A Piece of a Wing From a Downed Soviet SB-2 Bomber

[Aleksander P]

I just wanted to share this rather exotic item, that I bought recently, but I haven't yet received it in the mail.

Like I said in the title, the piece of the wing is from a Soviet SB-2 bomber, that was shot down in the Winter War in Kuhmo by the Finnish troops. The plane was flying extremely low and Finns started to fire at it. Then the bomber opened it's bombing hatches and dropped it's payload extremely low, so it could gain more speed and altitude. The craters made by the bombs are still visible these days. The bomber crashed in a forest, killing it's whole 3-man crew. After Finns found the crashing site they buried the remains of the pilots and used this wing to mark the grave. The wing was removed after the war. The text reads ''Three Russian pilots.''

Sadly the red star on the wing was recolored with red paint during the 70's, but the black lines around it are original, so I would suspect most of the paint on the star is original too.

[Panzer trooper]

Very interesting piece of history

[RH1941]

Was this piece the grave marker? Gary

[Aleksander P]

It was, yes.

[harryamb2]

so what have they got now?

[Salzburg]

Grave Marker?.....

It was, yes.

Not sure how I feel about it now. Sad that it was removed when it was a grave marker and subsequently sold. Not sure I would have bought it.

[Aleksander P]

I said it was shortly after the war, when it was removed. I'm sure the pilots remains have been moved.

[Aleksander P]

Finnish and Russian authorities work in co-operation on getting the remains of fallen soldiers to their own countries and it has been conducted ever since the fall of the Soviet Union. As I said, this wing was removed shortly after the war, as war scrap that was systematically collected away. I have massive sympathy to the both sides of the war.

[RH1941]

the post in the back that held it up looks like it was broke not to long ago.

[Aleksander P]

I can contact the man who sold it, if it pleases you.