Unknown german WW2 wooden aircraft or glider flap

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Truffle Pig

Airman
47
44
Dec 3, 2020
Cologne
The third object is a small wooden cabinet. The seller got it (together with a similar but smaller example, which I never have seen) from the estate of a german WW2 aircraft mechanic. More details are not available.
So let´s have a look to the object:
The overall quality of the woodworking is professional. Both, the original elements and the later additions to make a cabinet from them. The parts are partly extremly thin. As far as I know, the wooden parts of late war Bf 109 or ME 262 are more thick to be strong enough.
The green color on the outside is later, but inside we found remains of original yellow-green color.
Used are in total four original aircraft flaps. Two of them are a littlebit different (see right door below). But same dimension and shape. No markings.
Dimensions, see pic. Each flap is slightly rounded and below 4 centimeter broader then on the top.

My idea is, these parts were made at the end of WW2, when Germany tried to replace aluminum by iron and wood. In the confusion of these days a lot of parts were build, but never used. After the war every possible part and piece was reused for smeaningful purpose (a very creative period).

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A closet. I have seen them before. In the 1920-50 it was not unusual to style your work space to the proffession you had.
 
A closet. I have seen them before. In the 1920-50 it was not unusual to style your work space to the proffession you had.

For me the question is: Where is it from? What aircraft? I am pretty sure, it´s a military model - but who knows.
In 1945/46 there were so many aircraft relics here in Germany (but also worldwide), people used them for nearly everything. For example a potatoe basket made from aircraft aluminum, aircraft rivets and unused aircraft parts.

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You mis understand. Apprentices often made master pieces as a final result. So i.g. make closet from your wingwork.
This piece is i think one of them. And as said i seen such more often.
 
You mis understand. Apprentices often made master pieces as a final result. So i.g. make closet from your wingwork.
This piece is i think one of them. And as said i seen such more often.

Sorry, my english is far from beeing good enough for detailed discussions and for my it´s new to hear from other objects like that cabinet. Is it possible to see pictures? I am collecting these informations and sometimes also unusual items of that type.
 
The doors and the sides of the cabinet do indeed appear to be made from the same panels and it is a beautifully built piece.
Because of their radius (curvature), I would think they would be more along the lines of being landing gear doors or fuselage access panels, as control surfaces (elevator/aelerons) were flat on their horizontal profile and made of canvas over a framework (if they weren't made of aluminum).
 
Hi Snautzer01, I'll come back to the question of whether or not these parts are "used" or original aircraft parts. This is significant because otherwise you can't necessarily assume that there is a "matching" aircraft at all.
It is therefore necessary to prove that these parts were originally installed in an aircraft or at least prepared for installation.
I think this proof can be provided.
In the following two pictures, I have marked changes that are difficult to recognize and that occur on all four elements installed in the cabinet:

Parallel to one long side, a row of drill holes plugged with small wooden plugs is faintly visible. Together with a faint impression (not visible in the pictures), they indicate the former presence of a bar hinge.
On the other long side, groups of four subsequently closed boreholes are clearly visible in each of four places. Here I suspect the formerly screwed-on closures.
At the wider end of the door, a larger rectangular opening has been closed by means of a piece of plywood glued on afterwards.
Then there is another larger round wooden plug on each of the total of four obstructed elements.

The findings show quite clearly that aircraft parts have been built back here and were not intended for a cabinet at the time of manufacture.

So the question is: What kind of aircraft was this?

I agree with GrauGeist's view that it is probably fuselage access panels or landing gear doors.

Glider?
Large glider?

The material thickness is 1.9mm.


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The left door of the cabinet.

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