![]() ![]() Known as Class-C Fire Bombs and with a capacity of 108 US gallons, these bombs were only used in few missions. Napalm Bombs In the latter half of 1944 a refined petroleum jelly called Napalm became available. Eventually, factors such as wind speed and altitude were also taken into account. For this reason, time lag tables were used to indicate the release interval times of the different types of bomb. High explosive and incendiary bombs fell through the air in varying trajectories and thus an accurate attack with a mixed load was very difficult to aim. This became the most favored and effective incendiary bomb among the Bomber Groups. In January 1944, the US 8th Air Force used the 500lb M17 cluster which had better ballistics and a primecord release that could be set to give correct disbursement. It was packed in 100lb clusters which had a tendency to open prematurely, disperse too widely and cause damage to other planes in the formation. Unknown 359th BS Ground Crewmen Loading Bombs Incendiary Bombs Originally, the only incendiary bombs were available were the British 250lb and 500lb models filled with a rubber/gasoline mix, but in November 1942 the American M50A1 41lb magnesium bomb was added to the arsenal. the 100lb bomb was recommended for attacking railway yards and runways. In January 1945, experts recommended 250lb GP bombs to be used against synthetic oil plants, ammunition dumps and oil storage facilities. These accounted for most of the bombs dropped in the final year of the war. ![]() Eventually, to avoid accidents in landing, fuses were to be inserted only when the bombs were securely fixed into the aircraft. Standard Operating Procedure was soon changed so that fuses were installed just before take off. In a report in December 1942, after the raid on Lille, it was calculated that 30 percent of the bombs dropped had failed to explode because the arming mechanisms had frozen up after being exposed the damp conditions on the airfields overnight. The General Purpose (GP) bombs used in the early missions were fitted with quarter second delay tail fuses with an extra tenth of a second fuse in the nose. The 8th Air Force used 1000lb and 2000lb bombs for attacks on submarine pens, but these had little effect on the vast concrete fortifications that sheltered the U-boats most of the damage was done to the surrounding port area. Generally, 500lb, 1000lb, and 2000lb bombs were carried for industrial targets and the others for airfields. General Purpose/High Explosive Bombs The standard bombs used by the 8th Bomber Command from September 1942 were the five General Purpose types: the M30 100lb, M31 300lb, M43 500lb, M44 1000lb and M34 2000lb. USAAF 100 lb bomb with nose fuse shell could also be filled with white phosphorous to make the "Kenney Cocktail". ![]() RAF 12,000 lb Tallboy, used for breaking through the concrete roofs of U-boat pens.RAF 22,000 lb Grand Slam, the largest high-explosive bomb ever made.Mission Reports Combat Crews Individual Photos Photos POW KIA MACR Overseas Graves TAPSÄ¡681st Ordnance S & M Company Information Personnel Aircraft Nose Art B-17 Thunderbird Ground Support Uniforms Journals More Info Home About Us Contact Us Donate Newsletters 8th AFHS Links FAQ Facebook Search ![]()
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