Things under aircraft

The ‘Upturned brolley’ is the crash pan, designed to absorbe the shock of landing by deforming. The supply containers had a similar device called a crash head on one end. 50 years later the motor industry ‘invented’ crumple zones that use the same idea. Talking of the motor industry the crash pan was replaced by air bags in the early 1950s long before they appeared on cars.

So we have the answer, but why have an upturned brolly underneath the gun, was it to catch something, hide something or is it not a brolly.

The inability of the Wellington to carry enough ammunition (onions or otherwise) was one reason why the idea wasn’t taken any further. Another was the fact that the parachute bags left in the bomb bay would strike the aircarft so hard that the wooden stringers on the fuselarge would be broken.

No sign of mr Hodges onions though…

We have the answer.
Wellington MkIII with the 4000 lb cookie bomb bay.
The Smith Gun with one wheel removed and stowed side on, also no evidence of the gun shield – no doubt removed to save weight.
Photgraph is from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment Report P66 published in May 43. At this time the Airborne Forces were trying anything as for the Smith Gun sense prevailed and it was handed down to the Home Guard, although a picture of a crashed Hamilcar at Tarrent Rushton shows a number stored around the building the Hamilcar landed on!

Definatley Smith Gun. Now for the questions unanswered, what bomber (now we have a sence of scale), and what is a home defense (questionable artillary piece) doing in a bomb bay? Potential firepower for airbourne troops? Better than the Piat?

It’s a ‘Smith Gun’!!!

That’s it. Good pic link. The Smith Gun was next to the Davis recoiless guns in the Purnell ‘Allied Secret Weapons’ (i.e. odd things we din’t use…)

Corking quiz.

Could it be the inflight refueling hose drum unit on a Harrow, it looks too light a structure to be a target/glider winch, or possibly a trailing aerial drum.
Is that a upturned brolly at the bottom of the picture, to catch spilt fuel perhaps.

It’s a ‘Smith Gun’!!!

I knew I’d seen that ‘wheel’ arrangement somewhere before!

For towing it has two cone shaped wheels (one detached at the side in the picture) but for firing it was tipped on its side and used the lower wheel as a turntable.

The curved gun-shield the spanned the gap between the wheels is missing though (which would have made identification much easier).

Very ‘Home Guard’, in fact I think the first time I ever saw one was during an episode of ‘Dads Army’!

There is a good photo here:

http://www.national-army-museum.ac.uk/exhibitions/shortVisits/iconic/page17.shtml

Could it be a Wellington?

It’s big with a big ‘bomb-bay’, no geodetics but the nose ladder looks right.

Either the tail is propped up or its got a nosewheel. I’ll go for an Albemarle.

Best wishes
Steve P

Not Whitley. Muzzle does have a towing ring.
Possible weapon for Airborne Forces – Spot on

I saw the prop blade in the photo so realised the ‘weapon’ is pointing backwards.

Clearly this thing is rigged for transport not firing so possibly intended to support airborne forces.

Maybe a lightweight ‘recoilless’ piece of artillery?

Aircraft, possibly Whitley?

I reckon CDs the closest. I vaguely recall a recoiless type gun with a muzzle with the towing lanyard, but the memory’s a bit fuzzy. It also could be a mortar with the baseplate. Given the absence of any visible rifling, that’s my bid…

The round bit looks like a winch to me.

I know there were trials at various times of trailing weapons, and the ‘barrel’ could be a feed tube for the wire…………..

Crude Anti-Tank Gun

I saw the prop blade in the photo so realised the ‘weapon’ is pointing backwards.

Clearly this thing is rigged for transport not firing so possibly intended to support airborne forces.

Maybe a lightweight ‘recoilless’ piece of artillery?

Aircraft, possibly Whitley?

Bristol Beaufort

Smoke (chemical) device?

Whatever it is we are looking at the back of it ,you can see a prop blade up front to the right, and what looks like a crew access ladder behind the, er, device?

Not a Beau but the right country.
‘Crude Anti-tank gun’ Close but no cigar.
Hint (of little help) The photo was taken in 1942.

I like the ‘Beau’ idea too, but, the ‘Beau’ also had the ‘double-ended’ door attached to the ladder – half of which would be visible here.

True… door could be off due to the ‘mods’ on the underside tho…….
Some-one put us out of our misery and tell us what it is…

I like the ‘Beau’ idea too, but, the ‘Beau’ also had the ‘double-ended’ door attached to the ladder – half of which would be visible here.

this looks almost like it might have been designed to be retractable, but not with those sway braces…