Archives: Gmedia Albums

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.

Control compartments 3 showing gyro mounting platform with two gyros and DC motor driven 3 phase AC voltage generator. The alcohol tank pressurisation pipe is also shown running through the equipment bay (large silver coloured pipe). Image copyright Imperial War Museum

Ernst Steinhoff, chief of the BSM workshop (Guidance and Control) in the development works Peenemunde.

Hydraulic gear pump with close up detail showing ceramic heater element insulators with flat, possibly nichome, metal strip element threaded through them. This oil heating system was designed to maintain a specific viscosity of the oil regardless of environmental temperature, to better maintain oil flow rates and thus pump efficiency. The heating system is found only rarely on surviving relics.

V2 missile graphite jet vane defector replica made for V2 Rocket History.

V2 missile graphite jet vane defector replica made for V2 Rocket History. This accurate replica shows the distinctive pantograph mill tool ‘witness’ marks well.

Close-up of Askania gear pump relic with oil heaters. This picture shows an unusual feature on the otherwise normal cast aluminium base of this gear pump. The knurled knob positioned between the oil flow balance adjusters has a purpose that is unknown to us. The two oil-flow balance adjuster valves visible in the picture have slot head adjuster screws and you can also see the knurled circumference on each screw. This parallel knurling is engaged by a crease formed in the facing surface of the copper spring strips. The function of these strips is to create tactile feedback that the technician making the adjustment can feel in the handle of the screwdriver. This was done because the gear pump needed to be adjusted in a dark and narrowly confined space.

Gear pump showing flow adjusters (two slot head screws nearest bottom of picture) and ceramic heater elements situated at each end of the block. The square drive shaft coupler (corroded but still identifiable) has been highlighted in red paint. The open holes either side are the main control valve guides. The copper spring strips visible on each oil flow adjuster provide locking and tactile feed-back for the adjusting process. This relic was recovered from Usedom island.