Anyone Know Anything About Parachutes?

So I was visiting my Dad this weekend while deer hunting and I was showing him my collection on the computer. This morning at breakfast he asked me if I would want my great uncles WWII parachute. Duh, yes. He really didn't know much about it or what or my uncle was so I have nothing to go with from that. He seemed to think he was some sort of controller and if so I would think he would be on the ground. But he did have a pilots license, he gave me my first airplane ride when I was young. It was supposedly in a black garbage bag where it had been for 30 years in a storage room. Couldn't find it. Turns out he put it in a nice box that we ignored for 20 minutes but was right on top of the pile of stuff, even marked Parachute on the sides of the box we couldn't see.

So, I have no idea if this actually is a WWII parachute or not, turns out there are actually two in the box. It's raining so I can't take them outside to open them up and spread them out. I could find no markings on either which seems strange. They could be supply chutes also. I don't know what they are made of, I'm guessing Nylon as I have no idea what silk looks like. The cords are all cut short.

What should I look for when I get a chance to take them outside in daylight? It appears to be white, it's sheer meaning you can easily see through it, it has blue or black stitching. There are 18 cords. It seems too small for a man, maybe 10 feet from the outside edge to the hole in the top so I'm thinking some sort of supply chute.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../9O1RQFu-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../2SOlWnl-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../EkBEg8Z-1.jpg

As I understand it British and German WW2 parachutes were made of silk. Because America had access to nylon American WW2 parachutes could, perhaps, have been made from nylon.

I do have some fragments of a WW2 German parachute which my late father liberated from a crashed German aircraft during WW2, after getting permission from the sentry guarding it. These fragments have a matt white appearance but were subject to a fire when the aircraft crashed.

Two things, I've never seen one with gromets used for men and there's no suspension lines running through the apex. I've never seen that before either. Don't know what this one's for.

Depending upon its size it could be a pilot chute or a drag chute. What's its diameter and are there any stencils on it.

I don't know the size yet. It's wet here right now. It isn't huge though, not man size, not large cargo size but bigger than a pilots chute I would think. Couldn't find any stencils on either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

I don't know the size yet.

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We've got the time...

Illumination flare? The parachute on the flare from the old 4.2 inch mortar is about 3-1/2 feet across. I don't know how big they are for the illumination round from a 155 howitzer.

It is around 16 feet in diameter.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../FimUoey-1.jpg

It's too small and not enough panels to be a T10 which was the smallest military parachute for dropping humans. It's about the right size for a LAPES drogue chute which would be my guess. The drogue chute pulls out the the two main extraction parachutes which then pulls out the load.

Did they do LAPES in WWII. I'm pretty confident the time period is correct, WWII or at latest Korea. Simply due to the time period he was in the service. I did find this that popped up with Drogue in the search. Size is about right and from what I can see of it, it looks the same. you have to enlarge the photo to see the stitching. Is is silk though, how do you tell the difference?

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...gue-1843429678

And this is a possiblity: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=htt...ljcqg2aj71.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aragorn243

Did they do LAPES in WWII.

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Nope, just parachute drops from Dakotas and such.

This parachute looks very similar to yours with a 2009 manufacturing date. Most canopies were taken out of service after 12 years use.

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Originally Posted by Sapper740

This parachute looks very similar to yours

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I think the difference on that one was it has suspension lines through the apex and there's no gromets used, suspension lines are always sewn. I've never seen gromets used.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

I've never seen gromets used.

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True that. I found a picture of a German parachute flare dropped over Tobruk that looks similar to the OP's.

Probably about right.

Closest one I've seen is in the first link I posted on page one. Here is an enlarged photo taken from that link. It has the same stitching and the metal gromets. It is also the same size 16 ft in diameter. Said to be WWII silk drogue chute.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../QQddR3V-1.jpg

My uncle's been dead over 30 years, no way he passed a 2009 chute to my dad. The German one isn't even remotely close.

I have a radial panel (slightly pie-shaped) from a Japanese parachute that my grandfather sent home during WW2. It is silk.

The US stopped using silk in 1943 and went to Nylon. I believe the two I have are nylon but not sure. Pretty sure it's a drogue chute of some sort but for what, I have no idea. Way too small for a man, not for large cargo either. Maybe ammo box drops, food, other supplies.

I thought that silk generally has a bit of a "sheen to it" but the fragments of silk parachute that Posted pics of, post 2, don't. As stated they have been in a fire which may have affected their appearance.

These guys make them, there are measurements accompanying. Flare Parachute - Mills Manufacturing

From reading the link BAR added,

Sounds like Drouges served a number of purposes.

Possible this one was used to trail behind the aircraft and pull the extraction parachutes, which releases the pallet with the load ?

Deceleration Parachutes | Mills Manufacturing

Parachutes........ I've looked up INTO a few parachutes while I've been hanging underneath one! About 26 in all as I recall. I always remember the first call after it's broken free and billowed. Look up. If it ain't round, it ain't sound

Attachment 134482
Unless you are flying a square.

BEAR

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Peter Laidler

Look up. If it ain't round, it ain't sound

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Unless it's a Paracommander which is oval and missing panes.