What's new
British Ordnance Collectors Network

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Help needed to identify these WW2 bombs

Dreamk

Well-Known Member
I am rather puzzled by these bombs - no details on the location of the photography - bombs on a beach at some point of time between 1940 and 1942 with 2 German soldiers looking at them. Could be Serbian 90kg but the rigging of the tail reinforcements of the front bomb are problematic for such an identification - Similarly the shape of the body could be ompatible with early Soviet FAB designs but once again the tail poses a problem.
The bombs seem to be of 100-250kg order.
to identify s-l1600.jpg
 
Wooh! This is a great idea! I totally forgot this possibility!
It would indeed compatible is the "bombe explosive en acier de 225kg type M Mle 1938" .
The hooks atatching the tail to the body are indeed characteristic.
Though the rigging of the reinforcing struts does not appear on the drawing, it cannot be excluded as nobody has yet seen a remnant of this bomb.
This kind of rigging on square bomb stabilizators was typical of French and Poilsh (under French influence) bombs - though some limited rigging can be seen on 1930s Ita;ian ring stabilizators, to disappear as soon as they began using better quality steel sheets.
here's the original "trace" and the interpretation by Henry Belot in Deminest
bombe explosive en acier mle 38 de 225 kg M.jpg

Bombe de type M Mle 1938 225kg.gif
 
This is a 73kg G2 bomb under the V-156F Vindicator - the shape is very similar to the 220kg M Mle 1938 but its size is quite smalle (1.25m length 0.27m diameter) the stabilizatior is also less estensive (1 centarl ridge + 2 raised edges) - BTW her too, the ridges does not appear on the drawings of this bomb, only on real phototgraphs.

The M Mle 1938 bomb was identical but bigger 1.80m overall size without fuze, 0.49m diameter - by comparison with the sizes of the soldiers, these bombs seem much larger than the G2, with a wider stabilizer. I'd tend to say M and not G2 - but its an open identification - logic would in fact weight in favour of the G2 s these bombs were current issue while the M Mle 1938 was semi-experimental though saw limited operational use.

Bombe G 2 de 46,5 - 73.jpg
Bombe de type G2 Mle 1927 75Kg.gif
 
Top