B-17 Identification after crash
 

Hi there,

this is my first post here and I have just one question.
I am working a long time looking after plane crashes in the region around Magdeburg (Germany), German and Allied.
Now I have received a photo of a B-17 Wreck, whose identification is difficult.
Nothing is known of this photo - no date, no place, no markings to see, but must be in the vicinity of Magdeburg.
Here you can see the rear fuselage floor with the cutout for the ball turret and the level/stair for the radio room.
Oddly enough, the cutout for the ball turret is closed, but why?
Also interesting is the tube on the right side - that looks like a toilet - what is this?
can anyone identify the version of this wreck? B-17 x-xxx?

Thank you very much
Greetings from Germany
Andreas

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

I'm not sure what it is yet, but it doesn't look like a B-17 to me. And no, that is not a toilet. Looks like a drop chute for something like chaff, supplies, etc..

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

This is most probably a Lancaster. The flare chute is just beyond the bomb bay. The fuselage is split open at the top with the mid upper turret, crushed, upside down at the bottom of the photo. The black triangle shaped object is the foot step to climb to the turret.
My two cents, Richard

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

I think it might be a Lancaster also. Scroll down to the last picture on this link.
You are looking forward in the plane from just behind the bomb bay. In the center is a "step" to get up and over the bomb bay. I think that might be what we see on the right side of your picture. Also notice the hydraulic? "tubes" on the left wall and how the pipes run in an out of them. I think those are also in your picture.
At the very lower left of the linked picture is the start of the "odd" "T" device that tubes run to from the vertical tubes. You can see the whole device in your picture.


http://www.w4960.nl/lancaster.html

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

Another picture showing the same area of a Lancaster. It shows more of the left side hydraulics. While there are some variations, it seems to me to be a good match.

Is the dark "pole" that runs down to the right from the center boy actually part of the ammunition feed ramps that would have gone to the rear turret? Those feed ramps are evident in the picture linked below both on the right and left sides of the ship.

http://shop.photo4me.com/picture.asp...26841&f=canvas

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

GREAT...
absolutely plausible. The reference picture shows it clearly.
Next weekend i will meet the owner of the photo, hope there are more informations about the crash.
I´ll keep you up to date.

Thanks a lot.

Andreas

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

Re: B-17 Identification after crash
 

Dear all,

I agree this strongly resembles a Lancaster. The wreckages isn't upside down, the circular object at the bottom is the access to the H2S dome.

Regards,
Hans