A World War Two-era Soviet fighter-bomber has been recovered from a lake in northern Russia, the military said on Thursday.

The Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik was under 17 meters of water.

Its recovery followed a “truly remarkable” week-long operation initiated by the son of the pilot, who was forced to land the plane on the ice of Lake Krivoye in the northern Murmansk region, in November 1943.

The Il-2 was one of the USSR’s most important weapons in the war, with Stalin himself saying it was as important to the troops as bread.

The plane will be repaired and turned into a monument, a spokesman said.