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Old 12th March 2005, 02:21
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George Hopp George Hopp is offline
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George Hopp
Luftwaffe rivets - specifically Bf109, Me262, Do335

For a reference on the diameter of German rivets vs. Western Allied rivets, try OKL Sonderbericht Nr. 39 of 15 Jan 45, entitled "Maßnahmen zur Kleinhaltung des Tragflügelwiderstandes im gegnerischen Flugzeugbau" which compared the resistance of Allied and German wings, and gave reasons why the resistance of German wings was greater. One reason given was that the German rivets had a greater diameter, 7mm vs. 4mm for the Allies. This required greater force to spread the rivet heads, and caused bowing of the skinning panels, and bending of ribs, etc.

The a/c specifically mentioned were the 109, 262, and 335 vs. the Spitfire, Mustang, and Tempest.
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