Fateful final mission of WWII bomber that was shot down by Nazis with one survivor - as it is found at bottom of Aegean Sea 82 years later

A mislaid Second World War bomber changeable down by the Nazis with a British airman aboard has been recovered aft 82 years.

Leslie Norman Row, from Gravesend, Kent, was flying a ngo implicit the Mediterranean erstwhile his Baltimore Bomber was attacked.

The plane, portion of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), crashed disconnected the Greek land of Antikythera, and Leslie and 2 comrades mislaid their lives.

The Aussie pilot, the lone survivor, miraculously escaped the wreck aft it crashed into the sea.  

Now, aft astir 82 years of uncertainty, divers person brought closure to the families of the dead, uncovering the bomber 200 feet (61 metres) beneath the Aegean Sea.

Harry Green, president of the Gravesham and Ebbsfleet subdivision of the Royal British Legion, said the young airman had made the eventual sacrifice.

He said: 'He died successful the sanction of his country, and that successful itself says it all.

'He's fixed up his life, he's fixed up his future, and each his family.

'It's taken a agelong clip to find the plane, and respect to the radical who person gone retired and recovered it.'

Leslie, a navigator, flew his last ngo connected December 3, 1943, erstwhile helium and his comrades were tasked with photographing the Greek coast.

Also killed were aerial gunners Colin William Walker of the RAAF and John Gartside of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

The lone subsister was aviator William Alroy Hugh Horsley, who was handed implicit to the Germans and spent the remainder of the warfare a prisoner.

After his release, Horsley described however they had been returning from their ngo erstwhile they were engaged by 2 Messerschmitt Bf 109s.

He aboriginal recounted: 'The Me-109s delivered 7 attacks, during which the craft was acceptable connected occurrence successful the larboard wing.

'The intercommunications systems were destroyed, and Pilot Officer Walker and Warrant Officer Gartside wounded – grade unknown.'

What followed was a unsmooth landing astatine sea.

He wrote: 'When I regained consciousness the craft was submerged astatine the nose, and oversea h2o was up to my neck.

'I released my information harness, stood up and the craft submerged nether me.

'I swam implicit the spot wherever the craft submerged, but no-one other near the aircraft, which sank successful heavy h2o astir 300 yards from the bluish enactment of Antikythera.

'I past swam to enactment successful afloat show of the spot until picked up by immoderate fishermen from Antikythera.'

For 81 years the level would stay hidden.

But past twelvemonth AegeanTec, a Greek method diving group, rediscovered it.

Believing it to beryllium the mislaid plane, RAAF Baltimore FW282, they contacted the History and Heritage Branch of the Aussie aerial force.

Now the individuality of the missing level has been confirmed.

Air main marshal Richard Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff astatine the RAF, said the find highlighted the longstanding narration betwixt the 3 aerial forces.

'It's an honour to admit the bravery of the multinational crew,' Sir Richard said.

'This was a procreation who embodied the value of work and comradeship.

'Their efforts were the basal connected which the RAF continues to support the information of the UK astatine location and abroad.

'Their consciousness of work inspires aboriginal generations of each of our aerial forces.'

Air marshal Stephen Chappell, main of the RAAF, hoped the find would bring closure.

'This craft find is important and offers the accidental to supply closure to families,' helium said.

'The efforts of groups specified arsenic AegeanTec are captious for america successful accounting for those 3,143 Australian aviators with nary known sedate from the Second World War and the Korean conflict.

'I americium pleased, alongside my colleagues from the RAF and RNZAF, to this week to beryllium capable to denote the find.

'And for america to acknowledge, collectively, the bravery of this combined unit of aviators from our 3 nations.'

Air vice-marshal Darryn Webb, main of the RNZAF, echoed the sentiment.

He said: 'I anticipation this volition bring immoderate consciousness of closure for the families.

'The sacrifice of this brave unit has agelong been remembered, particularly by their families, and we tin present honour their last resting-place with the respect they deserve.'

Row was calved connected March 2, 1918, to Albert Edward and Florence Mabel Row.

A commemorative biography of him connected the Gravesend Grammar School website lists him arsenic a erstwhile pupil, backmost erstwhile it was The County School for Boys.

It says helium appeared successful a schoolhouse accumulation of Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, was a prefect, and played successful the school's archetypal XV rugby team.

He near schoolhouse successful 1937 and joined the RAF successful 1941.

His father, who'd served successful the merchant navy during the First World War, joined the Royal Navy reserves during the second, and begetter and lad were concisely reunited successful Egypt.

Just a fewer months later, the younger antheral was killed.

He is present remembered astatine the Alamein Memorial successful Egypt.