The story of a World War II plane recovery for Channel 4

The final chapter for the Pathfinder Lancaster ED603…

In the most ambitious engineering project he’s ever taken part in, Guy Martin helps to recover a crashed World War II Lancaster bomber – and the remains of its missing crew members – from the depths of a Dutch lake, where it’s been submerged for 80 years.

On 13 June 1943, Pathfinder Lancaster ED603 was shot down over Lake IJssel (IJsselmeer) in the Netherlands. The bodies of four crew members washed ashore, but three airmen were never found – their remains assumed to still be in the wreckage of the plane.

Now, the Dutch government are funding attempts to recover ED603 – and find the missing airmen. Guy is involved throughout. He helps build a massive dam around the crash site, then drains it to reveal the Lancaster for the first time in eight decades.

Guy joins the expert team as they recover ED603, piece by piece. He also meets the descendants of ED603’s crew and discovers just how important this project is to them – and the Dutch people. Guy tells the story of the elite Pathfinder force and meets one of the last surviving Pathfinder crew members.

Finally, he sees the ED603’s wreckage laid out in its original shape and visits an identification laboratory, where all remains, clothing and personal effects are used to determine whether the whole recovery operation was a success. Did they find all three of the missing airmen?

Guy Martin’s Lost WWII Bomber, tomorrow (July 7th) at 9pm on Channel 4