LoyalHistorian
Recruit
- 9
- Jul 21, 2020
Hello! I am a member of War Relics Forum as well. I posted a piece from my collection that I need help identifying. I have gotten one opinion from the guys there, but would like to see what y'all think about it since aircraft is y'alls specialty. I picked up this section of airplane skin a couple of years ago from another collector. I've bought many things from him over the years when he's cleaning out his own collection. This piece I grabbed from him because I really liked the way it looked (I think rivets on military items are awesome) and thought it would be a nice addition to my own collection. All he could tell me was that it was dug at Stalingrad so he assumed it was either from a WWII Soviet or German airplane. From the other forum, we think it is Soviet. Just from what I read, most German aircraft used flush rivets on the outside of the plane. Is that right?
I realize figuring out the actual aircraft would be a needle-in-a-haystack situation, but that's not really what I'm after (though it would be neat to know that). All I am really looking for is validation on the nationality of the airplane based on its construction. Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can tell? Rivet shape or size? Paint color? Construction of the stringer on the back? Distance between where the two stringers were? Gauge of the metal? Any input is appreciated.
The overall piece is roughly 28"x12". The distance between where the one stringer is and the other would have been about 12" or 13" (the second stringer/armature piece is gone, but rivets remain). To me, the rivets on the outside look like Brazier rivets and the inside like Flat rivets. It doesn't look like the rivets have any head markings, but it is harder to tell on the front because of the paint. The stringer looks like a "C" or "C-channel" stringer. I apologize in advance if I have messed up any terminology or misidentified something else for the stringer...I am completely out of my depth in this category of collecting. This is only based on what I have tried to research myself.
Thank you,
-Robyn
Pictures below. Let me know if I need to photo or measure anything else.
Front
Close-Up, Front
Rivet, Front Side
Back
Back, Close-Ups
Rivet, Close-Up on Back
Armature/Stringer Details
Top View, Metal Thickness
I realize figuring out the actual aircraft would be a needle-in-a-haystack situation, but that's not really what I'm after (though it would be neat to know that). All I am really looking for is validation on the nationality of the airplane based on its construction. Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can tell? Rivet shape or size? Paint color? Construction of the stringer on the back? Distance between where the two stringers were? Gauge of the metal? Any input is appreciated.
The overall piece is roughly 28"x12". The distance between where the one stringer is and the other would have been about 12" or 13" (the second stringer/armature piece is gone, but rivets remain). To me, the rivets on the outside look like Brazier rivets and the inside like Flat rivets. It doesn't look like the rivets have any head markings, but it is harder to tell on the front because of the paint. The stringer looks like a "C" or "C-channel" stringer. I apologize in advance if I have messed up any terminology or misidentified something else for the stringer...I am completely out of my depth in this category of collecting. This is only based on what I have tried to research myself.
Thank you,
-Robyn
Pictures below. Let me know if I need to photo or measure anything else.
Front
Close-Up, Front
Rivet, Front Side
Back
Back, Close-Ups
Rivet, Close-Up on Back
Armature/Stringer Details
Top View, Metal Thickness
