Unknown American twin-engined aircraft?

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Any idea about this stamping?

The last two picture show apart of sheet metal with a fine structure in it. It is easy to bend so I think it is made of lead or similar. But where is lead on a P-38? Any ideas what that could have been?

Best regards,
Kurtl
 

Attachments

  • Firmenstempel.JPG
    126.6 KB · Views: 153
  • Firmenstempel Klartext.JPG
    31.1 KB · Views: 153
  • Bleiplatte mit Struktur V.JPG
    174.8 KB · Views: 170
  • Bleiplatte mit Struktur H.JPG
    170.5 KB · Views: 156
Any idea about the location of the battery on the P38? Would be interesting.
Kurtl
 
Thanks for the interesting link. Maybe that really helps further... Kurtl
 
Just got some additional news about the crash: "On Sunday, January 21st, 1945 an american fighter pilot bailed out with his parachute. The burnin aircraft crashed close to a farmhouse." I found that note in the archive of the local schoolhouse.

MACR db of armyairforces.com states 3 P38 losses on that day. S/N.: 44-24195 made an emergency landing at an frozen lake in Austria. The plane broke through the ice later and was raised and wrecked after the war. 1st Lt. Walters was the pilot of this.

I'm sure that either S/N.: 42-67898 or S/N.: 44-25039 both of 1st Group is the plane I'm looking for. Does anyone have information about these? The MACR are 11538 and 117748. What mission was flown on that day?

Best regards, Kurtl
 
SUNDAY, 21 JANUARY 1945

Source:
Army Air Forces in World War II

EDIT
21 Jan 45 - 1st FG losses:

On a photo recon mission over Stuttgart, Flight Officer Thomas R. Graffam, a 94th pilot, was shot down on his first or second mission by anti-aircraft gunfire. Damaged initially, on the return back he was hit again near Venice. His plane went down in the Adriatic and F/O Graffam died swimming with his chute (Germans were approaching). On the same mission, Lt James H. Hutchinson, Jr. from the 94th and Lt Robert Carrothers, 27th FS, were reported missing in action.

P-38J Serial no. 42-67898 of 1st FG (27Sqn.) - Lt Carrothers, KIA, Italy
P-38L Serial no. 44-25039 of 1st FG (94 Sqn.) - Lt James H. Hutchinson, Jr, MIA, Prague, Czech
1st Fighter Group WW2 History and Missions - 1945
 
Hi Kurtl!

Are you sure this was an american plane? The turbocharger looks like that found in a Daimler-Benz DB-603 /605 as used in the Bf 109, Bf 110, etc.

The Deutsches Tecnisches Museum in München have 'cutaway' examples of these, as well as miscellaneous components, and the parts you photographed are identical.

As you must well know, Wiener Neustadt was also one of the largest production centres of the Bf 109 too, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if this is the case.

By the way - LOVE those BMW 801 components you photographed, that cooling fan was a dead giveaway!

Evan
 
The bolt pattern on the turbocharger matches the one found on he P-38. Also the elevator counterbalance mounting is another give-away along with the part numbers and production stamp markings. There seems to be nothing "German" in that wreck.
 
it could be a P-38 night fighter? but it's kinda beaten up to bad for me to tell 8)

it's to tough for me to tell but that's a REALLY REALLY COOL FIND 8)
 
'Lil'tyger said:
it could be a P-38 night fighter? but it's kinda beaten up to bad for me to tell 8)

it's to tough for me to tell but that's a REALLY REALLY COOL FIND 8)
Click to expand...

That would be great, except no P-38M night fighters were sent to Europe during the War, they were all sent to the PTO and, even then, almost didn't make it out there before the War ended in the Pacific. There are some reports of operational P-38M sorties before the end of hostilities in the PTO, but I know some here will dispute that claim. And there were definitely no P-38M's in Europe before May 8, 1945.
 


The first is probably the ignition system, the second does look like a plate from a battery, you might want to ask Gnomey about that. The plate is stating that magnetos(which are dynamos, are putting out so much voltage) in other words dont pull a plug wire off if you like your b***s in one piece.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

E
Unknown Trimotor
Replies
13
Views
947
Snautzer01
T
Ju88 G6 with Neptune Radar - unknown unit
Replies
2
Views
775
tkaniuka
T
K
Unknown Aircraft-Anyone identify?
Replies
5
Views
1K
Thumpalumpacus
B
Need help identifying this aircraft
Replies
14
Views
1K
BobW
B
N
Can you ID this wrecked aircraft?
Replies
7
Views
741
fire-fox
F
Menu
Log in
Register