Original Gotha propeller

[jamo]

Found this while surfing the Web. Useful reference for those modellers who have purchased the WNW Gotha G.IV:



UNIQUE WW1 WOODEN PROPELLER - GERMAN GOTHA BOMBER - £1800

UNIQUE WW1 WOODEN PROPELLER - GERMAN GOTHA BOMBER

UNIQUE WW1 WOODEN PROPELLER - GERMAN GOTHA BOMBER

WW1 GERMAN GOTHA V BOMBER PROPELLER

This is believed to be the only surviving Gotha bomber propeller.

The prop is in superb condition and not only is it undamaged but all the data on the hub is clear and it also carries two intact decals. Again these are believed to be the only known examples of the Gotha decal. The decals show Gotha's first aircraft flying over Schloss where the company was formed. Gotha made some propellers for their own aircraft but the majority of the props they used came from the manufacturer Heine. This is a excellent show piece propeller and has the characteristic WW1 German pattern of alternating dark/light woods that make them so visually attractive.

Hub Markings:

GWF - Manufactured by Gothaer Waggonfabrik AG

No 474 - The Propeller Drawing Number

PS260 - To be fitted to a 260 Horse Power Engine

D317 - The Diameter or length of the propeller in centimeters

P172 - Pitch in centimeters, the hypothetical distance that the propeller would advance through air in one revolution

COW 9110 - Unknown

EDUL DRUK - Counter clockwise revolving, pusher propeller

MERCEDES - The engine manufacturer

[jamo]

I emailed the auction house for some larger photos and they were kind enough to send these:



The Gotha logos are very interesting. They feature a castle, probably Schloss Friedenstein which is in the town of Gotha, Thuringia.



The other one:


Here is a closeup of the prop markings:

[rc.gardner]

It sold on eBay a few months back. This appears to be a second seller.

Bob

[David_Layton]

Would love to see the reverse of this and other German props as these surfaces are generally flat and the strata should be straighter.

[LeicesterTiger]

I wonder if anyone who does buy this propeller would be interested in, and good enough to, to donate it to the superb museum at RFC Stow Maries

Stow Maries Aerodrome

Who knows, the propeller could have come off a Gotha attacked by a 37 (HD) Squadron aircraft!

[Franz]

I hope you are not too embarrassed, but i would be interested in, if the one who will buy this beautiful piece, could think about donating it to a German museum, we are at least not extinct and it would be great to get some artifacts of our rich aviation history back to the country it really belongs - Germany !

Best wishes

Thomas

[Varese2002]

I was wondering what the start price would be for the bidding and when will the bidding start ?

Kees

[Nigel Pestelle]

There is a Gotha prop at the RAF museum at Tangmere, West Sussex. It is taken from one that crashed over England. I saw the prop there last Friday. It is damaged, it too has the Gotha logo.

Although Tangmere is primarily a WW2 museum, it does have some WW1 artifacts.

[gustav_novak]

Hallo Nigel,

did you take some photos of it?

All the best.

Mirko

[Nigel Pestelle]

Sorry, no. Actually I dont' have a camera, they have signs up saying no photos but I suspect a small donation would sort that. The prop at Tangmere is nowhere near the "factory-fresh" condition shown in Jamos' photos; given the current interest in the Gotha kit I just threw up my post as a heads up as I dont' think the Gotha prop is something you would necessarily expect to find at Tangmere - I certainly didn't. The thing is, they have it hanging on the wall and you can get as close to it as you possibly want, for a good look. Next to it there is a bit of tail or fuselage fabric from a Roland (framed under glass), showing the cross, on a red back-ground, and a few other small WW1 bits and bobs.