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We think this relic, welded to a heavy gauge H beam, may be a points switch for a railway line. But do you know what it is, and what it did? If you do, please tell us.

This part has a helicoid or screw shape, it seems that it might have been designed to screw into a pipe of some kind. But do you know what it really is, and what it did? If you do, please tell us.

We know this is a clampy-chainy-hooky thing – but do you know what it really is, and what it did? If you do, please tell us.

This is a close up of the mystery item, referred to on our Enigma page, found firmly anchored to the floor a few metres inside the east wall near aisle 20 of IW (near location of internal railway line).

This is another close up of the mystery item showing the mechanism in more detail. It can be found firmly anchored to the floor a few metres inside the east wall near aisle 20 of IW (near location of internal railway line). See map below for location.

Photo showing Werk Süd with IW on the left and F1 on the right taken on 19th August 1943. The photo shows only light damage to the main halls, although F1 was actually hit at least 11 times, and hits to the separate single storey workshops to the right of the IW hall. The long storage (oil and paint?) shed above IW and the woodworking shop at the top of the picture appear undamaged. Anti-aircraft platforms (at least 3) can be seen on the roof of IW but that seem to be empty of guns. F1 shows two AAA platforms (there was at least 3 at this stage and maybe more) and they may have guns installed. General W. Dornberger mentions defensive AA artillery fire from the from the roof of F1 in his 1952 book V2 (1954 in English).

The remains of the a rail and truck loading stage located in the long oil storage shed adjacent to the IW repair and maintenance hall (IW R&MH) are substantial and have intact steadying chains along the south edge of the platform. There are access steps to the west and east ends (east shown). This loading stage was originally furnished with a wooden platform.

Bomb damaged F1 factory 1945. The huge V2 rocket factory shown badly damaged by air attack at the end of the war in May 1945

A rare photo of the giant F1 production hall taken not long after the RAF raid of 17/18th August 1943. F1 was a forced labour camp with at least 600 prisoners living within the factory and at least eleven were killed in the raid. Parts of the electrified barbed wire fence can be seen close to the factory building, in the clearing in the middle of the photo. Two anti aircraft gun emplacements can be seen on the roof at the front of the building. Holes in the side walls of the upper vaults can be seen as well as the damage to lower vaults 9 and 10 (counting from left) from a direct hit in this region. Also of note are the numerous guy ropes, attached to the upper roof of the front of the building – and running down towards the trees, that are just visible in the photo. These may be supports for camouflage netting that was in the process of being fitted (by prisoner gangs) just before the raid. The work was never completed.

Peenemünde: Werk Sud attacked by US bombers August 1944 in a daring daylight raid. The two large halls F1 and IW in the lower middle of the photo are under direct attack and smoke can be seen originating from both buildings. Although the August 1944 raids did little to interrupt the volume manufacture of the V2, as virtually all manufacturing and assembly of the missile had moved to central Germany, the raids did bring to an almost complete halt the last small amount of manufacturing work still competed in the giant halls of Werk Sud.

Original mpe 1944 drawing number 3207 C of main fuel valave. (mpe = Heimat-Artillerie-Park Karlshagen, Werk Nord Peenemünde).

Relic of main alcohol valve with manufacturer code aeq (aeq = Bartoc & Co., Maschinenfabrik u. Giesserei Hedwikow,bei Caslau (Caslav) Czech Republic). An air (nitrogen) inlet pressure of 440 to 530 psi (30 to 36 Bar) was required to close this valve against its internal spring and the force of the turbo-pump. The large nut at the top is the connection for the fuel return (or ‘revolving’line) pipe, and the air and electrical input ports can be seen to the right (air), and left (elec.) just below this point. V2RH image

Relic of main alcohol valve showing seat flange and fibre sealing washer. the ten fuel pass-through holes can be seen on the central core of the valve. V2RH image

Relic of main alcohol valve with manufacturer code aeq (aeq = Bartoc & Co., Maschinenfabrik u. Giesserei Hedwikow,bei Caslau (Caslav) Czech Republic). An air (nitrogen) inlet pressure of 440 to 530 psi (30 to 36 Bar) was required to close this valve against its internal spring and the force of the turbo-pump. The large nut to the right is the connection for the return (or ‘revolving’line) pipe. The valve is shown in the closed position. V2RH image

The chart shows water delivery in litres per minute per injector

HAP11 drawing of standard 3304D fuel injector screw insert. showing details of primary swirl cavity and orrifice and all additional apertures including the four small cooling pores. HAP11 (Heimat-Artillerie-Park 11, AKA armament code: mpe), drawing number 4554D, Deutsches Museum München

HVP drawing no 1203D showing burner cup ‘diffuser system’ disposition for 19-pot head (at this stage the 25 ton thrust injector head had nineteen so called ‘pre-chambers’ or pots as no central fuel valve was present). HVP drawing dated 1939.

Drawing from the Army Experimental Station Peenemünde dated 1939. The specification describes an insert template that could be used for a range of outlet and inlet orifice sizes. The German text beginning (eingedrehte …) translates as ‘Center-line of screw used for holes to be drilled later’, and the hole dimensions are not specified on this document. HVP drawing number 1113 E, Deutsches Museum München

Diagram showing cut-away presentations of the settled configuration of standard four ‘swirl’ inserts used in the V2 rocket engine’s 18-pot head from 1943 until the end of the war. The inserts are shown with their drawing code identification. All of the insert types used in the injector head are shown, however there were additional screw-in type fuel supply inserts, used to provide a fuel cooling balance function, located radially in the lower part of the combustion cavity.

Single nozzle insert test rig used by V2 Rocket History to test spray shape and volume at fluid supply pressures consistent with fuel pressures specified for the injector head of summer 1944. A 2131E fuel injector insert is installed in the holder at the front of the test rig, but as the thread was the same on all inserts the nozzle can be changed for other models easily with aid of a pin spanner. See video for a demonstration of this simple test system.

Single nozzle insert test rig used by V2 Rocket History to test spray shape and volume at supply pressures consistent with fuel pressures specified for the injector head of summer 1944. The test system features an adjustable pressure regulator and fluid pressure gauge. For test purposes the device was simply connected to a relatively high pressure mains water supply. And although water does not have the same viscosity of the 75% Ethenol to 25% water mix of the V2’s fuel it was considered close enough by the German technicians, who regularly used plain water as a substitute when testing issues related to furl flow rather than combustion. A 2131E fuel injector insert is shown installed in the holder at the front of the rig, but as the thread was the same on all inserts the nozzle can be changed for other models easily with aid of a pin spanner. See video for a demonstration of this simple test system.

Sectioned general assembly view of the V2 turbo-pump (TP) dated September 1942. This image has been edited to show TP and document data closer together than the original.

Relics of the A4 25-ton 1941 aluminium injector head. See other photos in this series for more detail. Photo courtesy Horst Beck Collection

Part of the ‘Standard’ series A aluminium head from 1941 to early 1942. Showing the position of standard type LOX injector. The brass fuel injector inserts type and position pattern on the relic seem to be of the standard type with the row of 3 inlet aperture type inserts positioned furthest from the LOX injector. Photo courtesy Horst Beck Collection

Injector head relic from February 1945 showing injector insert type and pattern. Photo www.v2rockethistory.com

This photo shows a presentation of important vales from the A4-V2 missile. From the left: Main alcohol/B stoff valve (from the centre of injector head. Alcohol tank valve. Main LOX valve (with sub valve). Alcohol (B stoff) tank pressuring valve. Image courtesy Horst Beck Collection

Photo shows main valves. Photo copyright: The Horst Beck Collection

Trade literature advert for the Preschona company (Adolf Meyer) in Berlin, Germany. The company was a supply contractor and (among other items) manufactured the non-return valve for the steam turbine exhaust heat exchanger, employed to volatilise a small portion of liquid oxygen (LOX) to pressurise the LOX tank to maintain critical flow volume to the LOX turbo-pump.