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

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!

ANTI TANK GUN

ARMOUR PLATING ON A BATTLESHIP

MACHINE GUNS

.303 SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION (SAA)

BOMBS AND BOMBERS

BREN GUN

TEMPORARY BRIDGES

AERIAL CAMERAS

AERIAL RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHY

HOW RECONNAISSANCE FILM IS HANDLED

A SEA PLANE CATAPULT ON A WARSHIP

ABOUT PARACHUTES

AERIAL NAVIGATION

GUN BARBETTE ON A NAVAL CRUISER

DEFIANT FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

A NAVAL DESTROYER

HOW A SUBMARINE DIVES

FIRE PREVENTION IN CRASHED RAF AIRCRAFT

GERMAN MINE LAYING SEAPLANES

A SUBMARINES PERISCOPE

A GERMAN PARACHUTE SEA MINE

CLEARING MINEFIELDS

A MINEFIELD

HOW A SUBMARINE FIRES TORPEDOS

HOW A SUBMARINE MAKES A TORPEDO ATTACK

A TORPEDO

A DEPTH CHARGE

HOW A DESTROYER MAKES A DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK ON A SUBMARINE

HOW DESTROYERS HUNT SUBMARINES

ABOUT HYDROPHONES

HEAVY AA GUN

CAMOUFLAGE

9.2 inch HOWITZER

HURRICANE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

A SEARCHLIGHT

TRAINING RAF PILOTS

PREDICTING AA RANGE

SERVICE RESPIRATOR (GAS MASK)

HAND GRENADES

THE BRITISH NAVY

RAF BOMB AIMER

ARTILLERY SHELLS

16 inch ARMOUR PIERCING NAVAL SHELL

RIVER CROSSINGS

MILITARY "SAPPING" OR UNDERGROUND MINING

ARMOUR PROTECTION ON A BATTLESHIP

AERIAL MACHINE GUNNERY

THE SIZE OF BOMBS

RAF SPITFIRE FIGHTER AIRCRAFT

TRENCH MORTAR

ARMOURED VEHICLES....1.......2.....

TANK TRAPS

TANK BOOBY TRAPS

ARMOURED CARS...1....2....

15 inch NAVAL GUN TURRET

HEAVY INFANTRY AUTOMATIC WEAPONS

RAF WELLINGTON BOMBER

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

BRITISH AND GERMAN MINEFIELDS

A PHOTO OF A MAGNETIC GERMAN SEA BED MINE possibly Parachute delivered by air

GRAFFITI ON A GERMAN SEA MINE

ENGINE ROOM ON A "S" Class ROYAL NAVY SUBMARINE

SUBMARINERS HAVE REST AND RECUPERATION ON A SUBMARINE DEPOT SHIP....1.....2.....

CLEARING MINEFIELDS AT SEA

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 UP THE CONNING TOWER

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 SARACEN IN MALTA

HMS/M TRIBUNE TAKING ON DIESEL ALONGSIDE SUBMARINE DEPOT SHIP

THE END OF A U-BOAT, THE CREW PREPARE TO DIVE OVERBOARD

HMS STARLING HUNTS A U-BOAT

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.

U. 331 SINKS HMS BARHAM

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.

"L" CLASS SUBMARINE DIVES

"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:

steve@cyberheritage.co.uk