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 1 1. GERMAN BOMBS

(a) High Explosive Bombs (H.E.)

The main range of German high explosive bombs is illustrated in Figures 1–9; tabulated in Appendix A and detailed below.

(i) General Purpose Bombs:—

Type A are thin case steel bombs of 50, 250, 500, 1,000, 1,200 and 1,800 kg. They are distinguished by a yellow stripe painted on the tail vanes and/or on the tail cone, or by the tail cone being painted yellow all over. (German marking, SC.)

Type B are medium case steel bombs of 50, 70, 250, 500 and I,700 kg. The fragmentation effect of these bombs is more efficient than those in A owing to their heavier wall construction. They are usually distinguished by a red stripe painted on the tail vanes and/or on the tail cone, or by the tail cone being painted red all over (German marking, SD).

(ii) Armour-piercing steel bombs are of 500, 1,000 and 1,400 kg. These are distinguished by a dark blue stripe painted on the tail vanes and/or on the tail cone, or by the tail cone being painted dark blue all over (German marking, PC).

(iii) There is also a light alloy cased bomb of 2,500 kg. (German marking, SC.)

(iv) Anti-personnel bombs are of three types. The anti-personnel bomb illustrated in Figure 3 is known as the "SD I" and weighs about I kg. It is pear-shaped, having a maximum diameter of 2 in. tapering to 1⅜ in. at the nose, and is 6¾ in. long overall. It has six or eight light metal fins, each ½ in. wide and 1¼ in. long, mounted on a tubular frame 1 in. diameter, the rear end of the fins being supported by a circular band ½ in. or ¾ in. wide and 2 in. diameter. A smaller pattern, thought to be of French origin, weighs approximately ½ kg. and is 6 in. long overall. Both sizes may be painted yellow or dark green and are fitted with an impact type fuse. (SD½.)

The bomb shown in Figure 6 is the so-called "butterfly" bomb (known also by its German mark "SD 2 "). This bomb weighs 2 kg. (i.e. about 4 lb.) and is 3½ in. long and 3¼ in. diameter. The outer casing, coloured dark grey-green, dark red or yellow, and sometimes having red or yellow stripes on the body or wings, is a cylinder of sheet metal in two halves, which open to form a species of parachute or wings as the bomb falls, with two ends which become vanes rotating at the end of a steel cable 5 in. long, thus rendering the fuze live. Three types of fuze are fitted in the bomb, viz.:—

(a) one giving three seconds delay after release or direct action on impact;

(b) one giving a delay up to 30 minutes;

(c) an anti-disturbance fuze.

A version of the bomb with both wings removed and the propeller blades reduced in size to a triangular shape is shown in Figure 4. In this version an impact fuze is fitted.

The SD 2 bomb when unexploded may be highly sensitive and