Pictures Of Repair Patches on Spitfires, Hurricanes, & Other RAF A/C?

[Over The Ponder]

Hi All,

 

Are there any websites or other on-line sources that have pictures that show what the minor repairs to battle-damaged RAF aircraft looked like?  

 

In particular I'm looking for post-repair Spitfires and other fighters, but, really, pictures of any a/c would be helpful.   I'd like to have a good idea what the various patches and their means of attachment looked like.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Chris

 

 

[Graham Boak]

I don't know of any, but suspect minor damage would have been hammered flat and the result (or small holes) would simply have received a doped patch of fabric and a dab of paint.

[Junchan]

A damage to a skin can be repaired by patching, but in this case a patch means a metal plate, not fabric.

Here's an extract from the INSTRUCTIONS FOR REPAIR OF DEFIANT I AND II AIRCRAFT AND DEFIANT T.T. MKS. I AND III AIRCRAFT, describing the process of the fuselage skin repair by patching and an example of the metal patching.

 https://rara.jp/image_view/dc8680a76955ebf44440622bb9309199/1005586940

https://rara.jp/image_view/fb3e7749d0adf1109e2e69eb8266c42c/1005586941

https://rara.jp/image_view/43ea855c5449a92da8575b50eb3d536b/1005586942

 

Jun in Tokyo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/horaburo/albums

 

 

[Jamie @ Sovereign Hobbies]

Photos of repaired damage in detail are relatively rare from this period, but if you search the internet for "aircraft skin repair" you'll find a good number of contemporary images showing how it's done.

 

Airliner fuselages receive a lot of "battle damage" from collisions with servicing vehicles in particular and skin repairs are common. Probably the biggest difference to be aware of is that a pressurised fuselage (which you will find photographs of) will show a grid pattern of rivets over the whole patch whereas an unpressurised WW2 fighter would often only have rivets round the perimeter and across a minor stringer or frame if relevant.

 

Damage to major structural members like a wing spar or one of the Spitfire's main horizontal stringers in the fuselage would have had to go to MU for big repair and the skin originally penetrated may we'll have been replaced entirely as it would have been extensively de-riveted to get to the structural repair anyway.

[Junchan]

A couple of photos of patching and doping on a Wellington.

https://rara.jp/image_view/f49b4630a139c65982225a91e9c19126/1005587264

https://rara.jp/image_view/1a67b3baa67554138f8a4bcf3c47c5ab/1005587265

 

Jun in Tokyo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/horaburo/albums

[Over The Ponder]

Good stuff!

 

Thanks everyone for the comments and links.  Very helpful--lots to dig into.

 

I'm surprised that some publisher hasn't put together a compilation-style book (or ebook) on this, showing repairs by each major air force.  Maybe some day.

 

Regards,

 

Chris

[aerotechi]

My grandfather (an airframe mechanic on PR spitfires in the war) told me when I asked him about battle damage repair that they used to just change the wing out and send it off to workshops for repair they never patched etc on the line. He never mentioned fuselage damage but being PR it was probably rarer.

 

Any repair patches done I would suspect would be done as insert repairs and not scab patches in order to maintain aerodynamic smoothness.

Example of a standard non pressurised insert repair in this case a Sea Prince.

[wmcgill]

Small rectangular repair patches visible on the side of the fuselage of this CBAF built Spitfire Mk.Vb.

[TAG]

This is a relatively famous photo of a Marine Corps F4U getting patched up on Bougainville, you can see a second maintainer standing inside the fuselage, his legs visible thru the open hatch at the bottom of the fuselage, helping the crew chief rivet the patches in place. This machine has certainly been in the thick of it judging by the number of patches and holes, it's interesting to note how perfectly symmetrical the bullet holes are, the bandit must have come in exactly perpendicular to the Corsair from the 3 o'clock position.

I'd have to scour my files to see if something else RAF-specific comes up, but when I saw the original post I immediately thought of this iconic snap, hope that helps somehow.

 

Cheers,

- Thomaz

[Troy Smith]

On 07/09/2022 at 00:26, TAG said:

it's interesting to note how perfectly symmetrical the bullet holes are

note on this

 

the holes are cleaned up to a 'regular circular shape'  which  makes sense, as that will stop tears.