M89, M90, M91, M98, and M100

Over-all length, inches

Body length, inches

Body diameter, inches

Wall thickness, inch

Tail length, inches

Tail width, inches

Type of filling

Weight of filling, pounds

Total weight, pounds

Fuzing

Construction: The body is a modified 250-pound G.P. Bomb AN-M57 body with a me-tal closing cup riveted to the base. An integral booster of four ounces of black powder is placed immediately behind the fuze-seat liner and serves as an expelling charge. A woo-den nose piece fits around this booster, and a steel piston, in turn, is seated in the base of the nose piece. A steel tube or piston stem is welded through a hole in the piston and extends from the black-powder booster to the plywood ignition disc in the center of the bomb. Six wooden thrust members reach from the piston plate to the tail closing cup and serve to transmit stress to this cup without imposing any of the force on the candles. Felt 1/8 inch in thickness lines the entire interior cylindrical surface of the bomb. The 61 candles are in two banks of 30 and 31, and have their ignition ends facing toward the quick-match strands stapled on the ignition disc which separates the two banks.

Tail construction: The tail, appearance, is a standard boy-type tail. It is attached to the bomb by means of four spring latches fitting into cut-outs in the tail closing cup and can be locked in place by stamped steel strips pivoting over the ends of the springs.

Suspension: Horizontal suspension is provided by standard lugs, 14 inches apart.

Operation: When the aerial-burst fuze functions, the fuze booster ignites the black-powder booster or expelling charge in the bomb. The force of the expending gases from the booster, acting through the piston and thrust memebers, throws off the fin assembly and expels the candles.

Simultaneously, flash from the booster passes through the piston stem of the plywood ignition disc and the quick match, igniting the candles.

Remarks: The bombs are used to form a pattern of red, green, or yellow colored light apparoximately 100 yards in diameter around or on a target; the light should be visible from altitudes of 25,000 to 35,000 feet day or night. They are used to spot individual targets, once the general target area has been marked by flares dropped by pathfinder planes. The explosive charge in the Candles M105 is ignited by the flare composition at the end of burning. These charges serve to prevent any removal of the candles by the enemy, once the candles are on the ground.

The M89 contains 61 Non-Delay Candles M103.

The M90 contains 57 Non-Delay Candles M103 also; two Exploding Candles M105, burning for one minute, and two exploding candles burning for two minutes.

The M91 has 16 Non-Delay Candles M103, 15 red 2¾-minute Delay Candles M104, 15 4-minute Delay Candles M104, and 15 5¼-minute Delay Candles M104.

The M98 contains 31 Non-Delay Candles M103, 10 Exploding Candles M105, burning for one minute, 10 Explosing Candles M105, burning for 1.5 minutes, and 10 Exploding Cand-les M105, burning for two minutes.

The M100 contains Two-Color Combination Candles M104.

Figure 191. Target Identification Bombs M89, M90, M91, M98, and M100