WW2 Improvised Mine Molotov Breadbasket

[Kilroy was Here]

This is another new addition to the collection thanks to one of my good overseas friends :tinysmile_twink_t2:
It's an improvised A/P mine made from a Soviet cluster bomblett that was used in the "Molotov's Breadbasket" air dropped "cluster" bomb. It has a special adapter to install a MUV mine fuze. I believe the "Breadbasket" cluster bombs had about 70 of these little bombletts contained inside them.

This bomblett does not have any marking cast into the body, but there are some numbers stamped into the tail fins that are hard to read. It weighs 5lbs15oz and is about 15 inches long without the adapter and fuze.

A very interesting improvised mine, now one of my most interesting and very favorite items.
I hope you will enjoy the photos, I believe they are not too common to see.

Do other members also have an example to show?

Regards, Steve
"Dr.Ruby"

 

[Grenademan2005]

Nice one. Germans did the same with all kind of mortars, shells, bombs, etc. Specially at Afrika with the Rommel Devils Gardens.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Nice one. Germans did the same with all kind of mortars, shells, bombs, etc. Specially at Afrika with the Rommel Devils Gardens.

Thanks Miguel. it's an interesting one. It would make a nasty surprise I'm sure.

Regards, Steve

 

[stecol]

There was an other use of the same submunition AO-2,5SCh as landmine, the Fragmentation AP jumping mine OPPM-2,5 of 1943.

Ciao
stecol

 

[APFSDST]

Very nice, and rare piece!
What the stamps on the fins?

 

[Ivashkin]

Very nice, and rare piece!
What the stamps on the fins?

This picture is not him, and the organization of Basalt (until the end of the Soviet Union was the title GSKB-47), which during the war was engaged in engineering, including ammunition. Now they are mine do not. But the mine was developed by them and they said was used during the war.

 

[Tmine35]

Basically Molotov Bread baskets were filled with incendiary bombs, and sometimes mixed with a few HE-bombs of similar size.
Was this a HE-bomb originally, it looks different from incendiary?
I don't see much point in using an incendiary bomb as a booby trap.

 

[V40]

Off the record and forgive me...

Grenadman2007,

You might just be suprised that they (USA) back in the Vienam War they tried to do the same as the Germans.

We used 60mm and up to 81mm to drop them in a home made device. It was shaped like a long vertical rectangler metal device. The mines would be armed before and handplaced from the other side towards the gunner and crew chief. They were placed by hand one at a time through that side door by the crew chief, carefully, very carefully and stacked them one at a time until the verticle box is full of them. They were also placed with the nose pointing forward. They would drop them by a piece of wire or nylon 550 cord to open the botom and let them fall out. They landed with a bang. Not one went off prematurely in the Huey. Great ideas were from that war.


Sorry and please fogive me for jumping track here but I think this was worthery, and suited to the this thread.

V40
Mark

 

[Endel]

This is normal HE bomb. Usually painted dark grey and commonly it`s not elaborate metal casting. Are you sure Steve, there are no markings on the side?

Regards
E

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Very nice, and rare piece!
What the stamps on the fins?

Hi John,Thanks. Yes, it is quite rare I think. I cannot see the stamps good, there is corrosion pits!!!!! :frown:

Here is pics of the stamping markings on the fin, it looks like "3R" and a "2" and a "4"

 

[Kilroy was Here]

This is normal HE bomb. Usually painted dark grey and commonly it`s not elaborate metal casting. Are you sure Steve, there are no markings on the side?

Regards
E

Hi Endel, there is no date and markings like the one you show :tinysmile_cry_t:
I wish it did have a nice clear date on it, but......you can't always get what you want.......but if you try sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

This picture is not him, and the organization of Basalt (until the end of the Soviet Union was the title GSKB-47), which during the war was engaged in engineering, including ammunition. Now they are mine do not. But the mine was developed by them and they said was used during the war.

I do not understand, can you explain more please?
This picture is not him?

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Grenadman2007,

You might just be suprised that they (USA) back in the Vienam War they tried to do the same as the Germans.

We used 60mm and up to 81mm to drop them in a home made device. It was shaped like a long vertical rectangler metal device. The mines would be armed before and handplaced from the other side towards the gunner and crew chief. They were placed by hand one at a time through that side door by the crew chief, carefully, very carefully and stacked them one at a time until the verticle box is full of them. They were also placed with the nose pointing forward. They would drop them by a piece of wire or nylon 550 cord to open the botom and let them fall out. They landed with a bang. Not one went off prematurely in the Huey. Great ideas were from that war.


Sorry and please fogive me for jumping track here but I think this was worthery, and suited to the this thread.

V40
Mark

Hey mark, thanks for the story, very interesting ideas they had.
No problem you jumping off track. It's all interesting to learn.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Basically Molotov Bread baskets were filled with incendiary bombs, and sometimes mixed with a few HE-bombs of similar size.
Was this a HE-bomb originally, it looks different from incendiary?
I don't see much point in using an incendiary bomb as a booby trap.

Hi Reino, this also is what I read about the Molotov baskets, that what mostly was used were the incendiary bombletts during the Winter war, and they were not used much if at all during GPW ?? I do not know if this is true though.

I do not know the difference, if there was any between HE and incendiary bombletts, they were probably all made the same? The one I have has a very thick body casting, and is almost 6lbs. I do not see the point either in boobytrap incendiary, so they must have filled them for what was needed

 

[Tmine35]

Hi Steve,
I think I have sent this picture of my Russian bombs to BOCN sometimes in past already.

From Bottom they are:
-HE-bomb made from 45mm HE-shell
-Ordinary incendiary bomb with magnesium body
-The same but painted red, which looks original to me. Purpose unknown.
-Parachute flare bomb missing tail.

 

[Ivashkin]

I do not understand, can you explain more please?
This picture is not him?

He put up a picture and did not even bother to specify the source.
Here's your original pictures. Only they are in Russian. According to some articles in the figures is explained.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

There was an other use of the same submunition AO-2,5SCh as landmine, the Fragmentation AP jumping mine OPPM-2,5 of 1943.

Ciao
stecol

Hi Stecol, very interesting, I did not know about these jumping mines. Thanks for posting this info.

 

[Kilroy was Here]

He put up a picture and did not even bother to specify the source.
Here's your original pictures. Only they are in Russian. According to some articles in the figures is explained.

Ivashkin, OK, thank you, but I am still lost about what you are trying to say :hmmmm2: :dontknow: I need Russian wife to translate!!

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Hi Steve,
I think I have sent this picture of my Russian bombs to BOCN sometimes in past already.

From Bottom they are:
-HE-bomb made from 45mm HE-shell
-Ordinary incendiary bomb with magnesium body
-The same but painted red, which looks original to me. Purpose unknown.
-Parachute flare bomb missing tail.

Excellent Reino, thanks for showing these. You have some very rare and interesting items in your excellent collection. I did not know about the magnesium bombletts and the others. :nerd: I learn so much good info from everyone here at BOCN!!!

 

[Kilroy was Here]

Grenadman2007,

You might just be suprised that they (USA) back in the Vienam War they tried to do the same as the Germans.
We used 60mm and up to 81mm to drop them in a home made device. It was shaped like a long vertical rectangler metal device. The mines would be armed before and handplaced from the other side towards the gunner and crew chief. They were placed by hand one at a time through that side door by the crew chief, carefully, very carefully and stacked them one at a time until the verticle box is full of them. They were also placed with the nose pointing forward. They would drop them by a piece of wire or nylon 550 cord to open the botom and let them fall out. They landed with a bang. Not one went off prematurely in the Huey. Great ideas were from that war.

Sorry and please fogive me for jumping track here but I think this was worthery, and suited to the this thread.

V40
Mark

Hi Mark, I have re-read what you have described a few times, and what you say, an improvised "Molotov Breadbasket" dropped from one of our Huey's in VN sounds like it could be effective, but that is INSANE! haha! Whatever crews did that, had very BIG balls......