[303rd-Talk] Bomb Duds and Arming Vanes

[Bob Van Pelt]

Thanks, Bills, for the information - much appreciated!  Bob

bill runnels <billrunnels at yahoo.com> wrote:  Bob,
If the so called duds were the first to impact the ground in train, chances are there was a lazy bombardier on the crew. The lower slung bombs (first out) required a little effort to pull the cotter keys from the fuses which they probably did not do so the bombs were released in a safe mode. As our ground troops advanced they found unexploded bombs with the cotter keys still in the fuses. I was there during the period in question and we were required to turn in the pins for a count following each mission for this very reason.

Regarding vane revolutions, the 500 and 1,000 lb. bomb tail fuses (M101 & M102) required 675 revolutions during a free fall of 2,000 feet.

Bill Runnels
Bombardier

Bob Van Pelt wrote:
I have been corresponding with a German who lives in Weimar, Germany, who is researching the 9 March 1945 mission by the 3rd BD to that town. He said some of the townspeople saw a trail of bomb craters with some of the bombs exploding and some of the bombs being duds. Can anyone tell me why a bomb would be a dud?

And how many revolutions would a typical arming vane need to make before arming the fuse. I know it would depend on the type of fuse, but just in general.

Thanks!
Bob


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