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BUTTERFLY BOMB - SD2 and M83 ' COLLECTION '

Hi Dave, I assume Kev's collection has gone to a couple of his close friends, but do you know if anyone is considering picking of where Kev left off on the SD-2 book project?

I'm hoping someone is going to. :tinysmile_shy_t:
 
Hi Dave, I assume Kev's collection has gone to a couple of his close friends, but do you know if anyone is considering picking of where Kev left off on the SD-2 book project?

I'm hoping someone is going to. :tinysmile_shy_t:

Nobody is picking up where Kev left off on his book that I know of.

Dave.
 
Nobody is picking up where Kev left off on his book that I know of.

Dave.

That is too bad, I know that many of us were looking forward to the book. But I also don't know of anyone else out there who has the knowledge of, or passion for, the SD-2 like Kev did.
 
Has anyone got a close up of the labels on the SD 2 box please?
I am in need of them for a restoration project. Thanks in advance.
 
Has anyone got a close up of the labels on the SD 2 box please?
I am in need of them for a restoration project. Thanks in advance.

Kev sent me this pic by email so I cropped the photo, not sure if its any good.

Dave.

Box close up.jpgBox.jpg
 
I took the clip off and gave it all a good clean.
Photos attached.
Does anyone know what the little clip is for that sticks out of the side of the main clip? It doesn't seem to have a use.
Dave.

View attachment 121331View attachment 121334View attachment 121333View attachment 121332View attachment 121330View attachment 121329

Following up on my earlier photos of the 70A fuze here is some information on its construction and operation.
I don't have a clue where I got this original information from, apologies to anyone who may have sent it to me that I've not acknowledged.
Dave.

Construction
Construction 1.jpgConstruction 2.jpg
Operation
Operation 1.jpgOperation 2.jpgOperation 3.jpg
Line drawing
Line drawing.jpg
Unarmed
Unarmed.jpg
Armed
Armed.jpg
Fired
Fired.jpg
 
SD2_Body.jpgThere's a lot of deeply pitted and corroded SD 2 bodies for sale at the moment. It's not so easy to find ones in near-original condition. I'm happy with this 1942 example with most of its original green paint remaining with the red undercoat showing through in just a few places. It's totally inert, of course.
 
Just a picture to show all the different wing types.
The standard set in the centre with the various cut down or small wings to the edge.
Dave.

IMG_2472.jpg
 
I picked this up today.
Its obviously fairly old but is not what it seems at first sight.
Its solid metal.
It is very well made. The "fuze" is made from the same solid piece of metal and is not a separate item from the body.
The stamping on the fuze is very odd
The 4 x small holes on the rim are the same as the very unusual early 41 fuzes (see post 187 above) BUT The "70" stamping cannot possibly be correct as the 70 fuzes were only made in bayonet fitting not screw fitting. Also 70 fuzes did not exist, they were either 70A, 70B, 70B1 or 70B2
It has stamped "AZ" and "ZEIT" which would be expected on a 41 fuze either side of circle that may be there to represent the switch.
The arming spindle hole is too small to accept an arming spindle from a standard SD 2
I don't know what the remainder of the markings mean.

My opinion is its not a fake. By the look of the markings someone obviously had access to information or specimens of SD 2 fuzes but why would such obvious errors be stamped onto the object?

Perhaps it is some sort of educational object made soon after the first SD 2's were dropped and there wasn't ready access to specimens. Someone has obviously gone to an enormous amount of effort to make it.

Thoughts anyone?

Dave.
 

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It definitely looks period and from the typeface of the 4, certainly British. The Germans almost invariably used an "open" 4, while the British used a "closed" 4.



Tom.
 
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Nobody is picking up where Kev left off on his book that I know of.

Dave.

Just to let you guys know, for the past 10 years I have been researching and writing a history of the Butterfly Bomb raids on Britain 1940-1945. Kev's book was a wider history of the SD2 and its use on all fronts, but my book is purely on its usage in Britain, listing the raids and the official response. I also include the use of other APBs, SD1 and SD10.

I am a writer and journalist, with a regular column in Britain At War magazine on Militaria Collecting, plus three previous books on the British Home Front (another due next year) and have spoken on TV and radio about the subject. I have also collected related militaria for the last 30+ years.

I have been a member of this forum for around 10 years now and talked/emailed/traded with Kev 2011-2016. Kev invited me to see his collection and we were arranging a time but it never happened. Like all on this forum, I'm still shocked at his passing and this forum is a lot quieter without him. Kev will be mentioned in a dedication in the foreword of my book. Similarly, I interviewed Eric Wakeling, also now passed on.

I have a publisher but no publication date as yet, as I'm still undertaking the research: for supposedly 'limited' (it wasn't) usage over Britain, there's a lot of information to gather on these APB raids.

All sources will be listed in the book.

Thanks,

Austin J. Ruddy.
 
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How's the book coming along? I'm particularly interested as I was a friend of Kev and visited him to see his collection several times.
Montagu
 
How's the book coming along? I'm particularly interested as I was a friend of Kev and visited him to see his collection several times.
Montagu

Hi Montagu, thanks for your interest. Sorry for the very tardy reply - I received no notification to this thread. I have written over 150 pages of research and have a good chronological diary of all the recorded APB incidents in Britain 1940-45. However, since Covid, getting into any archive has been very difficult for nearly a year now - the National Archives is near impossible and access is via almost a lottery. However, I was working on the book last night and have some really nice original reports etc to go in the book. Like everything else in the world at the moment, we all crave some sort of return to 'normality' so we can, hopefully, restart where we left off. PS: Next month will be 5 years since Kev passed away - still gutted, shocked and can't believe it.
 
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