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Work begins to raise German bomber from the Channel

A salvage operation has begun to raise the only surviving German WWII Dornier Do 17 bomber from the English Channel.

A platform is now above the wreck and divers have started to build a cage around the aircraft - working in 45-minute shifts - at the start of the salvage operation which should take around three weeks.

A section of the Dornier bomber is recovered Credit: RAF Museum/PA Wire

Sonar scans by the RAF Museum, Wessex Archaeology and the Port of London Authority confirmed the identity of the aircraft.

An underwater side scan of a twin-engined Dornier 17 German bomber discovered on a sandbank off Deal in Kent Credit: Wessex Archaeology handout

Once the bomber has been lifted it will undergo a conservation process before it goes on display at the RAF museum in London.