WW2 Airfield.....TAKE 3 !!!!

[Steve T]

Hey guys

I wasn't intending to return to my airfield for a while, but when i got hold of the original Air Ministry plans (thanks Paul !!), I felt compelled to return as I could now pinpoint areas of interest. Namely the Cannon butts, and the base armoury and ammunition store.

I set out early in the morning hoping that I would strike lucky armed with the new information.

And so battle commenced !!!!!!!!!!!

Let's start with some shots of the holes in the ground





Single .50 calibre.....nice. Both dated 1943. Wonder if I could find a few together instead of single ones all the time?



WAHOO !!! What a find !! Just to the side of the Cannon butt. Some lazy armourer must have chucked them there after testing the guns on one of the Mustangs. Here it is again marked up !



What about 20mm shells ? After all, this base was RAF before they gave it to the USAAF.....



That'll do ! Wonder if I could find a group of these to ?



YOU BEAUTY !!!! What a day i was having ! Some of the stuff wasn't even underground !



So here is the sum total of about 5 hours detecting in very long grass. Damn it was hard work ....... but worth it



After the obligatory 3 hours of cleaning, poking, prodding and scraping I was left with this....



Let's have a look up close and personal !

Coins first.....



Anyone any idea what on earth this is ? About 6 inches long, thread at one end......found next to the Cannon butt. Part of a gun or heap of crap ?



Some odds and ends......and yet another cut through .50 cal ! What on earth did they do this for ? And why is there a spent 45 cal bullet in the cannon butt ? Someone testing a Thompson ? Browning ? Most odd !



20mm cannon shells. All dated 1942 or 43 with various head stamps (BMARC, DURA ). Two things of note......the phantom cartridge chopper was at it with one of these too !! And how did just the end cap to a 20mm become detached ?



Many of the MG links fell apart during digging, but quite a few survived !



....and hidden amongst the rusting pile was a 20mm link



And the best find of the day ? 17 of these came from the hole shown above.....they just kept coming !!! All dated 1942 to 1944 with various headstamps ( FA, SL, U, RA)



I am gonna have to leave that airfield for a while. It is giving good finds but BOY is it hard work there ! I got stung like 50 thousand times and also discovered my old MDing boots now leak I daren't tell the wife i need a new pair.....She just let me buy new spades, finds bags, walkie talkies and compass !!

Hope you like the pics !

Relichunter

[zwerge]

The 6 inch long thing with threads on it looks like a tap for cutting threads.

[Steve T]

Thanks zwerge

What i forgot to mention was that the end opposite the threaded end is 'rough' and looks like a portion of whatever it is has smapped off.

Also of note is there appears to be 'grip' marks on the blank end. You can just make them out in the picture.

relichunter

[Jimbo]

Hello, impressive finds!
Just a thought on that .45 cal bullet head, with some of the US aircraft that could fly at a particularly high altitude such as the B24 Liberator (when empty of bombs), they used to carry 2 Thompson .45 sub machine guns on board, as their main weapons the .50cal machine guns, used to be prone to freezing, and jamming with the cold at altitude.
They used to use the thompson's as a last defence for the plane (not that they were very effective!)
It was mainly as a deterant to the enemy planes, being that they could see that there was still fire coming from the plane.
(I read this in a biography written by a USAF pilot who was flying in liberators during the war).
Just a point for thought anyway!
Jimbo

[packin9]

The 6 inch long thing with threads on it looks like a tap for cutting threads.

Don't think so. It's not made like any tap I've ever seen. But still, I don't know what it is.

[javiernix]

Greetings to all. My first post, I hope it can be of help.

I agree with Zwerge: This piece looks quite similar to a piece named "tap" I use to remove a stuck case from a resizing die (It's made by RCBS).

Javier

[packin9]

Greetings to all. My first post, I hope it can be of help.

I agree with Zwerge: This piece looks quite similar to a piece named "tap" I use to remove a stuck case from a resizing die (It's made by RCBS).

Javier

Yes indeed.I do stand corrected. Looking at the close up (which guess I hadn't) You can plainly see the threads. All sides.

[Steve T]

Thanks guys....good info.

On another forum a chap said it looked like the remains of a firing pin from a machine gun

What do you think ?

relichunter

[tony]

I was fitter and turner by trade. The long piece with the thread at the end does look like some sort of 'tap' for cutting threads in drilled holes. The round flutes machined or ground along the rod look similar to those on taps that create the cutting edge. It looks like a fine, right hand thread. Hard to tell size (diameter)from photo 3/8", 10mm. At the opposite end of thread a tap has a square end machined on it on which a tap handle or wrench fits to turn the tap. I don't know that High Speed Steel was around during WW2. It may be carbon steel. It is a bit longer than taps that I have worked with. They usually have the size and type of thread stamped or engraved on them eg 1/4" whitworth, 10mm, depending on the size and type of thread. American and British still use imperial threads to this day? If it isn't a tap I have no idea what it is. Perhaps there was some sort of handle welded on the end of it and it was used to screw into a part of the cannon that could only be removed by the handle. Perhaps the grooves along the rod are for the movement of escaping of gases or some sort of cooling, lubricating or other fluid. Good luck.

[Steve T]

Thanks Tony