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Re: Caudron C.445 W.Nr. 1734 - correct? Or which aircraft could it be?
Greetings Mikael!
An interesting relic that you have there. Some thoughts about it.
1. The fabric cannot be from a Caudron C.445. According to Cortet and Espérou, the Caudron C.445 had a plywood-covered fin. Photographs confirm this. Also, as you've said, the WNr. 1734 does not match any known C.445 Werknummer.
2. The configuration (outline shape) of the fabric exactly matches that of the fin of the Focke Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz.
3. I do not have a record for Fw 44 WNr. 1734. It appears virtually certain, however, that a Fw 44 was built with this number. Also, it seems likely that a FFS A school would have had several Fw 44s on charge, as the airplane was widely used for introductory and basic flying instruction.
4. Now, against my theory of a Fw 44 origin, we have the problem of the lines running diagonally across the fabric. I have examined the technical drawing of the Fw 44 fuselage and tail structure in Bernd Vetter, Flugzeug Profile Nr. 26, Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz, p. 19. If this drawing is correct, the rib lines on the Fw 44 vertical fin should run horizontally across the fabric, not diagonally as you photograph shows.
5. Another possibility might be the Heinkel He 72. The outline is generally right. But I don't know if He 72 Werknummern reached 1734. If they did, this would be a number very high for this type. Also, I don't have any references showing the He 72 tail structure. Did the ribs or frame elements run diagonally on the Kadett?
5. Therefore—after all of the above, your fabric remains somewhat mysterious. It is not from a Caudron, the Fw 44 is a possibility, as is the He 72—maybe—and a, uhhhhhh, fabrication (no pun intended) is a strong possibility!!! Perhaps another reader can add something to this discussion?
RA
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