KNIL bomb needs ID

[Dreamk]

The Dutch KNIL Army forces in Java did not use the bombs produced in the Nederlands but, instead, they acquired US bombs (M30 series) in the mid 1930s.

However there was also a local production at the Bandoeng ammunition works in Java of various models of local design.

At least 3 models were produced 25kg, 50kg and 100kg (seen here between the 2 American bombs) on this photograph of 1939



And a earlier, bad quality and heavily retouched, photograph from the mid 1930s showing the full span of bombs used by the KNIL (were an additional 25kg order bombs is seen, as well as 2 smaller bombs on the left of the photo)



And here a photograph from the Bandoeng factory in 1941



Has someone more details on these bombs (dimensions, explosive content, fuzes, other photos or drawings) ?

 

[Hoeksel]

I do not have information for you, but I do know from Dutch archives "we" acquired some bombs from American Armament Corporation, New York. If I remember correctly this was a bit later, close to or even in the second world war. Maybe this helps.

And if you are lucky Greif will respond ;-).

 

[Dreamk]

Yes, Hoeskel, you are right. These "AAC bombs" are the M30 series of US bombs I spoke about.
The AAC was the main supplier of the KNIL as it served as an intermediary between it and various US Weapons suppliers - not only for bombs but also for other ammunition and equipment - an involvement that began already in the early 1930s, not surprisingly as the representatives of the AAC in Europe were...Dutch (Paul Koster, the Director General for Europe of the American Armament Company, was a former Dutch Marine officer, who had fulfilled during ww1 the functions of military attaché of the Dutch Government for the acquisition of military materiel in France)

My focus here is on the local production of bombs.
Here are Some more photos of the KNIL designed bombs produced at Bandoeng munition works, being loaded under a Dutch Martin 139 bomber in 1941:
They seem to be the same 50kg bombs seen on the first photograph in my above post (2nd bomb from the fight) though I must say that the way the guys in this photo are carrying them is rather unexpected (this would better fit 25kg bombs, but they were probably strong guys...)

 

[greif]

However there was also a local production at the Bandoeng ammunition works in Java of various models of local design.

At least 3 models were produced 25kg, 50kg and 100kg (seen here between the 2 American bombs) on this photograph of 1939

View attachment 174093

I only have some information on the cylindrical 25 kg bomb in the middle, but I doubt that it was of local design, because on the AI factory blue print below it is fuzed with the Schokbuis No. 33, which was a fuze of the regular Dutch Army. It has a core of Trotyl surrounded by 1400 shrapnell balls.
Another version of the cylindrical bomb was a smoke bomb (filled with Hexiet) that weighed 20 kg. I only have a very bad copy of that drawing availabel.

 

[Dreamk]

Thanks Greif.
Interesting that the cylindrical bomb is not a local production, but a Dutch one, something of an exception for the KNIL Air Force.
This 25kg cylindrical bomb was a very strange thing full of...bullets, sulfur and naphthalin. They apparently aimed at making a chemical-incendiary-frag bomb. This is a pure 1920s design (though the Japanese pursued on this way well into the thirties).

So, only the elliptical 50kg and cylindrical 100kg were locally produced (at least for the 100kg there are photographs of the various phases of its production in Bandoeng munition works).

Another couple of photograph of the 50kg being brought to a Martin bomber (from a movie on KNIL aviation from 1940), where the shape of the fins can be better appreciated - something that is difficult to see on the previous photographs (better showing ,however, the reinforcing struts, that these ones):



And another one of the 100kg bomb at the Bandoeng factory

 

[Chris]

KNIL Bombs

Here are some better copies from the two bombs Greif talked about.

Regards,

Chris

 

[Dreamk]

Thanks Chris
A brief search found that Hexiet is pyrotechnic mixture of hexachloroethane and zinc , which produces a dense smoke of zinc chloride when ignited.

The use of an "European Dutch" designed (and possibly produced) bomb is interesting as the KNIL had its own independent sources of acquisition of ammunitions and equipment. Even standards were different.
Although the Dutch Navy Seaplanes in the Nederland Indies used the same bombs as the Dutch Navy in Europe, they adopted the ammunition standard of the KNIL for their machine guns (British 7.7 as standard caliber and not the Dutch 7.9 or 7.65).

At some point of time, the Navy bomb of 200kg may have been also produced in Bandoeng:
What it yet stranger is that these Navy bombs may have been painted as the KNIL bombs (Yellow with black fins) instead of the regular Navy scheme of Black with a white nose (The US produced bombed were all yellow, as furnished, a scheme compatible with the general use of yellow by the KNIL for its explosive ammunition - "European Dutch Army bombs" had also painted yellow in the thirties but by the end of the thirties this scheme had been replaced by an overall olive-drab):

 

[Chris]

Dreamk,

This bomb is listed as 10 Kg K.N.I.L.
No further information only that it comes from the former museum in Delft and no it is in the Dutch EODD Collection.

Regards,

Chris

 

[Dreamk]

Thanks Chris!
A very unusual tail.
The suspensions are worth consideration - they may reflect the need for a compatibility for both "old bomb racks" and new "American type bomb racks", and therefore a date in the early thirties.
Could you get data on its dimensions?

 

[Chris]

Will do the dimensions next time when I'm in Soesterberg.

Chris