Just a rather unimportant detail: I don't think a relatively intact fin after a bad crash is surprising. You can see this very often on photographs and in TV reports etc. The explanation is that in most cases where aircraft were/are smashed to smithereens they crash nose/engine first, tail and fin last, the tailplane often being severed (separeted from the rest) by the terrible shock. Being much lighter than other parts like engine, guns, landing gear etc. the tailplane has much less kinetic energy and in many cases it just falls off or flies a short distance away. This is still valid today from light turism propeller aircraft to the latest combat AC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Aigner
Eisenbach & Dauselt, "Der Einsatz deutscher Sturzkampfflugzeuge gegen Polen, Frankreich und England 1939 und 1940", p. 22, has a photo showing wreckage of one of the crashed Ju87s. Pictured is a fin/rudder (surprisingly intact), part of a horizontal tailplane, and parts of 2 u/c legs. Photo from Eisenbach collection.
HTH, Richard
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