Fourteen-year-old Daniel Kristiansen from Denmark was doing his homework on World War II when he stumbled on a WWII airplane and its pilot on his family's farm. He and his father identified it to be a German Messerschmitt fighter plane, an aircraft which was considered as the most advanced fighter plane during that era.
It was Daniel's father, Klaus Kristiansen, who joked about searching the field after he recalled a story his grandfather said about a plane that crashed there in November or December 1944. Klaus told reporters that his grandfather was making Christmas cookies with his grandmother and uncle when the plane crashed. They all thought that the German force had already collected the remnants of the aircraft.
The Daily Mail reported Klaus as saying: "When my son Daniel was recently given homework about World War Two, I jokingly told him to go out and find the plane that is supposed to have crashed out in the field." Klaus went out with his son and the pair brought with them a metal detector.
When Daniel found a metal scrap, they borrowed an excavator from a neighbor and dug a couple of meters down. They found more parts which led them to human skeletal remains. Afterward, the engine and munitions of the aircraft were unearthed.
The father and son also discovered personal items of the pilot like his wallet, money and a book. They contacted historians and authorities, while the North Jutland Police closed the area for more possible searches. Bomb experts were also called on the site to help remove the plane.
Currently, the curator of the Historical Museum of Northern Jutland has taken possession of the aircraft and hoped to discover the pilot's identity. In fact, the German Embassy has been contacted of the discovery.
Meanwhile, the Kristiansens hoped that the pilot's family could be found and be informed of their relative's remains in Denmark.
