Dug up at Deopham Green ?

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16 years 2 months

Posts: 2,841

Exhaust section i/d

The section of radial engine exhaust is from a B17 Wright Cyclone engine - the same engine as the rocker cover was from correctly i/d'd by Nick Wotherspoon.

The spark plug "transit cases" were fitted to engines which were new or overhauled. They were filled with dessicant which absorbed any trace of moisture remaining in the air in the cylinder to which it was fitted and were discarded when the engine was unpacked and fitted with proper spark plugs.

In any active station, where engine changes were a regular occurrence, there must have been many hundreds of these things thrown out with the rubbish as I think they were a "one-shot" fitment, i.e. not rechargeable for further use. Even if they were it is typically the American way to discard stuff like this wholesale.

I came across loads of them whilst digging at the old Burtonwood airbase years ago.

Anon.

Member for

18 years 9 months

Posts: 64

Spent shells in an aircraft that crashed on take-off sounds a bit dubious.

Blown cases perhaps, from a post-crash fire?

Moggy

Quite correct Moggy, that's exactly what I was meaning :)

Member for

14 years 10 months

Posts: 167

I've found this thread most interesting. I have a 'box of bits' from B-17G 42-38145 of the 452nd which collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944. The crash scene looks very peaceful today....

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/jgfive/Deopham06004.jpg

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

.... collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944.

That was 42-31242 "Patty Jo" but being flown by a crew from the 452nd. I wonder what the story was there?

Moggy

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17 years 6 months

Posts: 9,739

The ‘story’ of a 452nd crew in a 388th aircraft you mean?

Possibly just an example of ‘maximum effort’; apparently it was fairly common practice for units with spare aircraft to lend them (even for a single mission) to units with a spare crew. I imagine in late May 1944 most units were pretty busy!

Member for

12 years 7 months

Posts: 1

I've found this thread most interesting. I have a 'box of bits' from B-17G 42-38145 of the 452nd which collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944. The crash scene looks very peaceful today....

http://s23.photobucket.com/albums/b380/jgfive/Deopham06004.jpg

Martin,

Amazing to see this post! Patty Jo was my Grandfather's plane (388th Waist Gunner Victor Ruiz). He and his crew were on leave in London for a few days. He told me Patty Jo had been flown by another crew (Salles crew I believe) the day of this mid-air collision. I have the story on my home computer I was able to track down a few years back. I don't suppose you found any pieces from that aircraft? (B-17 42-31242)

Craig

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19 years 4 months

Posts: 839

Thanks for those answers ! metal link ? that's what joins the shells together in a machine gun supply chain ! ?? :confused:

A few more of the artifacts dredged up from the Norfolk soil ......
Actualy the first part, possibly from the exhaust / supercharger area, has been used by my friend the farmer for many many years as part of the downpipe system on one of his buildings ?????

Part 3a

Part 3b
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0003.jpg


This piece of cyclone 1820 exhaust looks like it is from the lower right hand side of the No1, 2 or No.4 engine or from a No.2 position it could be further round towards the bottom area.

Small alloy casting / cover with 'T' section protrusion ??

Part 5b
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0025.jpg


The wright 1820 rocker is an inlet rocker.

Member for

18 years 10 months

Posts: 4,796

The wright 1820 rocker is an inlet rocker.

Except that's a valve cover & not a rocker.

Member for

19 years 4 months

Posts: 839

Except that's a valve cover & not a rocker.

Well I never.....is it really?
Thank you you for clearing this up for me.

The question is have I actually learnt something today, (other than that pedants :dev2: can't help themselves), and leave it there, or do I respond to a pedants posting.

Well hold on, wait a minute, I've now done some further research and have determined that it's actually more coloquially known and referred to as a rocker cover and not a valve cover.
Taking it pedantically further, upon opening my Wight Cyclone 1820 & 2600 and P&W 2800 & 4360 engine overhaul manuals, all actually call them rocker box covers.............not valve covers.;)

So now I know what the manufacturers call them, i'll stick with that thanks rather than the say so of................someone else :diablo:

I hope that was pedantically responsive enough for you???

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 34

I have been to another meeting with the visiting veterans at Deopham Green today, There was a small display of all things to do with 452nd BG on display including a selection of parts ploughed up, or otherwise collected from the airfield area by local farmers etc ... there are no positive id's to any of the parts, so armed with camera ... will feed the photos slowly to save confusion !

Firstly, this was said to be from a Halifax which crashed just outside the airfield ????
Part 1a
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0052.jpg
Part 1b
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0053.jpg
Part 1c
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0054.jpg
Part 1d
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii58/keithnewsome/coventry/deopham%20green/DSC_0055.jpg

Hi Kieth,
Looking at those pieces, it would seem they are not from an air crash. Do you know what area of the airfield they came from?
When the Americans left after the war, they dug a big pit at every 8th airforce airfield and filled it with stuff that they didnt want to take or was too costly to transport back to the states. There are stories of bikes, Ammuntition, aircraft Instruments (Filled with radium and other harmful chemicals) and other stuff. This may be where these parts came from. The tubes that are poking out from that first component (Quoted) are sawn off and the bottom rivets neatly removed. Im thinking possibly a part cut out due to a field repair or something cut up for scrap.

Member for

20 years 4 months

Posts: 19

Halifax III MZ305 from 466 Squadron did crash just outside Deopham Green airfield on 14th June 1944.

Member for

9 years 6 months

Posts: 34

Yes with an Australian pilot / crew I believe. Do you know where that crash site is and where the Halifax was stationed? Thanks for the A/C serial, been meaning to research that one for a while....
These pieces aren't from that though. Fake spark plugs and and neatly hack-sawed components aren't usually found fitted to serviceable aircraft! :S

Member for

16 years 6 months

Posts: 2,322

Hi Lucky_Larry, sorry only just found your question ! I'm afraid I can't help you ! I only had fleeting contact with the farmer who showed me these parts at the time, and I think I have heard that he has since passed away, at the time I got the idea it was a collection from several local farmers ??

Keith.

Member for

20 years 4 months

Posts: 19

MZ305 was 466 Squadron from RAF Driffield on a test flight after maintenance, 4 RAAF Crew and 3 RAF, Report says aircraft stalled and the engines failed to respond immediately to the throttles due to congealed oil in the CSU's. I am in contact with several relatives of the crew members - we don't have precise location of the crash site but it was in outer circuit for landing and crash landed in fields where there was a large height difference (10-15ft) either side of a hedge approx 1 mile S.S.E. of Deopham Green airfield at 14:43hrs.