Unknown P-47 / P-51 relic?

**gremlin** · 09-01-2009, 01:31 PM

Hi All,

The following item was found on a former 8th Air Force base which was occupied by P-47s and P-51s ... it was found at the same level as other wartime bits & pieces so I have no doubt that it is USAAF ... but I'm not exactly sure what ... any ideas?

Thanks,
Gremlin

**Steve T** · 09-01-2009, 01:52 PM

Looks to me more like the kind of sign strung up in the bomb bays of bombers. With the colour it could be from the internals of a fighter I suppose.

Steve T

Godagesil · 09-01-2009, 03:52 PM

Many aircraft had access panels that were springloaded and were so marked so that ground crew would not use them as hand holds since they were not reinforced around the edges and would distort under load. They were to permit access to such things as emergency canopy release levers and the like from outside the aircraft.

cale · 09-04-2009, 02:51 PM

Very nice, The No Hand hold sign might be from the
bottom of gunsight???

Sturmvogel · 10-01-2009, 02:41 PM

Hi,

This is the top part of a Navy Mk.18 gyro gunsight that was also used in P-51 (at least one USAAF P-51B equiped with such a sight made an emergency landing in Switzerland during WWII and I know that other crashed P-51 that were recovered in the past had the Mk.18). If you google for Mk.18 gyro gunsight you should be able to find pictures of a complete one.

Regards,
Roger

**gremlin** · 10-01-2009, 03:49 PM

Thanks Roger

Yes ... I found a picture of the Mk. 18 .... and yes, it matches exactly!

I hope to be posting some more pictures soon ... mostly of items recently recovered from a certain USAAF base near to Cambridge ...

Thanks again,
Gremlin

jasonp51d · 08-30-2011, 04:30 PM

Gremlin,

Nice find - would be intertested to know which base they came from.

If you are looking for a good home for them we would love to have them at the Bottisham Airfield Museum - 361st FG - Bottisham Airfield Museum Page

We are the former home of the 361st FG and are currently building a full-scale P-51 cockpit.

Please get in touch jasonwebb361@btinternet.com

Cheers

Jason

by gremlin

Thanks Roger

Yes ... I found a picture of the Mk. 18 .... and yes, it matches exactly!

I hope to be posting some more pictures soon ... mostly of items recently recovered from a certain USAAF base near to Cambridge ...

Thanks again,
Gremlin