Can anyone ID this practice bomb?

[Tony-]

Hello,

It's the yellow coloured one, from WWI and made from something like horsehair and plaster. It measures 286mm diameter and 975mm long overall.

It's not mine, a mate has been trying to ID it for a couple of years now.

Thanks
Tony

 

[sgdbdr]

Same construction as the 20 kg K.u.K. carbonit bomb, but the 20 C.B. is only 206 diameter for 627 long.

 

[Nabob]

Please look at the bomb in the right hand of the soldier in the middle.
Bob

 

[sgdbdr]

Nice
Too bad the picture is so small considering the amount of info on it !

 

[Dreamk]

This is an enlarged version of the diagram uploaded by Nabob.


50kg Carbonit diameter 286mm length (overall including handle) 975mm - this fits very well what you got.

BUT...here the problems arise:

The dimensions stated by the British Imperial war museum for the 50kg Carbonit are:
whole bomb: Diameter 267 mm, Length 991 mm

The Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin has also a 50kg Carbonit in nits collection and gives for charcteristics
whole bomb: Diameter 260 mm, Length 1020 mm

Now the Dresden - Kampfmittel des Monats September 2013 deals with this very bomb and gives:
Diameter 245mm overall length: 754mm


So does this mean that there were different versions of the 50kg Carbonit bomb?

overall length

 

[Fusse2004]

A few more carbonite bombs

 

[Burney Davis]

I think the point here is that it's made of plaster and horse hair. Irrespective of which model it may be, why would the body be made of that material? Also the cylinder fin is not fixed to the supporting bars in the typical manner using a riveted 'U' bracket, it is spot welded.

 

[Dreamk]

Plaster (and not wood, nor concrete) was the classical material used for dedicated training bombs in the Interwar period, by French, British, etc... - the other way of producing training bomb was to fill regular bomb bodies with wet sand. So the fact that it is in plaster is no surprising.
If you look at photo that Fusse has uploaded, the Carbonit bomb on the right shows also this welding mode of fixating the cylindrical fin on the bars. This would make sense in terms of making the production process easier, cheaper and faster.

 

[Snufkin]

If you look at photo that Fusse has uploaded, the Carbonit bomb on the right shows also this welding mode of fixating the cylindrical fin on the bars. This would make sense in terms of making the production process easier, cheaper and faster.

No. The supporting rods are fixed to the shroud with riveted "U" brackets (as noted by BD). The fixings are very clear in the photo shown by Fusse2004.

 

[Tony-]

Thanks very much for all the replies.

Is it safe to assume this bomb would've been dropped from any aircraft that could carry it rather than a single particular aircraft?

 

[Burney Davis]

I have had the pleasure of handling this piece and it is very fragile and lightweight. It is hollow and cast (I believe) in two pieces. It would not have lasted very long as a training item. Surly if you were making bombs in number you would simply have put aside the standard bomb fins for using on a practice or training item rather than having a separate way of manufacture (spot welding).

 

[Burney Davis]

I'm sure your friend would not mind me posting more detailed pictures to aid identification.