prop identification

[Dschu]

Hello, I'm new here and looking for information on a propeller.

length from tip to tip 3.06 m
6 Bolt holes

Reschke ges. gesch W 1914
No. 21093
16Z
260 hp Mercedes D 312, SE180

[Bob Gardner]

Guten Tag Dschu,

Your propeller dates from the first half of 1917. It was made by the company of Franz Reschke GmbH in Berlin.

The data translates as;

21093 Serial number
16Z I don't know what this is. It might be the word ZUG indicating it was a tractor prop
260hp Merc This describes the Mercedes D IV engine. I assume that this reads 260PS which you have translated for us into 260hp
D312 Durchmesser 312cm; the diameter. I note that your prop is 14mm shorter than the quoted 312cm, which is well within the variation allowed by Idflieg
SE180 ST180 Steigung 180cm; the pitch of the prop

It is unusual at this stage of the war to find a six bolt-hole hub. Almost all had eight bolt hole hubs. But the Mercedes D IV engine did use a six bolt-hole hub.

Your prop was probably used on the Albatros C XII for which Reschke was a known maker.

The date 1914 on the Eisernes Kreuz is the date that Kaiser Wilhelm authorised its activation. (The two previous occasions were 1813 and 1870).
The letter W is the cipher of Kaiser Wilhelm II). It is not the date the propeller was made.

Tschüss,

Bob

[Bob Gardner]

It's seven days since I replied to this man. There has been no acknowledgement from him. I suspect that a by-product of the human-computer interface is that people now discount the possibility that they are communicating with a fellow human. It would be ludicrous to google some subject and then thank Google for the reply. Researching an answer such as this one on a Reschke propeller and drafting my reply takes me around an hour. I'm not entirely altruistic, of course. I benefit by gaining some more data for my database. I'm sure that had I held a door open for this man he would have thanked me.

With kind regards,

Bob

[Dave]

It's seven days since I replied to this man. There has been no acknowledgement from him. I suspect that a by-product of the human-computer interface is that people now discount the possibility that they are communicating with a fellow human. It would be ludicrous to google some subject and then thank Google for the reply. Researching an answer such as this one on a Reschke propeller and drafting my reply takes me around an hour. I'm not entirely altruistic, of course. I benefit by gaining some more data for my database. I'm sure that had I held a door open for this man he would have thanked me.

With kind regards,

Bob

Worse yet the software is configured to automatically notify him by email that a reply has been posted to his original question. This forum got set up because I got tired of replying to email inquiries and getting no response in return, but even that doesn't solve the problem as well as we'd like it to.

[Dschu]

Hello, sorry for my late response.

I was very happy about the quick response, but I had a lot of stress and therefore today is the first time back in forum.

I can only apologize again for this, you are doing a great job.

[Dave]

No problem. The comments by Bob and me are more likely directed in a general direction.

[Bob Gardner]

Thank you Dschu! I was glad to be able to help you and grateful for your data which I have added to my database. It's a record of every known surviving German prop from WW1. After several years of research I have records of about 600 propellers.

With friendly Greetings.

Bob