RAF or Luftwaffe or Other?

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Drew5233, Jul 3, 2009.

?

What is the Aircraft in this picture?

  1. Me 109

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  2. FW 190

    70.6%
  3. Grumman Wildcat

    23.5%
  4. Other

    5.9%
  5. I have no real idea when it comes to the specifics of flying machines. In short; I am out of my dept

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Found this in a lot of Life Pictures. The only caption was 1914-1918 War which is obviously wrong.
    [​IMG]

    What do you think? Battle of Britain?
     
  2. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Is it a genuine photo ?
    Looks like a 109 to me.
     
  3. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    James S...I have the same reservation - iit looks like a 109...but it also looks like a 109 with the cockpit still closed, you can see the shine on the glass of the canopy.
     
  4. Formerjughead

    Formerjughead Senior Member

    I am glad you guys weren't in the AA service ............that looks like a Hurricane to me
     
  5. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    F-J-H....look carefully....

    Down on the side of the engine "facing" the camera you can see the bulge of the 109's big port-side air intake. You can also see the slight dihedral of the wings, the Hurricane's were almost horizontal.

    [​IMG]

    And there's no Hurricane-style slight "fairing" in front of and behind the tailwheel streamlining it...and the tailwheel is visibly larger than the Hurricane's in proportion to the rest of the aircraft.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Formerjughead

    Formerjughead Senior Member

    I dunno man.........I think the canopy is too round to be a 109. As far as the tail wheel I think we might be seeing the right front landing gear wheel.

    It just doesn't look German enough to me
     
  7. phylo_roadking

    phylo_roadking Very Senior Member

    As far as the tail wheel I think we might be seeing the right front landing gear wheel.

    Even if it was...it's not quite far enough outboard and too far back for a Hurricane...it would be impossible to see so much of the starboard wheel from that angle, see the pic below...while it's in exactly the right place for a 109 tailwheel.

    [​IMG]

    Plus the dihedral is exactly right for 109 wings.

    And if you look closely -

    [​IMG]

    ...you can see the sun shining on a very UN-Hurricane-like bulge on the left wing!

    That's enough to be able to say it's a Bf109G of some variant!

    P.S. see how the canopy opens? That's why James and I have reservations about the whole pic...

    Even if it was a Hurricane there - the cockpit canopy is STILL closed!!! A 109's might JUST manage to flop back into place if the aircraft rolled correctly...but a Hurricane's would have to be physically slid forward from the inside to close it!
     
  8. Warren F

    Warren F Junior Member

    I to think it's a 109 but... what if the falling pilot was not from the aircraft in the pic
     
  9. Formerjughead

    Formerjughead Senior Member

    I am not liking the conopy. I am not ready to sign off on it being a 109. Someone needs to clean up the picture
     
  10. marcus69x

    marcus69x I love WW2 meah!!!

    I hope that guy's got a parachute.
     
  11. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    Could someone get one of their WW2 airwar games & get a Me 109 in the same position to compare it?

    The falling man is from another aircraft as others have said.
     
  12. marcus69x

    marcus69x I love WW2 meah!!!

    Here's the best I can do with an airfix 109.
     

    Attached Files:

    Drew5233, Owen and von Poop like this.
  13. marcus69x

    marcus69x I love WW2 meah!!!

    On the model you can see the machine guns mounted under each wing. I can't see the silhouette of the guns on the photo.

    It does look like a 109 though.
     
  14. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    On the model you can see the machine guns mounted under each wing. I can't see the silhouette of the guns on the photo.

    It does look like a 109 though.

    Hahhha Thats Brilliant Marcus :D
     
  15. Formerjughead

    Formerjughead Senior Member

    well it simply would not be scientific if we didn't subject a miniture Hurricane to the same scrutiny.
     
  16. kfz

    kfz Very Senior Member

    On the model you can see the machine guns mounted under each wing. I can't see the silhouette of the guns on the photo.

    It does look like a 109 though.

    The underwing 20mm cannon where mostly used on the eastern front or in the defence of the Reich, not all aircraft carried them. Those engaged wityh fighting western allied fighters didnt often have them.

    Looks like a 109F or G to me.
     
  17. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    Looks distinctly like an aeroplane to me...
    Though that does indeed appear to be a human being plummeting to god knows what.



    ...I'll get my coat :unsure:.
     
  18. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Looks like the picture is a still taken from a gun camera film to me.
     
  19. adamcotton

    adamcotton Senior Member

    Guys,

    I think I can say with absolute certainty it is neither a Hurricane or a 109. It is, in fact, an FW 190! If you look at the slope of the rear fuselage and the shape of the tail fin/rudder, and compare it to any pics or models you might have of an FW190, you will agree with me too!
    [​IMG]
     
  20. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Guys,

    I think I can say with absolute certainty it is neither a Hurricane or a 109. It is, in fact, an FW 190! If you look at the slope of the rear fuselage and the shape of the tail fin/rudder, and compare it to any pics or models you might have of an FW190, you will agree with me too!
    [​IMG]

    I wasn't sure if it was an 190 because the tailwheel isn't retracted. But I'm not sure if the tailwheel retracted on all marks of the 190 or not.
     

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