help needed to identify a panel (length 1.3 M) found in Normandy . Thanks

[gillescollaveri]

 

[Capt. Vick]

Is that wood in between the metal?

 

[gillescollaveri]

Is that wood in between the metal?

Yes, it is wood.

 

[Snautzer01]

Mosquito nose window perhaps?

Squadron Signal Walk Around 15

 

[ww2restorer]

Doubt very much it is off a mossie, its 1.3m long. The mossie side window is nowhere near that long. Maybe part of main landing gear strut fairing from a MIG 1, but what was it doing in Normandy?

 

[gillescollaveri]

Thanks for your attention guys.
It cannot be Mig 1 : it was found in Normandy, near Cherbourg, in a place where artifacts from Luftwaffe and German Army where discovered such as a Bunker periscope.
Not far from this panel were also found some Lancaster parts (but was there any wood in a Lancaster ?) such as this astro compass MkII component and also Me 109 parts.
This place, a former airport, was a kind of waste bin at the end of the war.
I shall ask for more details about the size.
Cheers
Gilles

 

[ww2restorer]

Sorry should have said Yak -1 Here is photo of yak-1 wing being restored by HAC. Note the distinct shape of the landing gear fairing. I agree, shouldn't be in Normandy.

 

[ww2restorer]

An interesting read is the history of the free French air force. They flew from Russia against the Germans and in there aircraft inventory is Yak 1, 3 and 9s After VE day, Stalin gave France some Yak 1 and 3s in gratitude for their service. These aircraft were wood composite construction. Maybe the part could be off a Yak, who knows?

 

[gillescollaveri]

An interesting read is the history of the free French air force. They flew from Russia against the Germans and in there aircraft inventory is Yak 1, 3 and 9s After VE day, Stalin gave France some Yak 1 and 3s in gratitude for their service. These aircraft were wood composite construction. Maybe the part could be off a Yak, who knows?

indeed, no hypothesis should be excluded.
I add a picture on which there is a rule and you ca see the shape.
Have a look also at the new thread I just added "a small painted black part with an AS marking" which was found close to this panel,
they probably come from the same aircraft .

 

[ThomasP]

Can you tell if the wood is solid or plywood?

If it is plywood - there was a material called Plymax (TM by Vanesta Ltd) developed for the civilian construction industry in the mid-1930s. It was originally marketed as a suitable wall and panel material for areas that needed to be cleaned regularly, such as kitchens, shower and toilet cubicles, etc.

"A history of innovation."

The pre-WWII and WWII era British aircraft industry used it for some non-structural floors and bulkheads in many of their aircraft, including medium and heavy bombers (ie Halifax and Lancaster). Basically, Plymax was a piece of water-proofed plywood with a thin sheet of aluminum bonded to one or both sides.

The French used it in a similar manner to the British. They also formed it for use as skinning on parts of some aircraft (such as the MS.406).

 

[gillescollaveri]

it is a kind of plywood, there is alternatively a layer of wood and a layer of foam (or a very light wood, actualy we have a doubt);
On both sides, there is also a thin tissue, then there is the aluminiumn, painted black.
The total thickness of this panel is between 4 and 5 cm. Hope this helps.
Gilles

 

[waroff]

This part seems to a fuselage frame box, the wood or foam used as fill and maintains the components during assembly.
On MS 406 the frame 1 supporting the engine mount was made in this manner and the tickness was 55mm.

Plymax was material made from okoume plywood 15/10 + Al sheet 4/10.
Here this is not Plymax.

 

[LouAMD]

I sent the pictures of the big wood panel to Gilles before creating this account. If it might helps the identification, I have taken more pictures of some of the pieces we have found in Normandy, they are made also in thin aluminium and constituted of plywood. Some parts have red painted marks, maybe for assembly. These marks seems to be numbers and capital lettres, they are arranged at regular intervals, below the rivets.

 

[LouAMD]

In the same structure, we had this element, very heavy and unfortunately with no mark. But maybe it can be helpful...

 

[waroff]

is the red markings could be "2", "4" , "S"?
As from "ALC 24ST"?

 

[LouAMD]

I don't think so, i rather read "8 2 1", written perpendicularly to the rivet...

Here I join a picture of the inside structure of the pannels, with the wood and the "foam"