Introduction

These are two British S.A.P. bombs in present service use. They are designed for pe-netration of resistant targets, such as reinforced concrete or medium armored targets, where penetration is required before the bomb detonates.

Only one A.P. bomb, the 2,000 lb., is used by the British. It is used for attacks against heavily armored targets, such as captial ships, and is so constructed and fuzed that the bomb does not break up on impact. Detonation does not occur until after the target is penetrated. A 450-lb. A.P. bomb was used early in the war, constructed along the same lines as the 2,000 lb., but it is now obsolete.

Both the A.P. and S.A.P. bombs are fuzed in the tail only. Earlier marks were designed to receive a tail fuze, but later marks are fitted for a pistol/detonator combination. In later marks, the pistol used for fuzing is supplied in position in the bomb, without detona-tors, where it acts as a tail transit plug.

S.A.P. bombs are dark over-all, with a white band on the nose just before a red band. The actual construction is similar to the G.P. bombs, but the case is thicker, and they are even more streamlined. They are normally filled with TNT, and have a loading factor of about 20 per cent. Mks I, II, III, and IV have tails secured by a fuze locking ring wich is threaded left-handed, while the Mk V has a clip-on tail.

A.P. bombs are dark green in color. The nose is painted light green to the point of widest diameter. Two white bands, separated by a red band, are painted around the nose. The bombs are of one-piece construction, and are filled with shellite, which con-sists mainly of picric and is very insensitive. The loading factor is about 10 per cent.