Darkman
Well-Known Member
My friend Ron H here in Ballarat has an early bomb that he would like identified if possible.
He knows nothing about it at all, not even the nationality, as there are no discernable markings on the body whatsoever other than the number 2 on the cast aluminium section that screws into the main charge body. It was obtained from a militaria dealer and was originally painted white, but it is unknown if this is correct or not.
Definitely appears to be a genuine HE, not a practice bomb, as it has got all the right bits: Tail pistol for arming, booster/gaine for exploding the main charge, safety pin hole that prevents the tail pistol from rotating until withdrawn.
The bomb is 570mm (22 & 7/16") long overall (not including the ring at the rear) and about 130mm (5 & 1/8) at the widest point.
It has an oval shaped movable ring attached at the rear near the fins. There is a brass screw into a cavity into the cast aluminium section that may have contained a spring.
It weighs about 7kg empty, so may have been about an 18-20 pounder when filled with a charge.
It has no nose fuze at all the front nose section is smooth and appears to be threaded into the main charge body (but is now rusted solid) and was originally unscrewed via two prong holes in the nose section. The long thin booster device is made of brass, but has a central piece of steel embedded in the end this was possibly a needle (now rusted off) that may have pierced a detonator pellet to ignite the bomb on impact. However the means of detonation/ignition is not really understood.
Ron thinks it may be British as the threads are all 14 TPI, which is often used on British ordnance/fuzes.
Can anyone identify what it is, an approximate date, and (a long shot) the original paint colour or markings.
Thanks,
Graeme
He knows nothing about it at all, not even the nationality, as there are no discernable markings on the body whatsoever other than the number 2 on the cast aluminium section that screws into the main charge body. It was obtained from a militaria dealer and was originally painted white, but it is unknown if this is correct or not.
Definitely appears to be a genuine HE, not a practice bomb, as it has got all the right bits: Tail pistol for arming, booster/gaine for exploding the main charge, safety pin hole that prevents the tail pistol from rotating until withdrawn.
The bomb is 570mm (22 & 7/16") long overall (not including the ring at the rear) and about 130mm (5 & 1/8) at the widest point.
It has an oval shaped movable ring attached at the rear near the fins. There is a brass screw into a cavity into the cast aluminium section that may have contained a spring.
It weighs about 7kg empty, so may have been about an 18-20 pounder when filled with a charge.
It has no nose fuze at all the front nose section is smooth and appears to be threaded into the main charge body (but is now rusted solid) and was originally unscrewed via two prong holes in the nose section. The long thin booster device is made of brass, but has a central piece of steel embedded in the end this was possibly a needle (now rusted off) that may have pierced a detonator pellet to ignite the bomb on impact. However the means of detonation/ignition is not really understood.
Ron thinks it may be British as the threads are all 14 TPI, which is often used on British ordnance/fuzes.
Can anyone identify what it is, an approximate date, and (a long shot) the original paint colour or markings.
Thanks,
Graeme
