Chemical

In general, the chemical bombs are of two types, classified according to case cons-truction. The light-case bombs have the advantage of higher charge/weight ratio, whereas the heavy-case bombs have better stowage and handling characteristics. Both types have full-length burster charges to split the bomb case and disperse the filling over the area to be contaminated. Fuzing must always be instantaneous or aerial burst to maintain maximum dispersion of contents. Various fillings can be employed for different effects.

Incendiaries

Incendiaries in use at the present time are classified by their construction and use into two types. The intensive type burns as a unit, confining its intense heat to a relati-vely small area. The bombs are small in size and are always dropped in clusters to give area coverage. They are normally employed against targets having a high percentage of roof coverage, such as industrial establishments and crowed residental areas. Since the bombs have heavy nose plugs and substantial case strength, some penetration can be expected, and the high burning temperature of the filling will be effective in industrial areas.

The scatter type is usually a larger bomb which disperses small chunks of its burning material over a large area to ignite many small fires. It is normally employed against read-ily inflammable targets such as frame construction, material storage, and grain fields. These bombs explode on impact, to throw burning fragments of gasoline gel or other sticky emulsions against the target.

Screening smokes

Only the screening smokes will be considered in this chapter, signalling and illuminating smokes being treated under Pyrotechnics. This division follows in large part the allocation of responsibility for smoke munitions made between the Chemical Warfare Service and the Ordnance Department of the Army. C.W.S. supervises matters relating to screening smokes, and the Ordnance Department performs the same functions for signalling and illuminating items.

Color and markings

Chemical bombs have different markings from other types of ordnance. The bomb body is painted light grey, and colored bands indicate the nature of the filling. The bands are located between the dual suspension lugs and before the center of gravity. One band indicates a non-persistent filler. Two bands indicate a persistent filler. Green indica-tes casualty agents; red, harassing agents; yellow, smoke or screening agents; purple, incendiaries.

Incendiary bombs may follow the scheme of chemical bombs, with light grey body co-lor and a purple band. More recently, an olive drab body color with a purple band has been standardized.

All these items represent a different type of hazard from high-explosive-filled bombs. They are particularly susceptible to fire, and proper precautions should be observed. In handling several of the pyrotechnics and incendiaries, remember to avoid firction such as would be caused by rolling or dragging the missile.

Suspension

Heavy-case chemical bombs are suspended in same manner as G.P. bombs; that is, by dual lugs or by a single lug welded to the bomb case. The light-case chemical bombs are suspended by lugs welded to bands which fit around the bomb body. Incendiary bombs of the large scatter type have the same suspension as the chemical bombs. The smaller in-cendiary bombs ate alway clustered, and for maximum packing efficiency are hexagonal in shape. The clusters employed on incendiaries are of two types, the quick-opening va-riety and the aimable type with a cluster opening controlled by an aerial burst fuze. The quick-opening clusters come in two sizes - 100-pound and 500-pound. The cluster adap-ters for 4-pound intensive incendiaries will carry 34 bombs in the 100-pound sizeor 128 bombs in the 500-pound size. The adapter for 6-pound scatter incendiaries carry 14 bombs or 60 bombs. The cluster adapters consist of steel tubes supported by plates, with the bombs assembled around the tubes. The bombs are held in place by spring-steel bands secured by an arming wire running through a buckle at the end of the band. Remo-val of the arming wire assembly as the cluster drops releases the buckles, and the bands open to release the bombs immediately.

The aimable clusters are relatively new. Thes fit a 500-pound bomb station and are designed for percision bombing from high altitudes. To give the cluster the desired ballis-tic properties, a standard boy-type tail assembly is attached by a single bolt ot the after plate of the cluster adapter. A strip of primacoard (PETN) running full-length along the side of the cluster serves to break the spring steel bands and allow the bombs to scatter when the aerial-burst nose fuze functions. The 500-pound Aimable Cluster AN-M17A1 is filled with 110 4-pound Incendiary Bombs AN-M50A2 and AN-M50XA3. The Cluster Adap-ter E6R2 (500-pound) contains Incendiary Bombs AN-M68 or M74. The Aimable Cluster Adapter M23 (500-pound) contains 38 bombs, either Incendiary Bomb AN-M69, Incendia-ry Bomb M74, or Smoke Bomb M77.

Jettisonable fuel tanks - "Fire bombs"

Fuel tanks filled with a gasoline-Napalm mixture for incendiary purposes and fitted with igniters were developed during the war. At present, however, this practice has been dis-continued.

Clusters, cluster adapter

Because of the number and variety of clusters for this type of ordnance, the clusters are described with the approproate bomb instead of separately.