WW1 French Bomb - identification needed

[Dreamk]

Could someone identify the bombs on this photo taken in 1915 in Argonne. Are these strange looking (square section!) bombs the famous and mysterious Liquid Oxygen "bombe Claude" or are they the "incendiary boxes" that are often present in reports by early ww1 airmen? or soemthing else?

 

[doctor]

Hi
the left two bomb are Trench mortar bomb 150 mm
Don't see cleary the right bomb to say what is it

 

[Chris]

Docter,

Are you sure about your identification?
Because when I make the photo a bit bigger you see a square body just as Dreamj says.



Regards,


Chris

 

[Dreamk]

These are definitively Aerial bombs and not mortar bombs - one is also present this other photography of air bombs (supposedly taken at the bombs depot at Salonique airfield in 1917 - this would make identification as a "Bombe Claude" doubtful as these bombs were, as far as I know, withdrawn from service in 1916, as being too unsafe for the users....). What is interesting is what seems to be a filling opening on its upper side.
A wide range of other artillery shells transformed into aerial bombs can also be seen on this photo :
in the foreground 2 obus Michelin (115 mm? or 155 mm?) (the fuze is similar to the one commonly seen on the 75mm "obus a balles")
then another "square section" bomb
2 120 mm obus Michelin (?) (or may be 122mm Gros Andreau, though their body seems rather cylindrical)
3 bombs made from "obus de 90 mm" and 2 from "obus de 75mm"
And on the boxes "obus de ???
So..what can these "square" bombs be? incendiaries?

As for the Trench mortar bomb 150 mm - the 150T bomb has only a superficial similitude with these bombs - moreover ...this mortar bomb was introduced only at the end of 1917 while the first photograph is from 1915.

Here 's a picture of the 150T mortar bomb - modele 1917 (the initial 150mm modele 1916 was very different)