota - was uncovered in 2012, the bulk of the wreckage has always remained under the glacier's snow and ice.

However, this year's warm summer has seen glaciers in the Alps recede at a rapid rate, which has led to experts unearthing larger parts of the plane for the first time ever - meaning that elements like wings and propellers are now visible, along with other smaller items like tin cans, hangers and spoons.

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The team, led by aviation expert Peter Brotschi, even came across tracks from the Swiss Air Force's ambitious and ground-breaking rescue mission.

Adriano Boschetti, an archaeologist who works for the Canton of Bern, told the Telegraph that Americans have already shown great interest in the historic objects.

A local owner of a mountain hut nearby also said they had been asked to keep watch of the area, in order to ensure that parts of the plane are not destroyed or stolen.

"The wreck is a great folk tale," the mountain owner said.

"We have many visitors coming to us solely for the sake of the Dakota."

While It's not yet known whether or not the plane will ever be able to be completely uncovered, the discovery is a sign of change in the Alps.

While gherkin farmers in Germany have been struggling to reap crops and cows in Italy have been produced 15 per cent less milk to due to dry grass in recent months, Switzerland has experienced one of its hottest and driest summers since records began in 1864.

With parts of the country recently seeing temperatures rise to over 35 degrees Celsius, Swiss scientists have said that many glaciers will have disappeared from the mountain range by 2050, while the biggest glacier in the Alps - the Aletsch Glacier - will almost disappear by the end of the century.

Topics: World News, News, WWII

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

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