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Small Bomb Container
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
Hi - I'm doing some research on ordnance carried by the Australian CAC Wirraway (cousin to the Harvard and Texan)...
Does anyone know if the SBC was ever carried externally (under the wings)... I'm trying to solve a puzzle of how a Wirraway could carry twenty 40lb bombs, with only 18 bomb slips. Apparently some Wirraways in Malaya serving with 21/453 Squadron RAAF carried this number of bombs...
I would welcome any suggestions which might solve this mystery.
Regards,
Derek
Does anyone know if the SBC was ever carried externally (under the wings)... I'm trying to solve a puzzle of how a Wirraway could carry twenty 40lb bombs, with only 18 bomb slips. Apparently some Wirraways in Malaya serving with 21/453 Squadron RAAF carried this number of bombs...
I would welcome any suggestions which might solve this mystery.
Regards,
Derek
butterfly
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
Derek the 250 lb bomb container could take 6 of the 40lb GP bombs, I'm not sure if this helps or not as four units would mean 24 bombs not 20 as you say a Wirraway could carry. Also I dont know if these could be used externally, however what it perhaps shows is that it would be possible to carry twenty of these 40lb bombs with eighteen bomb slips. Maybe someone with more knowledge on these can help you more....good luck
regards Kev
butterfly
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
Hi Derek...
another possibility is the Light Series Carrier, these held four bombs up to 40lb in weight including the 40lb GP you refer to.
It also could be used externally (I believe these were used on the wheel stubs of the Lysander aircraft). It also would mean that five units would be equal to 20 bombs. I am not familiar with the Wirraway, but positions could be under wing or under fuselage.
regards Kev
another possibility is the Light Series Carrier, these held four bombs up to 40lb in weight including the 40lb GP you refer to.
It also could be used externally (I believe these were used on the wheel stubs of the Lysander aircraft). It also would mean that five units would be equal to 20 bombs. I am not familiar with the Wirraway, but positions could be under wing or under fuselage.
regards Kev
The Hudson 160lb SBC (2 cells of 4x20lbs bombs) seems to have been used on external racks on a number of planes - especially with teh RAAF - there is even reports of Australian Mustangs being such equipped - but till now I have not seen photographic confirmation of such arrangements.
Here a picture of the 160 lb. SBC. It was normally loaded with 40 x 4 lb. Incendiary Bombs (2 canisters, each with 20 x 4 lb.). On this picture there is a Life Raft placed in the SBC.
See also: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210211
The normal 250 lb. SBC could be loaded with a variety of ordnance:
12 x 20 lb. Fragmentation Bomb
6 x 40 lb. General Purpose Bomb
24 x 9 lb. Anti Tank Bomb
60 x 4 lb. Incendiary Bomb (3 canisters each with 20 x 4 lb.)
? x 25 lb. Incendiary Bomb
8 x 30 lb. Incendiary Bomb
3 x 45 lb. Incendiary Bomb
42 x 4 lb. Smoke Bomb (3 canisters each with 14 x 4 lb.)
3 x 100 lb. Smoke Bomb
2 x 120 lb. Smoke Bomb
There should be also a SBC with 90 x 4 lb. Incendiary Bombs (3 canisters, each with 30 x 4 lb.)
On: chttp://www.iwm.org.u...bject/205075491 you can
see the larger SBC (1000 lb. ???) as used in Lancaster’s together with a smaller SBC. Is it
correct that the larger SBC holds 150 x 4 lb. or 12 x 30 lb. Incendiary Bombs? And does anyone knows when the large SBC was used the first time?
See also: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205210211
The normal 250 lb. SBC could be loaded with a variety of ordnance:
12 x 20 lb. Fragmentation Bomb
6 x 40 lb. General Purpose Bomb
24 x 9 lb. Anti Tank Bomb
60 x 4 lb. Incendiary Bomb (3 canisters each with 20 x 4 lb.)
? x 25 lb. Incendiary Bomb
8 x 30 lb. Incendiary Bomb
3 x 45 lb. Incendiary Bomb
42 x 4 lb. Smoke Bomb (3 canisters each with 14 x 4 lb.)
3 x 100 lb. Smoke Bomb
2 x 120 lb. Smoke Bomb
There should be also a SBC with 90 x 4 lb. Incendiary Bombs (3 canisters, each with 30 x 4 lb.)
On: chttp://www.iwm.org.u...bject/205075491 you can
see the larger SBC (1000 lb. ???) as used in Lancaster’s together with a smaller SBC. Is it
correct that the larger SBC holds 150 x 4 lb. or 12 x 30 lb. Incendiary Bombs? And does anyone knows when the large SBC was used the first time?
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RAFM Hendon should have a copy in their collection.
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/default/library-collection/official-publications.aspx
http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/default/library-collection/official-publications.aspx
Thanks for the info.
Looking for information about the 250 lb. SBC in Blenheim bombers.
Normally was a SBC loaded with six 40 lb. General Purpose bombs because of the maximum weight, but if correct could a modified SBC be loaded with eight GP bombs.
Greetings – Antoon
Looking for information about the 250 lb. SBC in Blenheim bombers.
Normally was a SBC loaded with six 40 lb. General Purpose bombs because of the maximum weight, but if correct could a modified SBC be loaded with eight GP bombs.
Greetings – Antoon
Hello Antoon,
the S.B.C. 250-lb. Mk. IA (May 1943) was early loaded with 60 and later with 90 4-lb. incendiaries. The other clusters which used by the R.A.F. were the so called Cluster Projectiles C.P. with C.P. 500-lb. No. 14 Mk. I (106 4-lb. inc.) end of 1943, C.P. 750-lb. No. 15 Mk. I (158) summer 1944 and the C.P. 1000-lb. No. 16 Mk. I (236) not before autumn 1944. Further exists to the end of the war the so called Cluster Nose Ejection C.N.E. 500-lb. Mk. I (110), 800-lb. Mk. I (170) and 950-lb. Mk. I (219). The R.A.F. used also the american C.P. AN-M17 (110) from summer 1944.
Hope this helps.
Rgds,
Mossie
the S.B.C. 250-lb. Mk. IA (May 1943) was early loaded with 60 and later with 90 4-lb. incendiaries. The other clusters which used by the R.A.F. were the so called Cluster Projectiles C.P. with C.P. 500-lb. No. 14 Mk. I (106 4-lb. inc.) end of 1943, C.P. 750-lb. No. 15 Mk. I (158) summer 1944 and the C.P. 1000-lb. No. 16 Mk. I (236) not before autumn 1944. Further exists to the end of the war the so called Cluster Nose Ejection C.N.E. 500-lb. Mk. I (110), 800-lb. Mk. I (170) and 950-lb. Mk. I (219). The R.A.F. used also the american C.P. AN-M17 (110) from summer 1944.
Hope this helps.
Rgds,
Mossie
lancaster103
New Member
Yes,
Four years later and still looking for information about the larger SBC.
Greetings - Antoon
By screening the ORBs of the Lancaster squadrons, it appears that these larger SBC had a capacity of 150 x 4lb Incendiaries - although there is a schema in the Lancaster manual showing a SBC with 4 internal sections (something that does not fit with the total number of 150 incendiaries ) the following photograph shows the correct view of the interior of this larger SBC being filled with incendiaries - 3 sections of 50 incendiaries:
The development of these larger SBC began in July 1943 and demanded the associate developments of dedicated "liners' (tin-plate boxes or “cans”, with a tear-off lid) for pre-packing 50x4lb.
This also appears in the memoirs of Sir Arthur Haris "Despatches on war operations 1942-45":
"At the beginning of 1942, Mark I type SBC were in use, and these carried either 8x39lb bombs or three "packs" of 30x4lb. In 1943 the Command developed a deeper SBC holding 12x30lb or 150x4lb bombs [in three "packs of 50x4lb]" .... "In 1943 the Bomber Command developed a deeper SBC, holding 12 x 30lb or 150 x 4lb bombs. The introduction of this equipment necessitated individual transfer of the bombs from the "30-packs" into the new "50-packs' liners in the SBC, a laborious operation, but justified by the greatly increased load....request was also made for the bombs to be packed in "50-pack" liners, instead of "30-pack" but production considerations rued this out."
This extract from the RAAF Standard Notes for Armourers 1943 describes the loading of 4lb incendiaries in a SBC:
However this same manual describes only the SBC MkI (60x4lb in 3 compartments of 20x4lb) and MkIA (90x4lb in 3 compartments of 30x4lb) as it was published before the date of implementation of the above mention decision.
The development of these larger SBC began in July 1943 and demanded the associate developments of dedicated "liners' (tin-plate boxes or “cans”, with a tear-off lid) for pre-packing 50x4lb.
This also appears in the memoirs of Sir Arthur Haris "Despatches on war operations 1942-45":
"At the beginning of 1942, Mark I type SBC were in use, and these carried either 8x39lb bombs or three "packs" of 30x4lb. In 1943 the Command developed a deeper SBC holding 12x30lb or 150x4lb bombs [in three "packs of 50x4lb]" .... "In 1943 the Bomber Command developed a deeper SBC, holding 12 x 30lb or 150 x 4lb bombs. The introduction of this equipment necessitated individual transfer of the bombs from the "30-packs" into the new "50-packs' liners in the SBC, a laborious operation, but justified by the greatly increased load....request was also made for the bombs to be packed in "50-pack" liners, instead of "30-pack" but production considerations rued this out."
This extract from the RAAF Standard Notes for Armourers 1943 describes the loading of 4lb incendiaries in a SBC:
However this same manual describes only the SBC MkI (60x4lb in 3 compartments of 20x4lb) and MkIA (90x4lb in 3 compartments of 30x4lb) as it was published before the date of implementation of the above mention decision.
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