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Bomb Splinter with a grim tail

R

Rockteer

Well-Known Member
Hi, I thought you all might like to see a photo of the fragment of German bomb that was donated to us last year, it will be put on public display very soon. It is a fragment of the bomb that fell on Petworth Boys School, tragically killing one of my relatives (George Charles Hunt). The bombing of the school changed the lives of a lot of families in the small village of Petworth in Sussex and will never be forgotten. This fragment is without doubt the most special piece in the entire collection and will stand as a memorial to all those who had their lives taken at such a young age.

One day, I would love to obtain a (defused) 500kg to add to the display this was the size of the bomb that did all this damage, one must never forget what these fascinating objects were designed to do.

If anyone can help with any information as the where-a-bouts of German 500KG Bomb with or without a tail unit, please do get in touch.
 

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Rockteer said:
Hi, I thought you all might like to see a photo of the fragment of German bomb that was donated to us last year, it will be put on public display very soon. It is a fragment of the bomb that fell on Petworth Boys School, tragically killing one of my relatives (George Charles Hunt). The bombing of the school changed the lives of a lot of families in the small village of Petworth in Sussex and will never be forgotten. This fragment is without doubt the most special piece in the entire collection and will stand as a memorial to all those who had their lives taken at such a young age.

One day, I would love to obtain a (defused) 500kg to add to the display this was the size of the bomb that did all this damage, one must never forget what these fascinating objects were designed to do.

If anyone can help with any information as the where-a-bouts of German 500KG Bomb with or without a tail unit, please do get in touch.
Click to expand...

This would be the sort of thing you would be looking for:tinysmile_shy_t:

Best phil
 

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Rockteer,

thats quite a piece of shrapnel, something to be certainly treasured and looked after. Ime sorry it also has some sad thoughts also for you and your family. Certainly the centre piece for any display.
My Dad used to say to me that all the boys were out collecting similar stuff during the Blitz and the best bits to have were unexploded incendiary devices which were often taken home and hid under the bed[horror of horrors]. Dad was only stopped collecting such items after he was knocked flying by a V2 in Rochester in early 1945, heard the bang well after it had arrived.

Andy
 
Yes, I wonder how many kids got a bit too close for comfort when out collecting bits. It always amazes me when you read about school children stripping large parts from crashed aircraft. The Butterfly Bombs were I believe popular with children when they first appeared! Is that why they were painted bright yellow? that is what I have been led to believe but it seems below the belt to me, but then I guess both sides were up to these kind of things. If anyone can confirm, certainly most I have seen have evidence of yellow paint but perhaps these are training examples??
 
On the SD2 Butterfly colours,im sure the topic was covered somewhere here on BOCN?
I always thought that the colour schemes were for identification of fuze type for the german armourer although bright colours served another purpose of which you mention.

cheers
waff
 
Although the colouring of the SD2 may have had this deadly side effect with children, I've read that the bright colours were actually to aid German troops advancing into enemy territory where the SD2s had just been dropped on enemy defences, so they didn't walk on them. The colours would have helped the bomblets stand out in snow or undergrowth/long grass.

I have never heard that the colour schemes were related to the fuzings.

I don't think the British spread the rumour about the SD2 colouring 'aimed at children' as deliberate mailicious propaganda of 'the beastly Hun', but in the light of any other info, probably genuinely thought this was the reason why the Germans coloured the SD2s.
 
That makes a lot of sense but then I guess the colours would have also been useful to the British when trying to spot them!
 
...which again suggests that they were coloured for a post-battle identification role, more than any surprise booby-trap role. Perhpas this was what the khaki coloured SD2s were for (to blend in)?

I suppose when they dropped the coloured SD2s on England, they were using Eastern Front stocks (that had previously been painted bright colours for German troops on the Eastern Front)?
 
So according to that thread, the colours were supposed to relate to the SD2's fuzings, but in practice, recovered/BD experience shows they didn't always?
 
Maybe in practice and actual combat the ground crews just used what ever they had? It is a bit like our lads in afghanistan not having the right type of cammo. Are many of these still found today?
 
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