The Dornier 17 German bomber was blasted from the air during the Battle of Britain in 1940, and has remained beneath the waves off the Kent coastline ever since.
But work began yesterday to raise the unique wartime aircraft from its watery grave in the English Channel, in one of the most ambitious salvage operations ever undertaken in British waters.
A team of divers spotted the rare aircraft lying 50ft down and upside down on the Goodwin Sands just off the Kent coast in 2008.
Sonar scans identified the plane as Dornier Do 17Z-2, serial number 1160, and it is the only surviving example in the world.
Its main structure has been remarkably preserved and some of its undercarriage tyres are still inflated.
Apart from minor damage to the forward cockpit, observation windows and propellers the slim aluminium frame has survived the corrosive effects of the sea water.
