Unknown American twin-engined aircraft?

Kurtl · 06-12-2007, 02:20 PM

Haven't found any electronic equipment nor a Norden bomb sight. About the shell's I have to measure them as soon as I get them again. Read on different sites on the Internet that some "Droop Snoots" kept two .5 brownings on board because they didn't weight too much.

An old men of the the little village close to the crashplace told me that it happened during WW2. He couldn't remember an exact date or even year but he told me that there was snow. Usually such information is true.

Anyway thank's for your interest and help. Will keep you involved about the shells.

Kurtl

net_sailor · 06-13-2007, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurtl

Read on different sites on the Internet that some "Droop Snoots" kept two .5 brownings on board because they didn't weight too much.

Sounds suspicious

. Can you post some links to these sites? There are any pictures of this modification?
I've got a picture of a single XF-5 prototype (photo-recon variant) with clear nose for second crewmember (photographer) and two .50 cal guns on the top of gondola but she never flew operationally.

P.S.
Could you post some more pictures?

Micdrow · 06-13-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by net_sailor

Sounds suspicious

. Can you post some links to these sites? There are any pictures of this modification?

I got to agree with net sailor. I cant find any pictures either with that modification or documentation. Bye the way you where right that the P-38 I mentioned before never did end up in Europe.

Where missing something with this aircraft. Wished I knew what though

Kurtl · 06-13-2007, 03:28 PM

Well, I do not have any pictures of a Droop Snoot with machine guns on board. I entered at google: "P38 Droop Snoot". Then I found some mentiones about armored ones with guns like: http://home.att.net/~ww2aviation/P-38-3.html or: "Droop Snoot" P38 - FSIC Messageboard. The last one is just a post at a forum.

Attached you'll find my drawing of the shell bottom I found at the crashplace. All three I got look the same.

Then I found an other part. Maybe it has something to do with radar eqipment or a bomb sight but probably it is just something for ordenary electicity. The cover is 315 mm x 300 mm. The badge on it is heavily damaged but maybe someone know what it meant. Thanks for any ideas!

Kurtl

net_sailor · 06-13-2007, 04:14 PM

Sorry Kurtl, but I have no idea what is that.

I found picture of this a/c I mentioned above. It was single XF-5D prototype named "Bobbie I" and never saw combat.
XF-5D.JPG

Micdrow · 06-14-2007, 03:02 PM

Interesting picture there Net_Sailor.

Kurtl · 06-26-2007, 02:27 PM

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

FLYBOYJ · 06-26-2007, 03:50 PM

Lead would be used as ballast or control surface counter balance.

SoD Stitch · 06-26-2007, 04:49 PM

Did the P-38 have any batteries on-board? It could be what's left of a 24/28-volt battery . . . looks like it might be a "plate" from a lead-acid battery.

FLYBOYJ · 06-26-2007, 07:22 PM

You're right and yes they carried at least one battery.

Kurtl · 06-27-2007, 02:39 PM

Any idea about the location of the battery on the P38? Would be interesting.
Kurtl

FLYBOYJ · 06-27-2007, 08:27 PM

The battery was in the left boom on fighters and in the nose on recon models.

net_sailor · 06-29-2007, 06:55 AM

I found intresting link with some captions from P-38 manual, hope it will be helpful to identify other parts:
More P-38 Stuff

Kurtl · 06-30-2007, 06:59 AM

Thanks for the interesting link. Maybe that really helps further... Kurtl

Kurtl · 07-05-2007, 03:47 AM

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