Junkers Ju 52/3m, WNr. 6693
History
In April 1940, during the early stages of World War II, the German Luftwaffe deployed a fleet of Ju 52/3m aircraft to support operations in Norway. On April 13, 1940, WNr. 6693, along with 11 other Ju 52s, landed on the frozen Hartvikvann Lake near Narvik to deliver supplies and troops to German forces approximately 40 km away. After unloading, the aircraft were unable to return to Oslo due to insufficient fuel. The crews combined the remaining fuel from all the planes into one, allowing a single aircraft to make the return journey. However, this aircraft veered off course and landed in Sweden. The remaining crews, disguised as civilians, made their way back to Germany via Sweden. The stranded Ju 52s were abandoned and eventually sank as the lake's ice melted in the spring .
In 1986, a joint Norwegian-German effort led to the recovery of four Ju 52s from the lakebed. WNr. 6693 was among those salvaged and transported to Germany. The aircraft underwent meticulous restoration by the Lufttransportgeschwader 62 and the Interessengemeinschaft Ju 52 e.V., a special interest group formed for this purpose.The restoration was completed, and the aircraft was publicly unveiled on July 9, 1987. It was subsequently moved to the Ju 52 Halle in Wunstorf in late 1989 .
Today, WNr. 6693 is a centerpiece at the Ju 52 Halle, part of the Traditionsgemeinschaft Lufttransport Wunstorf e.V. museum.