Help requested to identify crash site parts .....

bomberflight · **Posted:** Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:21 pm

I got this request by email ( repeated here with the link to the pics )

I'll send them the link to this thread so they can see what we come up with ( it's a tough one ! )

Qoute
Dear friends
our association SALERNO 1943 (www.associazionesalerno1943.it ) recently found a crash site of a USA bomber that was missed in days of Salerno landings, 9-21 sept. 1943. The site is 3-5 km near Salerno town. Here you can see some photos of objects we find:

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php? ... icseen#new

Do you can help us to identify the airplane crashed? We need also to know if someone of crew was still alive. A witness confim us that crew was saved with parachute before crash.
Any help will be very appreciated.
Matteo Pierro
ufficiostampa@associazionesalerno1943.it

Unqoute

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:39 pm

Peter,
I can identify a number of the parts as cowl flap devices and one semi complete cowl flap with actuating rod.

There is an electric suit heater face plate for the outlet and controls.

Also there is a bracket with the ends of control cables that pull my beloved throttle and mixture controls. I recognize the application from visits into the nacelle. :roll:

The clamp off a push rod tube and what looks to be a Curtis Wright cam cover.
There are turbo parts such as bits from the impellor and the round louvered part 5258 E is from the bottom of a nacelle.

Given the Boeing Parts numbers and the 50 cal. stuff AND a bomb shackle you are almost certainly looking at B17 parts.

Get Tom Reilly and HANG THE EXPENSE after it and they can fix it right up!!!

It'll buff right out!

Cheers,
SPANNER

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11330

I think they have figured it out already. It is a B-17. The valve cover is consistent with an R-1820. I don't know where they got the idea that an A-20 was built by Boeing though.

DryMartini · **Posted:** Mon Mar 16, 2009 5:43 pm

Definitely a B-17 :

This is part of the pilot/copilot seat adjustment mechanism.

BTW: Boeing did build early model A-20s under license from Douglas
early on.

John Dupre · **Posted:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:43 am

bdk wrote:

I think they have figured it out already. It is a B-17. The valve cover is consistent with an R-1820. I don't know where they got the idea that an A-20 was built by Boeing though.

Since Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas there are some references that list everything Douglas ever built as a Boeing. Go figure.

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:37 am

This part is one of the four legs on the ball turret saw horse that bolts to the main casting. I concur Boeing parts with a ball turret must be a B-17.

Second Air Force · **Posted:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:47 am

Taigh Ramey wrote:

This part is one of the four legs on the ball turret saw horse that bolts to the main casting. I concur Boeing parts with a ball turret must be a B-17.

Here is a current-day photo of a similar leg mounting on Texas Raiders for reference.

Scott

SPANNERmkV · **Posted:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 10:55 am

I KNEW that part looked familiar!
:lol:

Thanks 2nd AF... and warm fuzzies to Ellie-Belle!

Additionally, something of interest to be learned from this is that the (obviously OEM) cowl flap used phillips head screws. Some of TEXAS RAIDERS are screws and some are drilled, safety wired bolts.
Gary was suggesting that we make them all safety wired bolts, which would certainly reduce the possibility of them ever coming off by accident.
I think our plan is to replace them with bolts as we remove them to service them.

What an interesting hobby. Fortunately I have a complete plane to work on. But if I didn't Military Archaeology would be a grand way to go get dirty.

SPANNER

Taigh Ramey · **Posted:** Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:05 pm

See the different diameter of the tube going to the flange? The larger diameter tube is from the earlier style saw horse typically seen in earlier turret installations. I am not sure when this style of mount was superseded but it was common on E's and F's and likely some early G's. This might make a difference in ID'ing the specific aircraft. I wonder what the dates were on the 50 cal ammo?

Its also interesting to note that you all have a B-24 retractable type of ring gear installed in Sentimental Journey. You can see where one of the bosses used to be that was one of four guides for the vertical tubes. This ring gear assy also has castings with bearings that keep the ring gear aligned which are also visible in the photo. The gear itself is identical to the one on the B-17 and simply has extra parts bolted to it.

909 had the same B-24 ring gear setup but Wayne removed it late last year/early 2009 when the bombers were in maintenance. The turret was also mounted about 5 inches too high as a result and would contact the structure in certain positions. Since the idea was to get the Ball Turret fully operational he removed the B-24 components and lowered it to its proper height.

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Help requested to identify crash site parts .....

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