Greek produced Bombs 1940

[Dreamk]

Greek arms industry in the late thirties was considered as the most advanced in Southern Europe and the Balkans. The Pyrkal company ("Greek Powder and Cartridge Company") playing among others an in-between role between German Rheinmetall-Borsig (then controlled by Hermann Göring...), and US arms industry. This collaboration between US and Nazi arms industries went on almost undisturbed till 1941.
A by product of this collaboration can be seen in the production of "American type" bombs by Greece and Romania.
A critical problem of the Hellenic Air Force in 1940 was that the British made bombers had bomb racks ... for British bomb suspensions and not fit for American bomb suspensions, so a makeshift solution was found in the field by adding suspension collar to these bombs.
Can someone add details about the type of bombs produced in Greece (apparently from these photographs the HE M series, but which bombs exactly? the US series including the 100lbs M-30, 300lbs M-31, 600lbs M-32m 1100lbs M-33 and 2000lbs M-34 - on the photograph we can see 500lbs - stenciled on the bomb - and what appear as 100lbs) and whether these bombs were also exported to other countries.

 

[millsbomber]

I once owned a US 100 lbs incendiary with that type of fittings... It was also waffen stamped. every one said the stamps must have been fake but now it could have been one of these..... Dave

 

[kahu1]

I have a copy of 'Greek Powder & Cartridge co.ltd 1874-1939'.
A very wide range of ordnance related manufacturing ,including aerial bombs.Some scans of the relevant sections attached.
I to thought it interesting how they were producing both ,effectively, allied and axis ordnance.



cheers
Bob

 

[bdgreen]

Kahu1,

Very interesting, any chance of getting a copy of this history of the Greek Powder & Cartridge Co. 1874 - 1939 placed in the Download section of the forum?

Brian

 

[kahu1]

Possibly,though it is currently a 200 page book so i'll have to get sorted and scan it.
I have seen other parts of it posted on BOCN so there must be others with copies as well.

 

[Dreamk]

Kahu thanks a lot! this is really good stuff.
BTW, its' quite interesting that, although these models are indeed identical to US models, not a single word is written about their design's origin.
What is also interesting is the Anti-Personal Frag bomb produced by Pyrkal, an identical copy of the US 30lb M5 Frag - it can be seen under the belly of RAF Blenheim Mk1/1F in Greece, on Light Series Carriers (used generally for 4.5in Flares on these Blenheims)


Dave, more than 51000 bombs were produced by Pyrkal in 1939-40, though only 2 Greek squadrons used them (the 31 Mira with 11 Potez 63 of which 8 were serviceable at the start of the Italian invasion, and the 32 Mira with 12 Blenheim IVs including 11 serviceable) and rate if attrition were very high so most of these bombs must have fallen in German hands. It was common practice of the German to re-use captured bombs or to sell them to potential allies - for instance captured Polish bombs were sold to Romania. You may indeed have had one of these bombs in your hands.

The Greek Dornier 22 seaplane seems also to have been episodically equipped with such bombs: