136 A I R C R A F T E N G I N E E R I N G May, 1942

A German Report on Effects of Damage*

The Me 109
T
HE aircraft produced by the Messcrschmitt
company- arc well known- for their particu-
lar type of construction, the characteristic
feature of which is the single wing-spar and
stressed skin. The bending forces are, to a
great extent, absorbed by the spar and the
torsional forces by thecovering, which forms a
torsion tube. This light and exceptionally
rigid construction of the monospar wing was
supposed to be inferior to the two-spar wing
with regard to resistance to bullets. Experi-
ence gained from many operational flights,
even under the most intense fire, docs not,
however, in any way confirmthis view.
The first point of interest was the effect of
damage to the spar on the strength of the wing.
Bullet holes through the sheet-metal spar-web,
and even through the web stiffeners, have no
disastrous effect on the strength of the spar, as
even when weakened by bullet holes it showed
no deformation ; since, with solid members,
such perforations cannot interrupt the lines of
force, especially when the bullet leaves a flange
in the sheet around the hole (Fig. 1).
Damage to the flange of the spar is not so
serious in effect, because the total bending
moment is not absorbed by the spar in the case
of stressed skin construction (Fig. 2).
Bullet holes in the upper and lower covering
of the wing, even when the bullet hits the
stiffeners, have no effect on the transmission
of the torsional moment, since the entire skin
takes part in its absorption in the Messcrschmitt
type of construction.
The distribution of the longitudinal forces in
the fuselage, which are supported by the skin
as well as the longitudinal stringers (profile
sections), makes.it possible for the fuselage to
suffer considerable damage without endangering
the aeroplane (Fig. 3).
The repairs to be undertaken are generally
simpleowing to the straightforward design. I n
the case of damage to the main components
(spar and skin}, the linear design of the wing
makes it easier to decide on the type of repair
than it is with two-spar wings, since then, in
the repair of the damage, it is necessary to
take into account the conditions of rigidity
governed by the repair method.
Air-cooled Radial Engines
The following information is based on all the
data obtainable from the Services, as well as
from the repair workshops, in regard to the
Bramo 323 (Fafnir) supplemented by some
observations on the' BMW 132 engines.
The majority of cases of damage by bullets
concerned cylinders with fairly widely projecting
cylinder heads. Of the Bramo 323 type more
than half of theengines weredamaged by bullets
in one or more cylinders. Cases of damage to
the remaining parts of the engine were, there-
fore, relatively few. The various casings such
as crankcase, nose section, supercharger casing
and the rear section, on which the instruments
arc mounted, were not often damaged. The
accessory group, mounted with the instruments,
was hit only in a few cases. A somewhat larger
proportion of hits was recorded in the case of
the valve and timing gear, mostly by fire from
forwards.
A greater susceptibility to bullet damage was
shown by theoil system, usually associated with
damage to the radiator and less often to the
piping. These cases indicate, as also do the
various types of damage to the fuel lines, the
relatively high sensitivity of all the fluid-
conducting parts of the engine.
I n the following, some cases specially worthy
of note are described. A Bramo 323 engine
installed in a Do 17 received altogether six hits.
The nose-section of the crankcase was pene-
trated by two bullets; one through the barrel of
cylinder No. 1 and one between the tappet
guides on cylinder No. 9. Both bullets entered
the.crankcase. Cylinder No. 9 received a hit
perpendicular to the barrel, which was pierced.
The piston was damaged by the bullet, which
remained embedded in the region of the" upper
piston rings. All five upper piston rings and
oil scraper rings were broken. Another shot
penetrated the exhaust valve housing of the
same cylinder. The skirt of the cylinder barrel
was-distorted by the bullet which penetrated
the crankcase (Fig. 4). A bullet remained
embedded between the ribs of the cylinder head
of cylinder No. 5, without penetrating. As a
result of the slight indentation in the barrel,
which is shrunk into the head at this point, the
piston was damaged considerably. The piston
of cylinder No. 1 was also damaged and, here,
the baffle plate and the barrel in the vicinity
of the flange were damaged by a bullet which
failed to penetrate. Finally, the main crank-
case was damaged by splinters. The engine
continued to function, however, in spite of these
hits, some of which were very serious, until the
base was reached. When the engine was strip-
ped at the works, it was evident that the damage
caused by the bullets had had no effect on the
remaining components. The pistons of the
cylinders which were not hit were entirely
without damage and the main crank-pin had a
few individual light score-marks, caused by
splinters entering the oil system, which had no
ill-effects on the running of the bearing.
On another engine, several cooling fins on
one cylinder were distorted by a bullet and the
casing of a dual magneto was destroyed by
splinters. In spite of the fact that the damage
* Translated, by Lionel Mote, F.I.L., fromFUt%wchr und Tcchnik
Vol. I l l , No. 10, October, 1941, pp. 233-9. The (lata contained
in the article was supplied by the Mcsscrschniitt-l'Ingzcufiwcrkc
and the Bayrischen Motorenwerke.
May, 1942 A I R C R A F T E N G I N E E R I N G 137
extended to some of the internal components
of the magneto, the engine continued to
function until landing.
Another engine, a Bramo 323 in an l i s 126
received hits in cylinders Nos. 1, 4 and 8, in an
attack by enemy fighter aircraft. The exhaust-
valve housing and the cover were pierced and
the upper valve-spring washer, the locking-
pieces and the valve-guide were damaged.
The valve springs were broken, the valve stem
was bent and the piston head was hammered
slightly by the valve (Fig. 5). The exhaust
pipe support and one' ignition cable, of the
same cylinder, were shot away. The variable
pitch-airscrew was hit by several shots but
these pierced only the thinner trailing edge
sections of the blades.
A BMW 132 engine received a hit in the right
air-intake which caused damage to the super-
charger impeller. Moreover, on the exhaust
side of cylinder No. 1, the threaded portion of
the rocker housing, supporting the push-rod
cover, was fractured so that the rocker housing
was partly broken and the push-rod was
bowed. This engine also functioned perfectly
for several hours afterwards.
From the experience collected, it can be
asserted that the heavy finning of the BMW
radial engines absorbed, in the majority of
cases, so much of the energy of the bullets
that they remained lodged between the cooling
fins. This applied particularly to the deeply
finned cylinder head which was, in no case,
pierced. Even when the cylinder barrel was
hit, only a small proportion of the shots passed
through it. The barrels which were distorted
in this manner caused damage to the pistons,
but this had no great influence on the remaining
cylinders which functioned normally and were,
in no case, brought to disaster by the
splinters which found their way into the oil
system.
I n most of the cases described, it was neces-
sary only to replace the cylinders and pistons
and the squadron ground-staffs were able to
carry this out in a short time without any more
expert assistance and without it being necessary
to dismount the engine from the aircraft or to
send it to the repair workshops. The signifi-
cance of such a simple method of repair, and its
elfect on the problemof obtaining fresh supplies
of engines, is clearly evident.