OK, so it is fairly well accepted that after the war, the allies, err borrowed significant technology from the Germans; which led to a number of American X-planes, some of Russia and Americas rocket research and a whole host of other things.
So, I wonder if we can use this thread to isolate all the things that we nicked from our defeated enemy after 1945?
I’ll start with a few oddments – less obvious…
So, you can imagine my surprise when restoring some parts from my 1950 odd Vampire T-11, to realise that the relays fitted to it were identical to those fitted to the FW190 gear retract system, and also to the Me262 armament systems.
I also started work on a Swiss Venom underside door at the weekend, and realised that the fasteners holding the ejector chutes on were the same as are used on the Me109, FW190 and Me262 in places!
A number of us will be familiar with Aeroquip hoses, whereby a fitting is screwed with a coarse reverse thread onto a rubber reinforced hose, and then the rest of the fitting screwed into it. Almost identical to the Argus fittings used by the Germans throughout the war.
So, what else can you think of?
Bruce
By: pagen01 - 9th July 2008 at 10:45
When it comes to borrowed technology surely it works both ways, as already mentioned Germany had technical help from us before the war, they just, err, helped us afterwards.
As for VW camper vans, I guess they would have found something else to annoy me if VW hadn’t survived – god forbid an A30 strewn with broken down Morris J types!
By: RPSmith - 9th July 2008 at 09:54
Autobhans = Motorways??
Roger Smith.
By: Pete Truman - 9th July 2008 at 09:40
Didn’t the VW Beetle get a big boost from the British Army renovating the factory and restarting production to provide ‘cheap utilitarian’ vehicles for the forces of occupation?
I thought that the idea was to kick start German industry back into production for the good of the people, quite right too.
I’m sure that had the VW factory been in the Russian zone we would never had been blessed with those camper vans that our friend in Newquay has to put up with.
By: Pete Truman - 9th July 2008 at 09:34
Napier Deltic diesel used by British Railways owed a lot to the Junkers Jumo diesel with its opposed pistons. However, Napier did have a pre-war licence from Junkers, so maybe it doesn’t count as something borrowed/seized from the Germans postwar.
Don’t forget that the British Railways ‘Warship’ class of diesel hydraulic locomotives was based completely on a German design, even down to it’s appearance.
Sorry, ‘trains’ again.
By: alertken - 9th July 2008 at 09:10
UK GW/1948 almost in toto. Mere examples: DH IR sensor on Firestreak; EE (BAC) gyro, from V2.
SNECMA Atar was BMW.
By: Malcolm McKay - 9th July 2008 at 00:56
Gave a massive boost to our spending in the vital area of defence. 😀
By: Scouse - 9th July 2008 at 00:48
Napier Deltic diesel used by British Railways owed a lot to the Junkers Jumo diesel with its opposed pistons. However, Napier did have a pre-war licence from Junkers, so maybe it doesn’t count as something borrowed/seized from the Germans postwar.
By: tbyguy - 8th July 2008 at 23:01
Mig-15 joystick is virtually identical to German KG13 used in Me-109, Fw-190, Me-262, etc.
By: slicer - 8th July 2008 at 22:39
And the prototype Bf109 was powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel……..
By: Arabella-Cox - 8th July 2008 at 21:32
But the Germans used british technology, too: On the Heinkel He 51 Fairey Fasteners were used to attach the panels to the forward fuselage.
Peter
By: Creaking Door - 8th July 2008 at 20:03
Didn’t the VW Beetle get a big boost from the British Army renovating the factory and restarting production to provide ‘cheap utilitarian’ vehicles for the forces of occupation?
As for reparations…..I didn’t think we got any…..unconditional surrender, not armistice? :confused:
By: pagen01 - 8th July 2008 at 19:41
I remember reading the technical report in the GM/Vauxhall Motors technical library.
They rejected it en masse. Unconventional and noisy..no market. 🙂
Mark
Coming from Newquay, I wish GM were right!
By: Mark12 - 8th July 2008 at 19:19
The VW Beetle was offered to the UK Motor Industry as part of the reparations in the 1940’s.
I remember reading the technical report in the GM/Vauxhall Motors technical library.
They rejected it en masse. Unconventional and noisy..no market. 🙂
Mark
By: *Zwitter* - 8th July 2008 at 18:54
Weitzen beer 🙂
By: Jim_Harley - 8th July 2008 at 15:49
we went to the moon.
JH
By: pagen01 - 8th July 2008 at 14:22
Yes.
Many thanks for that DC, I was wondering!
By: pagen01 - 8th July 2008 at 14:21
…It was quite startling how advanced the German technology was, and clear that little of it was wasted or discarded by the Allies.
Thats why the allies went to such lengths to recover the aircraft and reseach work, and bring it back to places like Farnborough (where it was later scrapped) and Wright Field.
The German swept wing, flying wing, axial jet engines etc were definately inspirational and valuable to British, American and Russian designers, but I would’nt say that we copied it. The Germans just had a very pressing need to develop and build this stuff, which unfortunatley due to time scales involved, ultimately helped their demise.
Anyway, this isn’t what Bruce is getting at, I think hes referring to actual componants used
By: TempestV - 8th July 2008 at 14:21
Diverting big style here, D Collins, when Hornet F4s carried cameras did they retain the cannon and ports?
Yes.
By: Speedy - 8th July 2008 at 14:00
MiG-15 is heavily based an the proposed Ta-183 isnt it?
Yes, You’re right. I just couldn’t remember the number.
I recently downloaded a documentary from Youtube called something like ‘Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe’. It was quite startling how advanced the German technology was, and clear that little of it was wasted or discarded by the Allies.
By: CanberraA84-232 - 8th July 2008 at 13:37
The BSA Bantam engine was from DKW, I think.
Quite a long time ago I worked with a chap who was getting old. During the war he built DH Mosquitoes. He told me the early ones used adhesives from Germany !
I think the Russians got their swept wing ideas for the MiG-15 from the Germans.
Then there are the Horten flying wings…..
MiG-15 is heavily based an the proposed Ta-183 isnt it?
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July 8, 2008 at 11:28 am