Forums Forums Lost & Found Something Going On iin Wallasey

Nothing to worry about son. Bombs don`t just detonate themselves, lol.

AHA, thats where you can be sooo wrong mate!!
Internal corrosion, temperature, deteriation of the components, anything can make a bomb explode.
Even the use of Mercury switches, so a bomb would just sit there until moved, thinking it was a dud, until moved, causing the mercury to complete the circuit and detonate the bomb killing the bomb Disposal guys!!
I suspect it was a WW2 Butterfly bomb to be a shrapnel device, unless it was a shell which is completely different!
Butterfly bombs cannot be disarmed. They were dropped in containers in clusters, which broke open at a designated height scattering them all over. Upon descent, small wings would slow them down and they would detonate at a specific height from the ground, spreading shrapnel all over, damaging and killing. I have one of the wings, fully marked with manufacture numbers, date and fuze used!

ooo the drama!.

If it was a Butterfly bomb, I think there were 3 variants. On leaving the aircraft they broke open (as Hoseman said) the spring loaded vanes opened. They spun round in the updraught unscrewing the arming device. One type went off on impact. Another was on a time delay, and the third type was made "live" after impact. These claimed a lot of civilian lives. Being "new" and strange looking, it was only natural - especially for kids on finding one in the street, to give them a poke or pick one up. BAD news!

Hoseman.. does it have "BRANO" stamped on the wing you have ?? They made most of them.

The old subject of stuff getting more or less sensitive with age rumbles on. Military explosive (filling)is usually very stable. It's the detonator and/or gaine that's the fun bit. Some dets were picric acid, some lead azide, and some mercury fulmanate (?)

Don't suppose Joe Public will be told what type of ordnance it actually was.

Fascinating subject !

Their correct designation is SD-2 Fragmentation Bomb.
weight 4lb 6oz (2Kg) They were carried in clusters in a fragable container that burst open in mid air. A small cluster for a Stuka or fighter could carry 96 `Eggs`, larger containers on bombers (Dornier 17`s, Heinkel 111`s or Junkers 88`s) could carry 360 `Eggs`!!
Havent got the `wing` to hand mate, its packed away in my collection. All i can remember is the manufacture date was 1941 and the fuze was a type 41, which apparently was a common one used.
Mine came from a collector in the late 70`s.
It was in the Daily Mirror that this collector had it sat on his mantle piece for years. He saw an episode of Danger UXB on telly and they featured the Butterfly bomb (The germans called them Devils Eggs!). They stated it could not be deactivated!!
He carried it to the bottom of his garden and called the Bomb Disposals out, who blew it in his garden!! They said it was still live and if he hadnt have moved it they would have `bagged it up` and blew it on his mantle piece!!!!
When i read it, i contacted the paper and got his name and address, wrote a letter (No e mail back then!!) and he sent me the wing which is all he could salvage! I think i was about 10 - 12 years old then!!

Excellent info. Thanks. That was one lucky guy. If that had gone off on his mantlepiece, he would have had re-decorate the entire room!

Great info thanks