Drop bombs

Ballons Airships and Their Application in War. Under this title there is described in Vol 2 of Encycl, pp BIO—Bll their historical development. The first successful balloon was invented in 1782 by brothers Mongolfter of France, and ever since then attempts have been made to use them for military purposes, such as for observation and later for dropping bombs (See under year 1849, Bombs, Aerial)... 

Explosif MMN. A Fr HE contg PA 70 Mono-nitronaphthalene 30%, fused together under water. It was used as a bursting chge in drop bombs during WWI Ref Davis (1943), p 157... 

Glmite. A mixture of liquid oxygen and finely pulverized carbon which was tried diring WWI as a drop-bomb charge. The mixmre had to be prepd just before flight because it was effective only for a short time after mixing Refs 1) T.L. Davis, ArmyOrdn 20, 92(1939)... 

When the bomb is prepd for use the seal wire and/or cotter pins are replaced by an arming wire which is not removed until the bomb is dropped. Bombs are installed in airplanes by means of suspen sion lugs on the side of the body. 

CA 15, 1622 (1921) (A desensitized expl, prepd by mixing undried Nitrostarch with heavy petroleum lubricating oil and gum arabic, was insensitive to rifle bullet) 2)W.H.Ward, USP 1462753 (1923) CA 17, 3101 (1923) [A desensitized exp suitable for use in drop bombs and trench mortar shells consists of Nitrostarch 40 45, inorg nitrate (such as of Na or K) 32 40, heavy lubricating petroleum oil up to 5 and water 5 10%] 3)L.Wohler, SS 20, 166 (1925) (Desen-... 

Uses Was tried as a drop-bomb charge.7 See Liquid Oxygen Explosives,... 

Uses During World War I, the Germans used drop bombs containing mixtures of TNT or trinitroanisole and hexanitrodiphenyl sulfide. It is also suitable for detonating compositions. 

As incendiary agent in artillery shells, trench-mortar and drop bombs. 

Uses As incendiary agent in drop bombs and artillery shells. Also suitable in other incendiary devices, such as Livens projector drums and trench-mortar bombs. 

One day I was taken for a jeep ride over the testing field. We passed a twisted metal object with liquid in its concave portion. The soldier driver steered clear of it and said it was the remains of an air-drop bomb and the liquid was residual war gas. It was December and quite cold. The laboratory crew told me about a big experiment Dugway had recently performed. The Army shaved the wool off the backs of a flock of sheep, and in an area remote firom the headquarters built a fence to contain the sheep. Aircraft flew overhead at an unspecified elevation and sprayed a large amount of Lewisite (one of the World War I persistent gases). The sheep were examined but showed no damage. Apparently, the Lewisite evaporated before reaching the ground. 

AltliotiKli gas was not dissemiiintcd from airplanes during the laU incendiary and smoke agents were employed in drop bombs early in the war. Since the war, many nations have developed means for employing chemicals from airplanes. 

Although drop bombs filled with white phosphorus were used to some extent in the World War, the tactical employment of smoke by airplanes was not developed to any appreciable degree. 

For devices as diffc reut as bullets and drop bombs, it is evident that very different types of mixture.s are required for most effective results. Thus, a mixture for use in bullets must meet very rigid requirements an to weight per unit volume, time of reaction, change of weight during reaction, and character of uicendiar> effect. 

The use of oxidizing combustible mixtures in drop bombs and other relatively large incendiary devices was Jess successful than in small-arms ammunition. Such mixtures were used early in the war in incendiary artillery shell and in drop bombs, but in many cases were later discarded for the thermit -tjT>e mixtures. As a primary incendiary material w houc chief function was to ignite other materials in drop bombs, the following mixture was used ... 

For use in a small unit drop bomb designed to set fire to very inflammable targets, we developed a successful mixture con.sisting of tlie following ingredients ... 

The two principal uses of this class of substances are (1) as secondary incendiary materials to propagate and prolong the incendiary action of the primary material in the larger sue drop bombs and projectiles and (2) as liquids u.sed in flame projectors. 

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