Is this picture fake?

PatrickHMS · Nov 27, 2009

Any real human body that had been there for any length of time would have been disposed of by wild things. There would be buzzards flying overhead.

And it would stink to high heaven.

Josh66 · Nov 27, 2009

PatrickHMS said:
And it would stink to high heaven.

You can tell it's fake by the smell?

grafxman · Nov 28, 2009

I'm not an expert in fake photography but I believe the picture to be genuine and here's why. Someone mentioned the ground is undisturbed behind the plane. I believe it spun 180 degrees before it stopped sliding. The ground in front of the plane looks somewhat smooth to me as if that's what happened. That would also explain why the pilot is upright in the cockpit. Since the rudder has been shot away that would also explain the lack of directional control.

The prop is bent backwards. When I was working on my masters degree in aeronautical science at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University we studied aircraft mishaps. Every picture I ever saw of a prop plane crash, other than a smoking hole in the ground, had a similar looking prop. As a point of interest, the aircraft speed can even be determined from prop marks in the ground. If the engine isn't running at all, then that will also be evident.

The horizontal stabilizer's control surface is hard up. This indicates the stick was full back in an effort to pull up. Due to extensive aircraft damage it was likely locked in that position.

Panels are frequently lost if the airstream gets beneath them. The plane looks to me like it has been shot to hell. I would be amazed if any removable panel remained.

The pilot likely lived long enough to try to land the plane. It landed upright and level. It didn't tumble and roll itself up into a ball of aluminum.

I'm not familiar with German military flying apparel however the slight pleat at the shoulder suggests to me a leather flight jacket. That was common in Allied forces since the aircraft had no heaters. I suspect the white area on the chest is a scarf. I don't believe there has been any vandalism since it appears to my old eyes that the pilot still has a ring on, possibly a wedding band.

Of course I could be wrong but that's my opinion.

Ryan Hall · Nov 28, 2009

I used to be into modeling like that and have seen many images like that. It's a black and white photograph of a model airplane diorama.

DennyCrane · Nov 28, 2009

That wheel wouldn't be that close to the plane after the crash, either.

grafxman · Nov 28, 2009

Ryan Hall said:
I used to be into modeling like that and have seen many images like that. It's a black and white photograph of a model airplane diorama.

Are there any online?

Hocus Focus · Nov 28, 2009

above dio at http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/23090/00500.jpg

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingp...els/phobbins/Dragon_P-38M_kitbash-diorama.jpg

For more Google: diorama wwii

grafxman · Nov 28, 2009

Hocus Focus said:
above dio at http://gallery.kitmaker.net/data/23090/00500.jpg

http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingp...els/phobbins/Dragon_P-38M_kitbash-diorama.jpg

For more Google: diorama wwii

The link you provided is obviously a model and could not be mistaken for anything but a model. I googled diorama wwii as you suggested and looked at several hundred dioramas. About 99% or more are of tanks, NOT aircraft. They are all obvious models. The few aircraft that are there are also obvious models.

Furthermore show me just one model soldier/aviator with a ring on a finger of his left hand. If the second image is copied and pasted into a photo editing application and is enhanced, the ring is clearly visible.

It would be nice to know exactly where the picture was taken. Perhaps the terrain from other photos of the area could provide some help. It should be possible to authenticate the photo itself at someplace like the Smithsonian or Kodak labs. I still believe the photo to be original and I have neither seen nor heard anything that indicates otherwise.

DennyCrane · Nov 28, 2009

A ring is not out of the range of possibility for a diorama. These guys take it seriously.

Flightpath 1/48th Scale Dartmoor Military Models WWII Aviation

Tiberius47 · Nov 29, 2009

I've seen some of the dioramas people make, and there is nothing in the OP's image that could not be added to a diorama.

The DoF seems to hint to me that it was a photo taken at a close range or something rather small rather than a landscape of something more then ten meters away from the camera.

DennyCrane · Nov 29, 2009

I agree 100%.

Derrel · Nov 29, 2009

I think it's a real aircraft,shot down and photographed where it came to rest. What I see is a lens that's got bad corners, which would be very common on a camera from that era. The "pilot" and his body position looks a bit odd. The one detail that makes me think it is real is the airplane wing on the right hand side of the photo: there's a small bit of grass growing there that appears partly in the sunlight,and partly in the shade under the wing. The airplane's damage looks "real" to me. The grasses growing from the ground look real to me.

It's difficult to see much of the finer details of the scene with the quality of the digital picture taken of this print. The idea that the pilot's body might have been moved by a salvager looking for a wallet, or a nice Walther or Luger pistol, is a pretty realistic possibility.