What is this?

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

What is this?


I don't immediately recognize the aircraft...




The picture was from DailyMail UK under article "Rescued from the trash: Photo album of fascinating WWII portraits of African-American troops in Europe"...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... urope.html


Leo "Apollo11"

[Terminus]

Looks like it could be an Arado 234.

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

ORIGINAL: Terminus

Looks like it could be an Arado 234.

At first I thought the same but engine nacelle is not right...


Leo "Apollo11"

[Terminus]

Weird to see a German plane with an in-the-wing nacelle arrangement.

[geofflambert]

Can't believe it but it sure looks like a KI-45 KAIc Toryu.  Can't Imagine one in Europe.  Could'nt find out if it was based on a German design. Maybe for a change the Germans were copying a Japanese design?

[Erkki]

Looks like a radial engine Ju 86 that has lost its nose...

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: Erkki

Looks like a radial engine Ju 86 that has lost its nose...

I'll give you that it's a prop plane with an empty nacelle, but the fuselage seems too narrow for a Ju-86.

[Terminus]

ORIGINAL: geofflambert

Can't believe it but it sure looks like a KI-45 KAIc Toryu.  Can't Imagine one in Europe.  Could'nt find out if it was based on a German design. Maybe for a change the Germans were copying a Japanese design?

They didn't need more heavy fighters. Besides, narrow as it is, the fuselage is too wide for a Nick.

[geofflambert]

You're right Terminus, how about these two possibilities? Hs-129 or Avia B-71 (aka SB)

[Dili]

He 177 maybe.

Nopes the the distance from cockpit to wind doesn't fit. And the wing sees too low.

He 115?

[Apollo11]

Hi all,

This is really strange... [&:]

For me the obvious first answer would be jet engine - but the nacelle is mid wing and there are no exhausts - therefore it must be propeller driver aircraft... but the distance is very small for propeller to fit and not hit the fuselage... weird indeed...


Leo "Apollo11"

[cantona2]

Could it be the torn off wing of another aircraft that has just been dumped there?
Wing on the right looks a totally different shape and when I first saw this photo I thought Ju 88

[tocaff]

Agreed that the 2 wings don't appear to be the same.  [&:]

[mike scholl 1]

ORIGINAL: cantona2

Could it be the torn off wing of another aircraft that has just been dumped there?
Wing on the right looks a totally different shape and when I first saw this photo I thought Ju 88

Looks like a scrap heap. Could it be a Lockeeed Ventura or a Martin Baltimore just piled in with a German wing?

[Dili]

Leo 451?

[Treetop64]

ORIGINAL: mike scholl 1

Looks like a scrap heap. Could it be a Lockeeed Ventura or a Martin Baltimore just piled in with a German wing?

I'm with him.

[JeffroK]

Just about anything could turn up in  graveyard on an airfied.
Its a lot easier to rule out possibles looking at the engine position on the wing and the wing position on the fuselage. But maybe a lot of bits and pieces have been canniblised or knocked off
Reading the story the unit served in the UK and NW Europe, cuts out a few more.
I dont think its a PV1/Ventura, the fuselage shape is a bit squared, though a buldozer could do that.

I'm going to guess a Bristol Blenheim IV or later.

I'd love to know the right answer.

[Jaroen]

I agree with the scrapheep idea. It could be anything lying around on some captured German airfield. Perhaps in former occupied territory. Like what the caption with the original picture reads:
Beginning in December 1943 and ending with the war in 1945, the 389th Regiment travelled to England, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and France

From the airframe itself, the fuselage, thick wingroots and cockpit position, I was thinking some earlier He-111 version. But the engine nacelles are somewhat wrong for that. Not completely though and I can't think of any other German plane coming close. It's not unlikely to find those older He-111 with other bombers.

If not an He-111 I like Dili's alternative, something French. The LeO 451 might be it . . . , but the cockpit/fuselage position doesn't convince me. Maybe some Bloch??? Knowing those engine nacelles is knowing the plane I think.

Just my 2 cts.

[Shark7]

I think it might be an Heinkel He-115.

[CT Grognard]

Interesting, Shark7. I reckon you might be a close. Here's a view of the Heinkel He-115.