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Pictured: The amazing tin can bomber made by British pilot in Great Escape POW camp
The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^
| January 7, 2009
| David Wilkes
Posted on 01/07/2009 12:51:23 PM PST by Stoat
Skillfully crafted from tin cans, matchsticks and off cuts, one can only imagine the satisfaction a prisoner of war derived from finishing this stunning model aircraft as he languished in Stalag Luft III.
Constructed almost perfectly to scale, his detailed version of a Lancaster Bomber like the one he flew before his capture even bears what appears to be the skull and crossbones logo of RAF 100 Squadron, famous for its night-time raids.
Little is known about its maker, other than that he was an airman named E Taylor.
The model was found during a clearance sale at house in the south of England along with his prison camp diary, in which he had drawn a map of where his plane was shot down over Hungary on August 28, 1944.
He was incarcerated in the prisoner of war camp in Sagan, 100 miles south-east of Berlin, during its strictest regime, having arrived there only months after the 'Great Escape' when 76 Allied airmen made an audacious bid for freedom.
Only three made it home and 50 were executed by the Gestapo. In 1963, the story was turned into a hugely successful film starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough and James Coburn.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Arts/Photography; History; Military/Veterans; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bomber; britain; england; godsgravesglyphs; greatbritain; greatescape; halifax; halifaxbomber; history; lancaster; lancasterbomber; milhist; militaryhistory; pow; prisonerofwar; tincanbomber; uk; unitedkingdom; ww2; wwii
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To: tophat9000; Stoat; ImJustAnotherOkie
1. Cockpit top at same level as fuselage, triangular endplate fins to tailplane - definitely Halifax (Lancaster's were raised above and elliptical)
2. MkII (Mk 1 had no mid-upper tuttet)
3. Radial Engines only came with the Mk III (the more numerous version)
21
posted on
01/07/2009 1:45:23 PM PST
by
Oztrich Boy
("The urge to save humanity is almost always a false face for the urge to rule." - H L Mencken.)
To: SolidWood
Also the tailplane attaches to the fusilage at the top. The tailplane of the Lancaster attached more towards the middle of the fusilage. Looks like a Halifax to me, too.
To: magslinger
This is a model made in a POW camp. Some errors may have been made in the design because the builder was working from memory and limited research resources. It carries the 100 squadron logo which flew Lancasters, so it must be intended to be a Lanc.All essential points, thanks.
23
posted on
01/07/2009 1:48:30 PM PST
by
Stoat
(Palin / Coulter 2012: A Strong America Through Unapologetic Conservatism)
To: magslinger
You are right on the logo, but the details show that he certainly had a Halifax on his mind...
24
posted on
01/07/2009 1:48:52 PM PST
by
SolidWood
(Sarah Palin - Everything that is Sweetness and Light!)
To: SolidWood; magslinger; ImJustAnotherOkie
It looks more like the Halifax, but the 100 doesn't appear to have flown the Halifax. All I can find is information on flying the Lancaster, Lincoln and, much later, the Canberra and then the Hawk.
100 Squadron Information
25
posted on
01/07/2009 2:00:33 PM PST
by
IYAS9YAS
(Hey Obama, why lawyer up when you can pony up? Show us your vault copy BC)
To: popdonnelly
Look at the difference in canopies.
To: ImJustAnotherOkie
Both the Lancaster and Halifax were made in Merlin Water cooled inline and Hercules air cooled Radials marks ...the Halifax MkI used Merlin’s Water cooled inline the Lancaster MkII used Hercules Radials
27
posted on
01/07/2009 3:33:15 PM PST
by
tophat9000
( We are "O" so f---ed)
To: Stoat
28
posted on
01/07/2009 5:52:35 PM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(First 2009 Profile update Tuesday, January 6, 2009___________https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
To: SunkenCiv
Thanks Stoat for posting this. You're quite welcome, and I'm delighted that you've found it to be worthwhile :-)
29
posted on
01/07/2009 10:03:14 PM PST
by
Stoat
(Palin / Coulter 2012: A Strong America Through Unapologetic Conservatism)
To: IncPen
To: Always Independent
“...Look at the difference in canopies....”
And the horizontal stabilizers. The Halifax had theirs nearly fluch with the top of the fuselage. The Lancaster’s were positioned lower and nearly in the middle of the rear fuselage.
31
posted on
01/08/2009 9:40:34 AM PST
by
NCC-1701
(DRILL NOW. DRILL OFTEN. DRILL 24/7/365. PAY LESS. SUCK THE GROUND DRY.)
To: SolidWood
Lancaster:
Halifax:
Note the position of the horizontal stabilizers on both birds.
32
posted on
01/08/2009 9:44:48 AM PST
by
NCC-1701
(DRILL NOW. DRILL OFTEN. DRILL 24/7/365. PAY LESS. SUCK THE GROUND DRY.)
To: NCC-1701
Also note the engine nacelles. The Lanc’s are completely under the wing. The Fax’s has some of its nacelles on top of the wing. The model is therefore a Halifax.
33
posted on
01/08/2009 9:47:09 AM PST
by
NCC-1701
(DRILL NOW. DRILL OFTEN. DRILL 24/7/365. PAY LESS. SUCK THE GROUND DRY.)
To: alfa6; Samwise; SAMWolf
To: Non-Sequitur; Stoat; Professional Engineer; All
Couple of Lancaster Pics I have handy,
And a few of the Handly Page Halifax...
Yep it's a Halifax
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
35
posted on
01/08/2009 10:57:22 AM PST
by
alfa6
(One mans magic is another mans engineering... L.L.)
To: Stoat
I remember as a youth going to the Duxford Airshow in the South of England, and seeing the old WW2 bombers and fighters the RAF used flying in formation. Stunning sight and noise.
And they move slow enough to appreciate the sheer engineering skill and beauty, where todays jets (and i love them too!) sometime defy logic and so are less easy to adore quite so!
36
posted on
01/08/2009 11:31:34 AM PST
by
Mercia
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