Flare 1942
 

On a rocket found at the scene of a crash of a FW190, there are these entries:

S 5 B
a j Juli 1942

The date is the date of manufacture or the end user ??

Thank youhttp://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hello,
Not much response!http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hello Archéavion,

What do you call a 'rocket'? Better to post a picture.

If it is a 21cm 'Bordrakete'... you are in big trouble http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon10.gif or is it a flare cartridge?

Sioux later

Best regards

ClinA-78

Re: Flare 1942
 

Most of the flare gun cartridges I have seen have a "use by" date stamped on them in black ink on the cartridge side. Probably something like Bis Jul 1942

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hello,

the manufacturer code "aj" stands for Sörensen & Köster Neumünster. It is a flare cartridge I think in this case Juli 1942 is the end of use date.

Kaczmarek

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hi,
Thank you for Cline, Andy and Kaczmarek,

The cartridge distress has a length of 100mm, 28mm and 30mm diameter for the base with an inscription cbl
The body is aluminum

The pilots wore these rockets attached to their boots.
The excavation site of this device is finished, I have only this date to locate the crash.
These cartridges were valid for how long?

Thank you for your helphttp://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon10.gif

Re: Flare 1942
 

That was a use-by date, although I have no idea how carefully that was adhered to. In theory, you could say that your crash must pre-date the date on the cartridge although, in practice, I don't know how much attention was paid to the date by which it should be used. I wouldn't think you could rely upon this as a definitie pointer.

By the way, I have one from an October 1940 Me 109 crash and the use-by date is June 1944. Therefore, there must have been at least four years from manufacture to its use-by date. I just add that for what its worth!

Re: Flare 1942
 

Is the flare complett? Is the rim unmarked or marked with small teeths? Remember, that the canopy from an Fw 190 open (eject) in an emergency with an socalled "Treibkartusche" This items looks like an standard flarepistol cartrige in Caliber 4 but has an big bang when fired!!! (When fired in an flarepistol, you have had an flarepistol and missed a few fingers!) If the normal flare cartrige stored in dry place,you can fire them years ather that use-by-date. In my K-9 Unit we used this old flares during night-training. The oldest where more then 10 years over the use-by-date.

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hello,

Pardon me to digress a little bit from the initial topic.

To Archéavion: Perhaps you can give a precise location for your crash; of course, if you are interested to identify it?

To Hans: Could you post a picture of the "treibkartusche" please? It is hard to find info's about that item (I have read about 2cm shell case device).
In fact, I have found on a German fighter crashsite, an aluminium cartridge, looking very similar to a flare cartridge (same width, metal, 'cap fuse') but it is shorter (+/-60mm, not cut by crash) and 'rimless'. No marking upon. Could it be a treibkartusche, or a non-WW2 flare cartridge or... anything else???

Best regards

ClinA-78

PS : sorry problem with Pic attachment

Re: Flare 1942
 

When you describe it as "rimless" I wonder if you are describing the inner case or cylinder which slides into the parachute flare cartridge? (Falschirmleuchtpatrone) It will have a hole at its base - from memory with a brass or copper inserted ring. It is (just) slightly smaller in diameter than the actual cartridge to enable it to slide inside and shorter than the overall length. It will have no markings. Also, there were two lengths of flare pistol cartridge. I don't have my examples to hand to measure, unfortunately.

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hi all,

Thank you for your help.http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon10.gif
If the date "corresponds" to the end user, the Fw 190 would fall between October 1941 and July 1942.
Normally only the pilots of the sea had such cartridges.
The aircraft crashed near Breteuil sur Iton.

The bottom of the rocket is slightly convex and smooth (toothless)

How can we demilitarize the rocket?

Re: Flare 1942
 

Am not sure what you mean by "only pilots of the sea" used such cartridges?

Flare pistols were standard issue on all operational L/W aircraft. Pistols were fitted into the aircraft, sometimes carried by pilots on their person and also part of the survival strores in a metal canister in rubber dinghys for multiple crews.

Re: Flare 1942
 

Hello,

Here is the pic with the "strange" cartridge compared to a 103mm flare cartridge. I try to 'reform' the crushed case and it appears it could set inside a flare cartridge but I would like a confirmation.
The shell has a nearly the same fuse cap (here fired) than usual flare cartridge.

Best regards

ClinA-78

Re: Flare 1942
 

Thank you,

Yes, it is possible that the rockets were in the plane .

The rocket is very much like the photo.
On the base, there is a red primer.
The key is knowing what is the date! I have (for now) that to date the rocket crashwhat is the date!http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: Flare 1942
 

Standard ESN 7 cartidge,used to identify you self if the radiosystems in the aircraft didnt work. (Erkendungssignal 7).This code changed every day and you had ESN 1-7 avilable.The difference on this cartidges was the colours on the 4 stars in the cartidge.