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Jim · 12 April 2013, 02:34 PM

The style of cross is called an Eisernen Kreuze or in English an Iron Cross which is what was used from the begining of the war until early 1918 when they switched to the Balkenkreuz or Balken Cross which is two straight lines. The difference between an Eisernen Kreuze and a Maltese cross is the Eisnernen has curved inner sides to each limb, while the edges on the inner sides of each limb of a Maltese cross are straight.

There is no way to tell you whether this is real or not from this fuzzy photo. Even really clear photos and closeups and counting threads per inch in the fabric and the like are not going to be definitive - you would really need to take it to someone who has handled quite of bit of Great War German aircraft fabric for that, and they would likely also want to have the provenance. Provenance is an unbroken chain of custody back to the war with proof that it was taken from a Great War aircraft.

The coloring and wear of the fabric look appropriate but that is not hard to fake. At the least, if it is a fake that part was not done by someone who had no idea how old fabric and paint age.

The one thing that has me concerned is the serial number being on the rudder. I cannot say I have seen every photo of German aircraft of the era and anything is possible, but I cannot recall ever seeing the serial number being placed on the rudder. It is typically on the side of the rear fuselage, or sometimes I see it on the vertical stabilizer. The reason it does not make sense to be on the rudder is that rudders were considered to be somewhat expendable and likely to be changed out as they were damaged. Putting the serial number on such a place would mean that the serial number would have to be repainted everytime a new rudder was mounted. It would be a little like stenciling your car VIN number on a tire rather than putting it on the front edge of the dashboard. The German airforce command (called Idflieg) had some pretty strong instructions on how markings were supposed to be applied to their aircraft so this odd aspect to this object has me wondering.

12 April 2013, 02:34 PM	#6
Jim Forum Ace Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 1,588	The style of cross is called an Eisernen Kreuze or in English an Iron Cross which is what was used from the begining of the war until early 1918 when they switched to the Balkenkreuz or Balken Cross which is two straight lines. The difference between an Eisernen Kreuze and a Maltese cross is the Eisnernen has curved inner sides to each limb, while the edges on the inner sides of each limb of a Maltese cross are straight. There is no way to tell you whether this is real or not from this fuzzy photo. Even really clear photos and closeups and counting threads per inch in the fabric and the like are not going to be definitive - you would really need to take it to someone who has handled quite of bit of Great War German aircraft fabric for that, and they would likely also want to have the provenance. Provenance is an unbroken chain of custody back to the war with proof that it was taken from a Great War aircraft. The coloring and wear of the fabric look appropriate but that is not hard to fake. At the least, if it is a fake that part was not done by someone who had no idea how old fabric and paint age. The one thing that has me concerned is the serial number being on the rudder. I cannot say I have seen every photo of German aircraft of the era and anything is possible, but I cannot recall ever seeing the serial number being placed on the rudder. It is typically on the side of the rear fuselage, or sometimes I see it on the vertical stabilizer. The reason it does not make sense to be on the rudder is that rudders were considered to be somewhat expendable and likely to be changed out as they were damaged. Putting the serial number on such a place would mean that the serial number would have to be repainted everytime a new rudder was mounted. It would be a little like stenciling your car VIN number on a tire rather than putting it on the front edge of the dashboard. The German airforce command (called Idflieg) had some pretty strong instructions on how markings were supposed to be applied to their aircraft so this odd aspect to this object has me wondering.