French divers discovered the wreckage of an American bombardier fighter plane which was shot down into the ocean during the Second World War. /VCG Photo

The divers found the plane debris at 38 meters of depth off the French southern coast on Sunday. /VCG Photo

The fighter plane, a Lockheed P-38G Lightning, was shot down by the German Air Force on January 27, 1944. /VCG Photo

Its pilot, Harry R. Greenup, escaped death and was held as a prisoner by the German forces until his return to the US at the end of the war. /VCG Photo