WWI Bombs

[tuladin]

Does anyone know where I can find information about the bombs dropped by airplanes in WWI? I'm looking for weights, which planes used them, the differences in bombs by nationality, etc..

I tried serching the web for "World War I aviation bombs", but only came up with total tonnage dropped, how much bomb weight different planes could carry, and reviews for Flyboys and The Red Baron, but nothing about the bombs themselves.

[usmc1855]

While not exactly detailed info on Bombs, you may find this useful:

[usmc1855]

This is interesting as well:

http://www.finemodelworks.com/arizon...mbs/Bombs.html

Info on German Bombs Carried by their larger Bombers:

The German P.u.W. bombs were: 12.5kg (27.5Lbs); 50 kg (110lbs.) 100kg (220lbs), 300 kg (660 lbs) and 1000 kg, (2200 lbs.). The 12.5kg bombs were internally stowed horizontally in bomb racks in most "C" types and "G"types. The 50 & 100 kg bombs were externally stowed in bomb racks under the fuselage on some "C" types and the 300 kg bombs were fuselage stowed under the fuselage of the AEG G.IV, Fdh G.III and Gotha G.II - G.V with the 50 & 100 kg bombs stowed under the fuselage or wings. The 1000 kg. bombs were stowed under the fuselage of the Fdh. G.IIIa, Fdh. G.IV and Fdh.G.IVa. The Staaken "R" bomber could carry all the P.u.W. type bombs in internal racks except the 1000 kg bomb.

Info on British Bombs:

RFC used three types of bomb, High Explosive (ranging from the 1914 16-lb RL bomb with 7-lb of TNT to the 1918 3,300-lb SN with 1,500-lb of Amatol), Incendiary (from the 1914 Bomb Petrol Small with 6 pints of petrol, up to the 1918 Incendiary 6.5 oz containing 2.5 oz of Cendite in an Aluminium tube) and a single Anti-Personnel bomb, the 180-lb RL (AP) containing 21-lb of Amatol.

And this site has great pictures of British WW1 Bombs: http://www.wwi-models.org/Photos/Various/Bombs-brit/

[tuladin]

Thanks Brian. Great info!

Update: Searching for "P.u.W. bombs" returned a lot of good hits - thanks again!

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Thanks Brian. I also found that of interest in my quest for shapes of bombs to put under my bombers.
Rob.

[usmc1855]

This is a great picture of German aerial bombs.

From left to right:
120lbs, 220lbs, 660lbs, 27lbs (held in soldiers arms) and a 1 ton bomb.

[usmc1855]

Another great Pic:

[usmc1855]

Another Pic of German Bombs:



Not sure which nationality this one is:

[Bruce]

Very helpful Table on the Major WW I Bombers. Thanks Brian.

I'm currently working on the "file" for the Breuguet Br.M.4/5. I was at the Clermont-Ferrand airfield in France 2 weeks ago. Much to my surprise it claims to have had the first paved "front-line" military airstrip. Apparently it was paved in 1916 to accommodate Breuguet Br.M. 4's that flew mostly night bombing missions from mid-1916 to late 1917. I assume they were replaced by the better known Breuguet B14 B2.

I imagine that the Breuguet Br. M. 4/5 with its quadracycle landing gear was prone to "face plants" when landing at night on normal, rutted/bumpy dirt landing strips. The paving would have helped significantly.

The Breuguet Br. M. 4/5 was a 2-seater pusher aircraft; the observer/bomber sat in the front and also had the aircraft's only MG (a fwd facing, swivel MG).

There is a large metal model/sculpture of the Br. M. 4/5 at the aeroport and a small chunk of the original pavement/tarmac. Regretably I did not get a photo.

I think that the famous Michelin Tire company paid for the paving job; and no doubt they had the contract for the bicycle-like tires and wheels used by most of the French aircraft.

[Pooh]

There's a book "Heroes and Airplanes of the Great War, 1914 1918" by Joseph A. Phelan that has some good drawings of the principal bombs used by both sides and a bit of explanation.

Pooh

[MayorJim]

Brian,

Loved your pics! I wonder which aircraft carried the one-ton bomb? That is one heck of a biggie! (at least for WWI).

[The Cowman]

Brian,

Loved your pics! I wonder which aircraft carried the one-ton bomb? That is one heck of a biggie! (at least for WWI).

According to the table it looks like the only German planes capable of carrying the 2000 lb bomb would have been the Friedicshafen G.III (Edit: and according to Brian the G.IV and G.IVa) and the Zep Staaken. I would have hated to be the poor souls on the ground when that baby hit...

[RFC_Observer]

This reprint of a 1918 book has the all of the British bombs bar two - it misses out the 1650lb bomb of which a large number were dropped from Handley Pages (don't have exact figures to hand, but certainly more than the 8 the Imperial War Museum claim), or the 3,300lb bomb, which wasn't used

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Details-Aeri...0&sr=8-1-fkmr0

However it does have the most used ones - the 20lb Cooper and the 16lb Hales which preceded it, the 112lb bomb and the 230lb bomb which were the usual load for FE2b's, DH4's etc

[Naharaht]

I would think that the 2000lb bomb would have been far less effective than a WW2 or modern bomb of that weight but it must have been a 'shocker' in its day.