Hi thought I would post some pics and information that I have learnt from researching and stripping these unusual fuzes ,the first example when I received it was screwed onto a 4.7" artillery shell which I posted in a earlier thread the great knowledgeable people on bocn helped point me in the right direction telling me that they were used on interwar years aircraft bombs
The R.L pattern number on this fuze is 29119 which I believe dates it to late 1919 even into the 1920 s and is a conversion of a no 80 artillery shell fuze as used on the 18 lb there are no mk details on the fuze just a few numbers in small stamps which I believe are inspectors stamps ,when I got the fuze it had no vanes on the top but after studying it I could see a key way on the top to hold the vanes on with solder ,so made some not sure if there perfect but they look about right
The function of this fuze seems very simple it would appear on dropping from the aircraft the vanes screwed in allowing the heavy detonater to strike the cap at the very bottom of the fuze not using the time function of the fuze at all
I believe these fuzes were used with smoke or possibly flare bombs where a small charge of black powder would sit under the fuze and burst the thin casing of the bomb or push out flares
Finding anything for certain about these fuzes has been quite hard very little documentation seems available but I did find a reference in the r.a.f historical society journal which states that in the early 30s Britain's bombs were tested and it was found that most were unacceptable some blame being but down to the fuzes which were converted from artillery shells
I also met the original owner again who told me it came with an adapter which I now have and of another very similar fuze which I will post in this thread as well
Sent from my BUSH SPIRA D3 5.5 using Tapatalk
The R.L pattern number on this fuze is 29119 which I believe dates it to late 1919 even into the 1920 s and is a conversion of a no 80 artillery shell fuze as used on the 18 lb there are no mk details on the fuze just a few numbers in small stamps which I believe are inspectors stamps ,when I got the fuze it had no vanes on the top but after studying it I could see a key way on the top to hold the vanes on with solder ,so made some not sure if there perfect but they look about right
The function of this fuze seems very simple it would appear on dropping from the aircraft the vanes screwed in allowing the heavy detonater to strike the cap at the very bottom of the fuze not using the time function of the fuze at all
I believe these fuzes were used with smoke or possibly flare bombs where a small charge of black powder would sit under the fuze and burst the thin casing of the bomb or push out flares
Finding anything for certain about these fuzes has been quite hard very little documentation seems available but I did find a reference in the r.a.f historical society journal which states that in the early 30s Britain's bombs were tested and it was found that most were unacceptable some blame being but down to the fuzes which were converted from artillery shells
I also met the original owner again who told me it came with an adapter which I now have and of another very similar fuze which I will post in this thread as well
Sent from my BUSH SPIRA D3 5.5 using Tapatalk
