This fuze is of the direct action and graze type and is used in the 8 cm Mortar H.E. bomb. It differs from the Wgr.Z. 38 fuze described in Pamphelt No. 4, principally in that it is not fitted with a gaine and that the fuze body at the nose end is reduced in external diameter and enlcosed in a steel casing.

The fuze consists mainly of a steel body, nine steel balls, needle, needle holder, creep spring, arming pellet, safety spring and inertia pellet.

The body is bored in two diameters to form a chamber at the head to accommodate the needle holder and another at the base to house the inertia pellet and nine steel balls. The top of the the fuze body is closed by a brass disc which is secured by turning the end of the body over it. Attached to the body is a steel casing, in two parts, which sur-rounds the head and forms a flange to the fuze. The lower part of the case has a pres-sed screwthreaded below the flange for insertion in the bomb and the upper part is sha-ped to suit the external contour of the bomb. The space between the fuze delay and casing is empty.

The head of the steel needle is secured in a cup shaped light metal holder, and its point is housed in a tubular guide attached to the inertia pellet. The needle holder is chamfe-red internally and flanged externally at the lower end.

The creep spring, and the light metal arming pellet with a cup-shaped bush at the top, surrounds the stem of the needle. One end of the creep spring is seated in the bush whilst the other is seated on the upper end of the needle guide.

The arming pellet is bored in two diameters and provided with an external flange at its base. The smaller boring accommodates the upper end of the needle guide, and the shoulder formed by the larger boring forms a seating for one end of the safety spring.

The inertia pellet consists mainly of a body, detonator holder, detonator, needle guide and brass sleeve.

The steel body is cylindrical and, externally, is chamfered at its forward end and provided with a shoulder at its base. It is bored centrally in several diameters to house the deto-nator holder and the fuze mechanism. The body is secured in the fuze by a steel ring.

The detonator holder has a shoulder at its forward end, and is bored centrally in two dia-meters to accommodate the detonator in the lower chamber and, above it, the end of the light metal tubular needle guide. The detonator and holder are secured in the pellet by turning its base over a perforated steel disc. A cardboard washer is fitted to the for-ward end of the holder.

The brass sleeve is split, and three tongues, cut in its side, are bent inwards to form springs.

The nine steel balls are located between the needle holder and the inertia pellet.

Before firing. – The needle is prevented from coming in contact with the detonator by the nine steel balls.

After firing. – On acceleration the arming pellet, needle holder and needle set back com-pressing the safety spring. The arming pellet is then held by the springs in the sleeve en-gaging its flange. The needle is prevented from piercing the detonator by the steel balls. During flight, on deceleration, the needle and its holder are returned to their former posi-tion by the action of the creep spring, and the balls creep forward into the recess in the needle holder vacated by the arming pellet.

On impact, the creep spring is compressed and the needle fires the detonator. On graze, the inertia pellet carries the detonator on to the needle.

Fig. 3