Caudron C.445 W.Nr. 1734 - correct? Or which aircraft could it be?

[Rabe Anton]

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. Therefore—after all of the above, your fabric remains somewhat mysterious. It is not from a Caudron, the Fw 44 is a possibility—maybe—
and a, uhhhhhh, fabrication (no pun intended) is a strong possibility!!! Perhaps another reader can add something to this discussion?

RA