I was given a German piston from a BofB crash site by Patrick Rae in the mid 1980s. I’d like to establish which aircraft and which site, which I assume was ‘dug’ in the 1970s or ’80s. I was living in Tonbridge at the time and he said it was local, that is likely to be from a crash site between Sevenoaks and maybe Paddock Wood.
The piston crown is 152mm diameter, and it carries stampings SY, 6 , N, 0, 3, 40 and seperately 7. Cast numbers are N (in a box) and 3087.9.
I think it’s Do17 (Bore 152mm) rather than He111 (Bore 150mm), but difficult to measure due to distortion.
Opinions welcome.
By: Creaking Door - 31st March 2022 at 00:53
That is a really interesting piston; thanks for uploading the photographs.
I am not sure exactly what it is but I am sure what it isn’t (and I agree with almost everything that has been said so far: not Junkers or Daimler-Benz).
It certainly comes from an engine with (only) two valves per cylinder so that rules-out about 95% of Battle-of-Britain crash sites (if it is indeed from one of these sites). It is also most probably from a radial, as opposed to a V-12 type, engine. (The two valves also rule-out any of the British sleeve-valve engines, incidentally.)
Some features are distinctly American in nature but that doesn’t rule-out it being German. As I’m sure you are aware, some German radial engines of the period owed quite a lot to earlier American radial engines (as do some Russian and some Japanese radial engines).
I have a photograph somewhere of a broken Bramo-Fafnir piston that was claimed to be from a Do17 crash-site; I will see if I can find it but it looks nothing like this piston?
By: Trolley Aux - 16th February 2022 at 11:57
Always wanted a Fafnir engine a bit hard to come by now
By: feroxeng - 16th February 2022 at 09:53
Thank you. I’m pretty certain the piston is Do17 (Bramo 323) as a 152 mm piston is bigger than a Jumo one (150mm bore). Because the con-rod is broken and the piston distorted it must have been a high energy crash, so likely ones were :-
16 Aug 1940 Moatlands Farm, Brenchley, or
7 Sept. 1940 at Sundridge, near Sevenoaks.
Were either of these sites subject to a dig for artefacts recovery in the 1970s or 1980s? We’re not talking about wartime recovery so it’s moderately recent history – someone might remember!
Thanks again.
By: hawker1966 - 15th February 2022 at 16:48
Hi Feroxeng
Sorry that i m unable to help with this post as far as information on the piston itself, but if you are on facebook and type into the search memory for “factory stamps” im pretty certain that you will get a better response.
Sadly this forum is declining by the day and many of its former members have moved on.
I hope you can resolve the identity of the piston within the near future.
By: Trolley Aux - 15th February 2022 at 12:54
Dont think its a Junkers Jumo engine, not sure they had that slot on the small end pin.
I do not think Db 600 series either
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February 15, 2022 at 10:47 am