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Fuze on the Pumpkin bomb
- Thread starter Antoon
- Start date
Well, the early prototypes of the FatMan had also these same three (then four on more advanced prototypes) pockets for standard U.S. Navy AN 219 (Mod 3 or 4) impact fuses (in case of failure of the mid air detonator). So this is most probably what was on the Pumpkin, which was "non-nuclear" prototype version of the Fatman.
BTW Fatman was itself the prototype of the Mk3 Nuclear bomb produced after ww2 (120 MK III bombs were manufactured and stockpiled between 1947 and 1949) which were equipped with 4 pockets for Mk219 fuzes.
However 49 Pumpkin bombs were dropped operationally over Japan by B-29s, belonging US Army Air Force 509th Bomb Group and the attached document from the NSA archive mentions in page 2 that they are fuzed for instantaneous explosion but "very shortly a proximity fuse will be available for it..." https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/10.pdf
The question of course remains whether these bombs dropped by these USAAF B-29 were equipped with Navy Mk219 fuse or with their equivalent standard army M103.
BTW Fatman was itself the prototype of the Mk3 Nuclear bomb produced after ww2 (120 MK III bombs were manufactured and stockpiled between 1947 and 1949) which were equipped with 4 pockets for Mk219 fuzes.
However 49 Pumpkin bombs were dropped operationally over Japan by B-29s, belonging US Army Air Force 509th Bomb Group and the attached document from the NSA archive mentions in page 2 that they are fuzed for instantaneous explosion but "very shortly a proximity fuse will be available for it..." https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB162/10.pdf
The question of course remains whether these bombs dropped by these USAAF B-29 were equipped with Navy Mk219 fuse or with their equivalent standard army M103.
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Thanks for the info.
There is never a Pumpkin dropped on Tokyo. In total 51 Pumpkins have been dropped on 6 different days in 1945 on Japanese cities in the area near the planned atomic targets.
On 20 July - 10 Pumpkins, 24 July - 10 Pumpkins, 26 July - 10 Pumpkins, 29 July - 8 Pumpkins
After each atomic mission the 409th Composite Group conducted other combat operations, making a series of Pumpkin bomb attacks on 8 and 14 August. Six Silverplate B-29s visually attacked targets at Yokkaichi, Uwajima, Tsuruga, and Tokushima on 8 August, bombing two primary and three secondary targets with five bombs. Seven aircraft visually attacked Koromo and Nagoya on 14 August. The B-29 #44-27296, Some Punkin with Captain James N. Price dropped the latest (conventional) bomb from WW-2.
On the 14th august 1945 also the largest bomb raid of the Pacific War was conducted bij 1014 bombers and fighters.
Greetings - Antoon
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The Bomb Group that was assembled to drop Little Boy and Fat Man over Japan, practiced extensively flying from Wendover Army Airfield in Utah, dropping pumpkins on the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The pumpkins were manufactured in both inert and Comp B filled high explosive versions. Both versions were weight matched to the Fat Man bomb. It was alleged that the inert target tracking versions were painted orange.