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The destiny of the wreck (Flying again):

As I wrote in the Timeline :

1943 - 2005:Over 62 years went on. Many a hiker has in all these years had the wreck at Kvitanosi as a favorite destination. The wreck has probably slightly decreased a little over the years because of souvenir collectors. The large surfaces on the relatively undamaged wings have become memory books with names and dates scratched onto them.

Saturday the 30th of July 2005: The local newspaper Hordaland has an article on its cover telling that the wreck will be removed. There is a museum in Berlin wanting parts of it for their restoration of an aircraft of this type. Although the military Condor model was produced in 262 copies during the ww2, no one is left now. The museum is very interested in the wings and the tail. That is what is best preserved at Kvitanosi.

This came completely unexpected. No one in the villages around in the area had heard about these planes. A helicopter should bring the wreck parts down to the village Brekkhus, for further transportation to Germany by car. The operation would probably start the coming week.
Photo: © Oeyvind Aandevik
This causes a new era for the wreck. It is awakening after 63 years asleep. Four years later it is flying again. First to Boemoen at Voss. Than home to Germany!

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Plans for removing the wreck:
In the summer of 2005 something happens at Kvitanosi. Here as I experienced it at that time, and as I chronologly published the news that time.

All started with what the newspaper Hordaland had to tell Saturday 30th of July 2005. Here the front page:

Sad news was published in the local newspaper Hordaland Saturday the 30th: The wreck will be removed. The wreck will be removed from Kvitanosi and build up again in a museum in Berlin, Germany. This could be done the coming week or the next. Here a facsimile of this Norwegian news article.

Here is translation from Norwegian to English of this article (a short version) © www.avisa-hordaland.no:

"For nearly 62 years the German plane wreck has been a ww2 memorial on Kvitanosi, now to be sent to a museum in Berlin.
On The Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodoe's initiative this is a corporation with The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, Deutches Teknikmuseum and Royal Norwegian Air Force Squadron 330 at Sola Stavanger.
Birger Larsen at The Norwegian Aviation Museum tells that this is an inter-European project, and that The Focke Wulf FW 200 is an important part of the development of advanced modern aero planes, and originally build for Lufthansa.
Bad weather at Vaernes redirected the plain to go to Sola, but lack of fuel forced the plane to make a forced landing.
The Focke Wulf FW 200 is after retirement in the early 50s not to be found in any museum. This is the reason for the interest of the wreck at Kvitanosi. The reconstruction is a corporation between Lufthansa Technik AG, Airbus Deutchland Gmbh and Rolls Royce Deutchland Gmbh, and the result should be palced at Deutches Teknikmuseum in Berlin.
The crashed Focke Wulf FW FW 200 at Kvitanosi was build at the Focke Wulf factory in Bremen.
Tor Egil Hilstad at Squadron 330 tells that the transportation of the wreck down from the mouintain with a Sea-King helicopter will start next week or the week after."

The day after this news was published I was at Kvitanosi taking some pictures: The Wreck at Kvitanosi 31.07.2005. Maybe this is the last pictures of this important local ww2 memorial, a target for many hikes to Kvitanosi.
Preparations for the removal already seem to be started, by collecting the wreck parts 3 places. So some damage is already done.

This will be a great loss for the local area. Nobody of the locals knew anything about this until at the end at last week. It seems as the planning is done, and now ready for execution. Referring to the local newspaper Hordaland, this is a cooperation between The Norwegian Aviation Museum, The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, Deutsches Teknikemuseum, and The 330 Airborne Squadron at Sola Stavanger.

New Monday evening (1/8): Albert Gullbraa just called to tell that the local authorities had agreed on a temporary preservation regulation for the wreck. This was good news! The wreck is temporarily saved from removal.
Albert had done a lot of calls that day. And so had many others who want the wreck to stay at Kvitanosi.

News Tuesday (2/8): The local newspaper Hordaland tells the same story today in The removal of the Wreck is stopped.

News 8/8: Some information (in Norwegian) about rescuing the wreck: "Nyhende 03.08.2005" at Voss kommune's web pages.

News 15/8: The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum, appeal against the local authorities decision on stopping the removal of the wreck at Kvitanosi, and carry out the original plans of removing it. The local newspaper Hordaland tells this news today in this article: Synfaring på Kvitanosi.

News 24/8: Good news: I just spoke to Kristian Hovstad from the Norwegian Broadcasting Coorporation NRK Hordaland His messages was that the The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum has terminated the plans of appealing the temporary preservation regulation for the wreck. So the wreck will stay as a war memorial at Kvitanosi!! The reason for this desition is the overwelming reactions from the locals against removal of the wreck.

News 25/8: The local radiostation NRK Hordaland has an aricle today on theyer web pages about permanent preservation: The wreck will not be removed. This also contains an interview with Johan Gullbraa (an audio file).

News 25/8: Also the local Newspaper Hordaland confirms the news from yesterday in the article No removal of the ww2 wreck.


Local televsion 25/8: about saving the wreck.



Cleanup:

When preparing for removal of the wreck, parts have been collected and placed together. So the wreck site look different from the passed 62 years. But the important thing is: placing parts one above another could cause new damages on them when they in the coming winter will be covered with 2-4 meters of snow!

To illustrate the problem, here are two pictures.
First one "before picture", than one "after picture":


Some type of "cleanup" after the "moving preparations" shoul be done before the winter to prevent this.
Opinions? Send me an e-mail: kaare@trefall.com.

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BT about the preservation, and about the British which took the rudder in february 1977.
In an article under the headline "Wreck going to be attraction" 3/11, the newspaper Bergens Tidende refers the County Council Curator Gerd Bolstad about the temporary preservation of the Kvitanos-wreck. She said that further hearing of the case would be done in the spring when the snow goes. It will then be decided if the preservation will become permanent. BT is telling that the museum in Berlin does not have drawings for their reconstruction. However, pictures and measurements of wreck-parts where they now are lying will also be useful, if the museum will not get the wreck. Preservation on the wreck-site will have the negative side that the wreck little by little disappear.

One thing which is not written about yet, other than on these pages, is the concern whether the wreck will be incurred by "new" damage during the winter because it was moved ito collection of many parts toghether, during the preparation to bring it to the museum. But it is now too late in the autumn to do anything about this.

I have also here on these pages called for information about a history that says that someone earlier had fetched parts down by helicopter. The article in BT is telling about this. It was done by the British as part of a winter exercise in 1977, and it was the tail rudder they took. The article also has a photo from this event. So finally facts!

Facsimile of the headline of an article in BT 3d of November 2005
What I thought was the tail rudder turns out to be right wing-tip. See about this here: "The tail rudder".

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The removal:
After the inspection on Kvitanosi in August 2008, with following negotiations, it is decided that the Deutches Technikmuseum will get part of the wreck to their restoration of a FW200 Focke Wolf copy in Berlin. In the autumn of 2009 the Kvitanos plane is flying again. This time a little longer than in previous attempt. But in the same direction. Now with helicopter assistance. The flight goes to Boemoen at Voss. For further transport from there home to Germany.

(In the Norwegian version much of this story is told by facsimiles of newspaper articles. The facsimiles will also be presented here in the English version. But since they are in Norwegian, some of the articles are translated, others to come.)

The inspection of the wreck (August 2008):

At Monday 11th of August 2008 the newspaper Hordaland reports on their internet pages that a delegation with representatives from a German museum, Hordaland County Council and Voss Municipality, the coming Thursday will go for an inspection of the wreck at Kvitanosi. See the newspaper Hordaland's internet pages about The Kvitanos inspection.

About how this inspection went on could be read in the newspaper the coming Saturday.

Facsimile of the front page of Hordaland Saturday 16th of August 2008:

The headeline says:
The Germans stuck at Kvitanosi


Facsimile of the article inside the newspaper:
Her a translation of (parts of) the above article:

Dramatic inspection at Kvitanosi.
The inspection of the German aircraft wreck at Kvitanosi ended dramaticly. Eight persons went walking in the rain and the fog in the dark after nightfall. After big hardships they at last managed to climbed down to the road and waiting cars, about 02:30 Friday night.

(More translation to come)




A guided tour (August 2008):

The next day I am guide to the wreck for the son of one of those who were killed in the crash. We tried the day before, but had to return in Storatoni because of thick fog. On that hile also the daughter participated. It was a big coincidence that our hikes happened at the same time as "the other Germans". But this is an other story. I will come back to it later.



Negotiations (September 2008):

The inspection at Kvitanosi led to further meetings and negotiations between the Hordaland County Council and the Deutsche Technikmuseum Berlin in the autumn 2008, and this resulted in an initial treaty in September. The museum shall have 7 main parts from Kvitanos-wreck for their restoration in Berlin of the FW200 model they are building up there.
The newspaper Hordaland writes about this 19th of September 2008: Getting wreck parts.
The newspaper Bergens Tidende also writes about this 16th of September 2008: Allowing to remove the wreck parts.



Information board (August 2008):

On the inspection-trip mentioned above, Voss Municipality put up an information board at the wreck site. See Voss Municipality about the Information board, and the newspaper Hordaland's web article about the board.



Agreement (July 2009):

On this site you can read the agreement between the Hordaland County Council and the Deutsche Technikmuseum Berlin dated 3d of July 2009, with details on what parts of the wreck which the museum will have.

The parts are:
  • Vertical Rudder
  • Horizontal fin and elevator including minor parts|
  • Right outer wing
  • Right outer vinge tip
  • Left outer Wing
  • All parts of ailerons
  • Engine fairing
The parts are flown down (November 2009):

So it happens. The plane at Kvitanosi is flying again. 24 422 days have passed since the crash about 10 PM the evening of 27th of December 1942. Now it's 7th of November 2009. A helicopter is flying the first parts down from Kvitenosi to Bømoen at Voss. The newspaper Hordaland writes about this Tuesday 10th of November.

Facsimile from the newspaper Hordaland Tuesday 10th of November 2009:


Her a translation of the above article:

(Picture text: The inspection at Kvitanosi in August last year. Now some of the parts will be removed.)

Wreck-parts brought down from Kvitanosi.

Voss: Saturday afternoon was eleven main parts from wreck of the German plan at Kvitanosi brought down from the mountain.

The parts which are from a Focke-Wolf Condor FW-200 bomber which crashed at Kvitanosi the third day of Christmas 1942, shall after 67 years be brought back home to Germany.
- As soon as we have been to Kvitanosi and approved that the parts taken down are according to the agreement with the Germans, the parts will be brought home to Germany by Deutsche Teknikmusem, says Special Advisor Stein Ottosen from Hordaland County Council.
It was 17. of September last year the Hordaland County Council gave dispensation from the cultural monument regulations so they could fetch some of the parts for their use.

A teamwork project.
Hordaland County Council now co-operates with Deutches Teknichmuseun in a common project which shall tell the story behind what happened at Kvitanosi in 1942, and up to this day.
- It is difficult to say how much of the wreck that will be removed, but I can promise that many parts will be left. Kvitanosi will be taken care of as a war memorial. Which also includes that wreck-parts will be left at Kvitanosi, says Stein Ottosen.


The coming week, Thursday 12th of November, is the helicopter in action again. Stein Ottosen from Hordaland County Council is in place and checking to ensure that the parts taken down are according to the agreement. One of the parts they brought down on the previous mission must be brought up again. More on this can be read on Friday 13th of November in the newspaper Hordaland's web pages: Landed for the last time.

Friday morning a journalist from Hordaland is calling me. This leads to the article about bringing the wreck down from Kvitanosi in the Saturday the 14th issue.

Facsimile of the newspaper Hordaland's article at Saturday 14th of October 2009:


Her a translation of the above article:

(Picture test: Boemoen: Here the right wing from the German bomber is stropped to be transported to a secrete place at Voss.)

Removal of aircraft wreck-parts causing emotions

Since Kaare Trefall (54) was young, he has each year visited the aircraft wreck at Kvitanosi.

Kaare Trefall became surprised when "Hordaland" is calling and telling that many big wreck-parts now are removed from the wreck he has visited since his childhood.
- I expected Hordaland County Council to notify me before this happened, he is telling a bit resigned. He also reacts on that the number of parts which is brought down are as high as eleven [they are seven].
- If so many parts are removes that is too many.
Trefall have for a long time been prepared of the removal of wreck-parts from Kvitanosi, so the news is no shock. In 2005 the Germans wanted to fetch the wrack, but because of massive protests from people in the area the wreck at that time was temporarily preserved.
- The removal this time is a compromise.

50 years on Kvitanosi.
Trefall has always been curious about the German aircraft wreck. When he was a child he played with parts his grandfather had brought down from the mountains.
- The first time I was to Kvitanosi I was about seven, he is telling. Since then I have been there almost every summer. The story about what happened that third day of Christmas in 1942 his father and other people in the area have told him.

Casing emotions.
Trefall says it causes emotions when the main parts of the wreck are removed.
- Of cause this is an emotional thing. I will miss the parts which now are gone. He says that it is an splitted feeling.
- It is good that the removed parts are going to be used for a restoration in the German aviation museum in Munchen [shall be Berlin].
- Are you going to visit Germany and see the plane when it is finished? Yes I think I will do that. That the parts are brought to Germany instead if the Norwegian aviation museum in Bodoe, Trefall thinks is ok.
- It is best that the German expertise are using them.

Less exiting adventure
Trefall fears that it will be less interest for hiking to the wreck at Kvitanosi now as most of it is removed.
- The experience people now will have will visiting the wreck will be reduced, because of the removal of the big parts. But there will be the new information board, and there will be some remaining parts.


Controlling the wreck-parts
Boemoen - The County Council sent a person to Voss to control that the parts brought down from the mountains are according to the agreement.

Stein Ottosen from Hordaland County Council arrived Thursday at Voss and looked over the parts brought down from the mountains. One of the wings had to be brought up again with the helicopter later that day, he is telling.

Missing drawings.
- Eleven major parts were removed [should be 7] from Kvitanosi. Now it is only two major parts left up there, in addition to many small parts, says Ottosen.
The other parts which where controlled at Thursday was "approved", and will in short time be transported to Munchen [Berlin] in Germany. There the parts will be assembled together with parts from an other aircraft of the same type which ended its days in the fjord outside Trondheim.
The drawings are missing for this aircraft model. Because of this it will be a lot of work to reassemble it. The parts which are still missing to complete rebuilding the Focke-Wolc Condor FW-200 bomber, the Germans will produce themselves.



Also the newspaper Bergens Tidende writes about bringing down the wreck this day.

Facsimile of the article in Bergens Tidende Saturday 14th of October 2009

No translation of this artile so fare. The content is much the same as the two above articles from "Hordaland".


Information about the removal added as news 21/11 at Bodoe Aviation Historical Society.

An article Ole Bjoern Saelensminde in the German journal Flugzeug Classic in March 2010.




Kvitanosi November 2009:

I have not been up to Kvitanosi after the removal. The winter has made its entrance. Bringing down the parts was just in time if it should be done this year. Next hike to Kvitanosi would perhaps be in the winter when the snow is covering what is left. When going up there the coming summer I think I will miss the "wreck" I have "lived with" in all these years. As the wing I scratched my name on back in my childhood. Now the aircraft will start a new life "at home in Germany".

In the summer of 2005 I was a warm supporter of keeping the wreck at Kvitanosi, both as a dear hiking destinations and as a war memorial, and I wrote about this here on these pages. I have received several "hate mails" for that. I have of course all the way seen the value of using the wreck for the restoration of a copy of the aircraft. Especially since there are almost nothing left of this type of aircraft, and that the drawings are lost. But fortunately at that time, the wreck removal was stopped. What now has happened I think could be called a compromise. Parts of the wreck are still on the crash site, there have been put up an information plate, and there will be an exhibition.

So I hoped that the Kvitanos wreck still will be a favorite destination, both for people from Eksingedalen and Voss, and for hikers from all over the world. Maybe a book about the happening could be pulled out of the rucksack, for a short refresh of what rally happened here?



The story continues:

In the spring of 2010 a small project group will start to collect material for an exhibition of the Kvitanos plane. In return for wreck parts the Deutche Technikmuseum will assist on this. It is applied and received EU monies for this project. Detailed planning has not yet started, but the plan is to present information of the Kvitanos plane both in Voss and in Berlin, and maybe in valley of Eksingedalen too. Time will show. I think material from these pages will be a part of it. I am invited as Voss Municipality's representative.



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