In our exploration of the historical sites around Peenemünde we often encounter relics that are a mystery to us. If you recognise the item and can tell us anything positive about it (no guesses please, we have lots of those already!) it will be a big help and you can be sure we will credit your contribution to the solution. So, here’s this month’s Peenemünde mystery.
So can you help solve a small Peenemünde mystery?
We think the mechanism above might be the remains of a points switch or freight wagon lock system for a light factory railway (to move goods around on a large factory site). However, we found no obvious signs of railway lines nearby (but we have reason to think they might have been there anyway). We found the relic in the ruins of a missile production workshop in Peenemünde. The mechanism is obviously badly damaged and incomplete – but it’s still very robust and is mounted on a buried steel H or I girder. Note the connecting rod dangling from its support – on the extreme right of the right-hand picture – roughly cut to about 40mm long. It obviously communicated whatever this mechanism did to another structure. Note too the communicating bosses with triangular shaped shaft holes which pass all the way through the bosses. We are fairly confident this item dates from the WWII era from its structure, condition and method of ground anchor (welded to an I-beam and set into the concrete floor of the building).
It’s a small part of a bigger puzzle
Finding out what it is will help us identify precisely what happened in this part of the factory workshop and help tie the area to photographs we have of the interior. If you have a good idea of what it is please post a comment in the box below
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