B17 or B24 parts?? Please help.

[Chrissmith1]

Hello all, I'm new to this site and this is my first post.

I've always had a interest in local WW11 history, had a knack to find things from fossils to spent .50 bullets and have a hoarding nature! Plus I can't walk past a skip without looking in it.....

This is how I acquired some aluminium airplane parts, it was in a scrap metal skip at one of my locals works depots about ten years ago. Originally I wasn't even sure they where plane parts but looked old and interesting so rescued them anyway, did ask a few questions from fellow workers but only got a very vague reply from one of them saying him and his dad had found plane parts while cutting fire wood years before in a local copse near theirs and he may have had a clear up at home and brought the bits to the skip. I then squirrelled this bits away until recently. I know where the bloke lived and have found that there was a mid air collision between two B24's in 1944 so trying to work out if the parts I have are from this crash or not. Now after using this forum and others I'm sure they are plane parts and after careful inspection have found part numbers on two of the bits the numbers are (I think) 192-53396-7 and 192-310109-6. One of this is a u beam strut about 10" long the other is more interesting and has a 4 inch square base and round tapered stub/pipe/inlet tube welded to it (this concertinaed near flat though) there is also a small circle mark with what looks like the letters A and H (possible third letter in between them) and the number 359. Both these parts are made of aluminium. I have six parts in all, 5 are aluminium and the other I think is stainless (has been very hot at some time). The biggest
bit weighs about 10 lb and is very complex in construction and made of various individual parts riveted or bolted together, they include what looks like a small pulley wheel, a plastic cable grommet and two anodised blue 90 degree pipe bends (seen the exact same on the web somewhere and said they where used in many USA WW11 planes). Tried finding the part number myself (don't really know how or where to look) but keeps saying Boeing in the results so are they in fact B17 parts which would make my theory wrong!
I realise as I don't know where the parts came from I can't prove what plane they belonged too but would still like to try.
Any help or advice will be appreciated.

Cheers Chris.

[Danmark]

Need to see some pictures of them .........

Welcome BTW
Cheers, Dan

[Chrissmith1]

Thanks Dan, I knew someone would ask for photo's! Dark cold and wet here at the moment, will try over the weekend to get some good photos in day light and post. Cheers Chris

[Chrissmith1]

Here's a few photo's
Part 1 "Complex part" no numbers I can find
The blue bend is marked AN and CC on both nut and body.
Part 2 "Stainless part" again no numbers or marks.

Part 3 "Interesting part" Number on bracket is 323-31683-3 number on tube bit is 192-53396-7 and a circle with ANH 359 in.
Part 4 "Bent strut" marked with two numbers 192-310109-6 and 192-316225 117 (6 maybe a 0?) and a circle with 744 in
Part 5 " Strut and Bracket" Bracket number 192 737147 Strut number 192 31120-7 and three circles with ANH 186, H?? 109 and HTA 23 in

[VERSUCH]

Lib parts generally start with 32-,and if you are lucky you will find an A over stamped with a C ...for Consolidated Aircraft.

Hope that helps
Cheers Mike

[Maschinenpistole 40]

The blue 90degree fitting is common on most aircraft, they are used on probably all modern planes. The aircraft type I work on has loads of them, used in hydraulics mainly, to allow pipes to be fitted onto it to get around bends in the airframe and route them as per design. I don't know enough if they were used on B17's etc, so could be modern.
Hope this helps a little
All the best of luck in your research
MP40

[Tim D]

Hi
I am new to this ,can any one help me to identify these parts which I found on a 8th Airforce base I am lucky enough to have acces to.
I presume/ hope they are B17 parts as I found them alongside components I was able to identify ( saftey buckle , fuel pipes and airframe fragments etc).
The latch has what I presume are part numbers U21 and 1999.
The other that looks a bit like a caster has no numbers on it that I can find. It is made of alloy with a cast iron wheel on a central axle.
Thanks
Tim

[ian_]

The castoring wheel is off an early (E/F model) B17 top turret. Just visible here: http://www.ultimatesacrifice.com/images/p8_400.jpg. Keep digging (with permission) and keep posting!

[Tim D]

Hi Ian
Thanks very much for that , brilliant

[ram957]

I just read your post from quite a while ago but...The circle with the A and H is an aircraft inspection mark...Here is a list of marks that might help you with an identification...Aviation Archaeology - Aircraft Inspection Stamps

Here's a few photo's
Part 1 "Complex part" no numbers I can find
The blue bend is marked AN and CC on both nut and body.
Part 2 "Stainless part" again no numbers or marks.

Part 3 "Interesting part" Number on bracket is 323-31683-3 number on tube bit is 192-53396-7 and a circle with ANH 359 in.
Part 4 "Bent strut" marked with two numbers 192-310109-6 and 192-316225 117 (6 maybe a 0?) and a circle with 744 in
Part 5 " Strut and Bracket" Bracket number 192 737147 Strut number 192 31120-7 and three circles with ANH 186, H?? 109 and HTA 23 in