I fell recently upon a very nice and uncommon pre-ww2 Czech bomb - it was auctioned last year and I hope the buyer was a museum as this piece really deserves it.
This is one of the "narazovymi sipy" (explosive darts) included into the early cluster bomb developed by Bohdan Pantoflicek - the legendary chief armament engineer at Skoda's Works.
The shape of these darts is totally identical to the one appearing on the patent of his cluster bomb 1923 and the dimensions are also compatible with the data (440 mm overall length/ 30 mm diameter)
The post 1934 versions were much longer (563mm for the explosive darts and 370mm for the incendiary darts) and possibly without fins (if we can follow the very detailed drawing appearing in the 1939 Gerrman patent filled by Pantoflicek)
the black paint is also compatible with the pre-1934 period.
Enjoy the pictures:
Picture from Pantoflicek's 1923 patent
Picture from Pantoflicek's 1939 patent - the external shape is similar to the one of Skoda's vz.34 series of explosive bombs
I have no way to be sure that the real bomb containing these bomblets looked as on the drawing of the patents though the level of detail of the drawings is uncommonly high and can be an argument for these drawings representing real bombs and not only concepts.
The data I gave for pre-1934 Czech cluster bombs/ containers is as follow
Weight / Content / Length . Diameter (Overall/ body)
10kg explosive darts container 11.8 kg (10 darts) 503 mm 140 mm / 90 mm
20kg explosive darts container 21.92 kg (19 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each Explosive dart 0.900 kg 440 mm 30 mm
10kg zabkovymi darts container 12.54 kg (10 darts) 503 mm 140 mm / 90 mm
20kg zabkovymi darts container 23.32 kg (19 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each zabkovymi dart 0.975 kg 440 mm 30 mm
(I don't understand this term "Zabkovymi" - please help
!
20kg incendiary darts container 15.1 kg (38 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each Incendiary dart 0.270 kg 220 mm 30 mmm
This is one of the "narazovymi sipy" (explosive darts) included into the early cluster bomb developed by Bohdan Pantoflicek - the legendary chief armament engineer at Skoda's Works.
The shape of these darts is totally identical to the one appearing on the patent of his cluster bomb 1923 and the dimensions are also compatible with the data (440 mm overall length/ 30 mm diameter)
The post 1934 versions were much longer (563mm for the explosive darts and 370mm for the incendiary darts) and possibly without fins (if we can follow the very detailed drawing appearing in the 1939 Gerrman patent filled by Pantoflicek)
the black paint is also compatible with the pre-1934 period.
Enjoy the pictures:
Picture from Pantoflicek's 1923 patent
Picture from Pantoflicek's 1939 patent - the external shape is similar to the one of Skoda's vz.34 series of explosive bombs
I have no way to be sure that the real bomb containing these bomblets looked as on the drawing of the patents though the level of detail of the drawings is uncommonly high and can be an argument for these drawings representing real bombs and not only concepts.
The data I gave for pre-1934 Czech cluster bombs/ containers is as follow
Weight / Content / Length . Diameter (Overall/ body)
10kg explosive darts container 11.8 kg (10 darts) 503 mm 140 mm / 90 mm
20kg explosive darts container 21.92 kg (19 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each Explosive dart 0.900 kg 440 mm 30 mm
10kg zabkovymi darts container 12.54 kg (10 darts) 503 mm 140 mm / 90 mm
20kg zabkovymi darts container 23.32 kg (19 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each zabkovymi dart 0.975 kg 440 mm 30 mm
(I don't understand this term "Zabkovymi" - please help
20kg incendiary darts container 15.1 kg (38 darts) 505 mm 172 mm/ 148 mm
Each Incendiary dart 0.270 kg 220 mm 30 mmm
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