Glossary entry (derived from question below)
German term or phrase:
Fensterklappe
English translation:
window panel
Added to glossary by
Timoshka
Apr 19, 2022 21:45
2 yrs ago
27 viewers *
German term
Fensterklappe
German to English
Tech/Engineering
Aerospace / Aviation / Space
From an American airman's reminiscences of his WW2 experience as a B-17 pilot:
"Wir mussten raus! Greene, unserem Funker, war es gelungen, aus der über ihm liegenden Fensterklappe zu entkommen. Trotz der enormen Fliehkräfte gelang es auch mir schließlich, das Flugzeug…aus der Engen vorderen Ausstiegsluke zu verlassen.”
I've checked several websites on the construction of the B-17 to see where the radio operator sat, etc., but still haven't been able to figure out the best translation for "Fensterklappe."
"Wir mussten raus! Greene, unserem Funker, war es gelungen, aus der über ihm liegenden Fensterklappe zu entkommen. Trotz der enormen Fliehkräfte gelang es auch mir schließlich, das Flugzeug…aus der Engen vorderen Ausstiegsluke zu verlassen.”
I've checked several websites on the construction of the B-17 to see where the radio operator sat, etc., but still haven't been able to figure out the best translation for "Fensterklappe."
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 +3 | window panel |
Kim Metzger
|
| 4 +1 | hatch |
Bourth
|
| 4 | window flap |
Cillie Swart
|
| 3 | hinged window (opening) |
David Hollywood
|
Proposed translations
+3
42 mins
Kim Metzger
Mexico
Mexico
Native in English
Mexico
Committed to Quality and Service
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
48
Selected
window panel
I think the window above the radio operator swung open on hinges, but I can't think of a better term than panel.
RADIO OPERATOR
Handle all communications between the aircraft in the formation and HQ
Provide up to the minute updates on target availability (primary or secondary targets)
Operate the cameras located under the floor of the radio room (used for photographing the bomb run)
Use the .50 caliber machine gun mounted above his head out through the top window (as needed) https://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32278
The roof in her radio room is also completely open to the sky as her 107-foot wingspan banks sideways at landmarks like the Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River. Pop your head out that top window. Say goodbye to your sunglasses, and perhaps even a contact lens, warns pilot David Lyon. https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2014/08/1...
RADIO OPERATOR
Handle all communications between the aircraft in the formation and HQ
Provide up to the minute updates on target availability (primary or secondary targets)
Operate the cameras located under the floor of the radio room (used for photographing the bomb run)
Use the .50 caliber machine gun mounted above his head out through the top window (as needed) https://a2asimulations.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=32278
The roof in her radio room is also completely open to the sky as her 107-foot wingspan banks sideways at landmarks like the Ben Franklin Bridge over the Delaware River. Pop your head out that top window. Say goodbye to your sunglasses, and perhaps even a contact lens, warns pilot David Lyon. https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/story/news/2014/08/1...
Note from asker:
| Thanks for your input as usual! Since you mentioned you thought the window above the radio operator swung open on hinges, I did some more digging. I found this concerning the Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter (a twin-engine bomber rather than a four-engine bomber like the B-17): “Additional emergency exits consist of a knockout panel on the starboard side of the pilot, a hinged window above the pilot, and a hinged hood above the observer.” |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Vielen Dank!"
5 hrs
David Hollywood
Native in English
worked for int. orgs (IMF, OAS, IDB)
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
Related KudoZ points
:
24
hinged window (opening)
I would suggest in this context
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 02:55:20 GMT)
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life or death
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 03:26:51 GMT)
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to get out through the open window flap above him
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 03:27:33 GMT)
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in a life/death scenario
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 02:55:20 GMT)
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life or death
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 03:26:51 GMT)
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to get out through the open window flap above him
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Note added at 5 hrs (2022-04-20 03:27:33 GMT)
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in a life/death scenario
+1
18 hrs
hatch
Here you'll find instructions for ditching the B17. A number of crewmen are instructed to exit the aircraft through the "RADIO HATCH", and illustrations show a hatch at the top of the aircraft which would indeed be a logical exit from an a/c taking water.
http://www.303rdbg.com/ditch.html
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Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:22:27 GMT)
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"Here is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to fly in an authentic World War II B-17 bomber, EAA’s beautifully restored B-17G Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast. [...]
Radio Room
Look out the TOP HATCH in the radio compartment for a view you’ll never forget."
(it appears the wireless operator's MG hatch was eliminated in later versions because of its poor 'vantage point').
"Once through, there is an area where the radio operator was positioned. Old radio equipment is stacked with dials and gauges frozen in time. Look up and there is an OPEN HATCH. This is where an additional machine gun would be mounted to protect the plane and crew from diving fighters"
If you have 45 minutes to spare, you can see a training film on ditching a B17. Everyone except the pilot and copilot exit via the radio compartment hatch in the roof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4xTjvtS5W0
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Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:23:34 GMT)
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Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:25:40 GMT)
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The legend to the cutaway view of a B17 gives the hatch as 'jettisonable', so presumably other than providing light, it was only used as an escape hatch.
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Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:35:38 GMT)
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For the purposes of the translation I imagine it matters little whether it is described as a 'transparent hatch' or not.
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Note added at 1 day 2 hrs (2022-04-20 23:45:12 GMT)
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More refs to hatch used to escape from a ditched B-17:
https://www.lonesentry.com/blog/ditching-a-b-17-flying-fortr...
Text and illustrations on pp 112 and 115 here:
https://books.google.fr/books?id=BlAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112&lpg=P...
Does you text give any explanation as to why the WOp/AG (RAF term) baled out from the top of the A/C? Had it flipped? The normal airborne escape for him would be via the bomb-bay doors immediately forward of his position.
"If the crew were in their normal combat positions and needed to bail out, they would exit this way:
1. Navigator and Bombardier from the door below the nose.
2. Pilot, Co-Pilot, Top Turret Gunner/Enginner, and RADIOMAn from the BOMB BAY DOORS.
3. Ball Turret Gunner and Waist Gunners from the waist door.
4. Tail Gunner from the tail gunner’s emergency exit."
https://thearrowheadclub.com/2015/07/08/how-to-bail-out-of-a...
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Note added at 1 day 2 hrs (2022-04-20 23:45:55 GMT)
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http://www.303rdbg.com/ditch.html
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Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:22:27 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
"Here is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to fly in an authentic World War II B-17 bomber, EAA’s beautifully restored B-17G Flying Fortress Aluminum Overcast. [...]
Radio Room
Look out the TOP HATCH in the radio compartment for a view you’ll never forget."
(it appears the wireless operator's MG hatch was eliminated in later versions because of its poor 'vantage point').
"Once through, there is an area where the radio operator was positioned. Old radio equipment is stacked with dials and gauges frozen in time. Look up and there is an OPEN HATCH. This is where an additional machine gun would be mounted to protect the plane and crew from diving fighters"
If you have 45 minutes to spare, you can see a training film on ditching a B17. Everyone except the pilot and copilot exit via the radio compartment hatch in the roof.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4xTjvtS5W0
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:23:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:25:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
The legend to the cutaway view of a B17 gives the hatch as 'jettisonable', so presumably other than providing light, it was only used as an escape hatch.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 hrs (2022-04-20 16:35:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
For the purposes of the translation I imagine it matters little whether it is described as a 'transparent hatch' or not.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day 2 hrs (2022-04-20 23:45:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
More refs to hatch used to escape from a ditched B-17:
https://www.lonesentry.com/blog/ditching-a-b-17-flying-fortr...
Text and illustrations on pp 112 and 115 here:
https://books.google.fr/books?id=BlAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA112&lpg=P...
Does you text give any explanation as to why the WOp/AG (RAF term) baled out from the top of the A/C? Had it flipped? The normal airborne escape for him would be via the bomb-bay doors immediately forward of his position.
"If the crew were in their normal combat positions and needed to bail out, they would exit this way:
1. Navigator and Bombardier from the door below the nose.
2. Pilot, Co-Pilot, Top Turret Gunner/Enginner, and RADIOMAn from the BOMB BAY DOORS.
3. Ball Turret Gunner and Waist Gunners from the waist door.
4. Tail Gunner from the tail gunner’s emergency exit."
https://thearrowheadclub.com/2015/07/08/how-to-bail-out-of-a...
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Note added at 1 day 2 hrs (2022-04-20 23:45:55 GMT)
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Note from asker:
| You asked if the text gives any explanation why the radio operator exited the way he did. Short answer: the plane had been hit several times by enemy fighters in the air battle over the area around Memmingen, Germany, on July 18, 1944, and the entire crew was forced to bail out with their parachutes. The plane was already spiraling downward at this point. |
1 day 18 hrs
Cillie Swart
South Africa
South Africa
Native in English
South Africa
Finance, Legal, Business Texts
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, Dutch to English, Afrikaans to English, and 1 more.
window flap
window flap or shutter
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