UNUSUAL TECHNICAL IMAGES OF EQUIPMENT USED IN WORLD WAR II
featuring technical cutaway drawings of submarines, ships, aircraft and arms
PLUS contemporary photos of and on mostly "S" Class Royal Naval Submarines
another " content over style" web page from Steve Johnson Cyberheritage
e-mail Steve Johnson
In the Second World War people at home with loved ones spread far away around the world with the forces were fed a diet, often government backed, of "how it works" or "how we will win" technical information leaflets. Very often these would have contained superb cut away and sectioned diagrams, showing the "insides" or as was said at the time "the works!" of the machines that were winning the war for us!
Today they have a unique feel of the age and how people thought. I wonder if diagrams such as these would capture the public imagination today? Lets have a look.
HOW AA WORKS...anti-aircraft...flak!
ARMOUR PLATING ON A BATTLESHIP
.303 SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION (SAA)
AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHY
HOW RECONNAISSANCE FILM IS HANDLED
A SEA PLANE CATAPULT ON A WARSHIP
GUN BARBETTE ON A NAVAL CRUISER
FIRE PREVENTION IN CRASHED RAF AIRCRAFT
HOW A SUBMARINE FIRES TORPEDOS
HOW A SUBMARINE MAKES A TORPEDO ATTACK
HOW A DESTROYER MAKES A DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK ON A SUBMARINE
HOW DESTROYERS HUNT SUBMARINES
16 inch ARMOUR PIERCING NAVAL SHELL
MILITARY "SAPPING" OR UNDERGROUND MINING
ARMOUR PROTECTION ON A BATTLESHIP
ARMOURED VEHICLES....1.......2.....
HEAVY INFANTRY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS
Many of these fine illustrations are due to the skills of L.C.GOODWIN, L.ASHWELL-WOOD and a person known as "SIBLEY!"
SUBMARINE and SUBMARINE MINING SECTION
A PHOTO OF A MAGNETIC GERMAN SEA BED MINE possibly Parachute delivered by air
ENGINE ROOM ON A "S" Class ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINE
SUBMARINERS HAVE REST AND RECUPERATION ON A SUBMARINE DEPOT SHIP....1.....2.....
TALLYING UP THE NUMBER OF MINES CLEARED
A MINE SWEEPING TRAWLER APPROACHES IT`S QUARRY
A GERMAN SEA MINE FLOATS ALONG
SOME REFER TO TORPEDOES AS "TIN-FISH" THE CORRECT NAME IS "KIPPER" possibly on a "S" Class submarine
ALL THESE ARE "S" OR "T" CLASS SUBMARINES
LOOKING FROM THE MOTOR ROOM FORWARD TO ENGINE ROOM
TORPEDO STOWAGE COMPARTMENT, OR "FORE ENDS" 12 OR SO MEN WOULD LIVE,EAT AND SLEEP HERE WHILE ON PATROL.
TWO PHOTOS TAKEN THROUGH PERISCOPE OF COMMANDER BRYANT BOAT "SAFARI" WHEN IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A TANKER HE HAS JUST TORPEDOED....AND AN ENEMY DESTROYER HUNTING HIM.
SEA ROLLING ALONG CURVE OF SADDLE TANKS
HMS/M TRIBUNE TAKING ON DIESEL ALONGSIDE SUBMARINE DEPOT SHIP
THE END OF A U-BOAT, THE CREW PREPARE TO DIVE OVERBOARD
A RAF HALIFAX DROPS AN AERIAL DEPTH CHARGE ON TO A SURFACED U-BOAT.
A "U" CLASS SUBMARINE ON THE SURFACE
CAPTAIN AT THE PERISCOPE: Lieut. WINGFIELD IN HMS/M STURGEON, periscope is a little lowered as the boat is a little above correct periscope depth.
HYDROPLANE OPERATORS UNDER EYE OF FIRST LIEUTANANT.
THE TELL-TALE PATCH OF OIL THAT SHOWS A U. BOAT HAS MADE THAT FINAL DIVE AFTER FATAL DEPTH CHARGING.
U. BOAT KAPITANLEUTNANT "Vaddi" SCHULZ
U. 505 UNDER "OLD GLORY" OFF W. AFRICA. CAPT. DANIEL V. GALLERY COMMANDER OF TASK GROUP THAT CAPTURED HER IS ON CONNING TOWER.
going down. close the hatch! note drain holes.
HMS FORTH, A SUBMARINE DEPOT SHIP.A FLOATING FACTORY, WORKSHOP, REST FACILITY,OPERATIONS ROOM AND A TRAINING "ATTACK TEACHER."
A "KIPPER" IS LOADED INTO IT`S TUBE.
UNLOADING KITBAGS AND HAMMOCKS AFTER A PATROL.
UNDERWATER PHOTO OF BRIDGE OF HMS/M AURIGA
FIRST UNDERWATER PHOTO OF TORPEDO BING FIRED, NOTE HOOK EYE ON END OF KIPPER FOR RECOVERY AS IT IS A DUMMY VERSION.
"T" CLASS SUBMARINE DIVING...1......2.....
A U. BOAT IS FORCED TO THE SURFACE BY DEPTH CHARGING, THEN FINISHED BY GUN ACTION, MANY CREW WERE TAKEN AS P.O.W.
CONTROL ROOM OF U. 532....NOTE BLACK CAT MASCOT
U. BOAT COMMANDER AT PERISCOPE.
HMS/M STORM FLIES THE JOLLY ROGER AFTER A PATROL. APRIL 18 1945.THIS WAS A TRADITION UPON ENTERING HARBOUR AFTER A PATROL, OR RETURNING TO UK AT END OF A COMMISSION.
STRAIGHT BARS AT TOP RIGHT CORNER INDICATE TORPEDO SINKINGS, CROSSED GUNS ARE GUN ACTIONS, STARS REPRESENT NUMBER OF SHIPS SUNK, DAGGER IS A CLANDESTINE OPERATION....LANDING AGENTS......, THE LITTLE "SCHOONER" AT BOTTOM RIGHT OVER A ROW OF DOTS IS A PERSONAL "STORM" ICON FOR A PARTICULAR AFFAIR WITH AN ANTI-SUBMARINE SCHOONER ACTION.
HMS/M STORM `s GUNLAYER, TAYLOR, TORPEDO GUNNERS MATE....TGM, EVANS.....AND GREENWAY.
THE WARDROOM OF HMS/M STORM, L to R...BILL RAY, BRIAN MILLS, EDWARD YOUNG, RICHARD BLAKE, DICKY WADE.
These images have been scanned from a collection of ripped out book pages kept in a box. My father in the late 50`s and early 60`s captured by imagination about wartime submariners...even though he was surface RN. He had many books as at the time many were published...being a little boy...I RIPPED OUT THE PICTURES....the books have gone, but the photos live on...perhaps I DID THE RIGHT THING IN RIPPING THEM OUT!!
It is hoped that the owners of the copyright, wherever they are, will not object to their non-commercial use here. It is possible that these images may be all that remains. It is important that we today do not forget what others did and we should remember them...
Before endeavours fade........
More STEVE JOHNSON military and naval heritage web sites, many on submarines and the Royal Navy, all with stunning imagery:
