"Nickle" Leaflet Bomb No. 2 Mks I and II (Service)

Body Construction: This bomb is an adaptation of a U.S. Army Flare M26, whose purpose is to scatter large quantities of propagande leaflets over enemy occupied terri-tory.

The bomb consists of a light sheet-steel body, closed at the front end by a plastic transit plug, and at the after end by a light sheet-steel lid. When the bomb is filled and ready for use, thiss lid is held in place by four soft steel tabs, which are welded at one end to the bomb body and have their free ends bent over the lid. Four tail fins are secu-red to the after end of the bomb casing.

Inside the body is a wooden frame consisting of a block, which fits smugly in the nose of the bomb but does not completely fill it, and three equispaced battens, each of which is secured one end to the block. These battens extends the full length of the bomb body between the block and the lid. The leaflets are contained in the wooden frame between the battens. The outer end of the block is recessed to locate an ejection charge con-taining 400 grains of G.12 gunpowder held in a muslin bag.

Since the bomb is an American weapon, it must be somewhat modified for British use. A special brass adapter is threaded into the nose fuze pocket. The adapter is internally threaded to receive the larger Fuze No. 860 Mk II. In the base of the adapter is located a charge of G.12 gunpowder, sealed at either end by a waterproof disc.

Suspension: The Bomb Mk I is designed only for aircraft having American-type bomb stowage. It is fitted with two American type lugs attached to suspension bands around the bomb body. The Bomb Mk II is designed for suspension only in a Universal-type bomb carrier. The bomb is fitted with both British- and American-type suspension lugs, but the American lugs have been modified out of position to fit beneath the standard crutching forks of the Universal-type carrier, and acts as strengthening bands for the light-gauge steel body.

Functioning: When the fuzed bomb is released from the plane, it falls freely until the fuze functions, and the gunpowder in the adapter is initiated. The flash from the gun-powder ignites the ejection charge, and the pressure from the explosion of the ejection charge forces the wooden frame containing the leaflets out of the after end of the bomb body. The lid is thrown clear and the contents ejected from the tail. After the ejection, the wooden frame falls end-over-end, and the leaflets fall out of the frame and scatter over the target.

Figure 61 – "Nickle" Leaflet Bomb No. 2

Figure 62 – Fuze adapter for "Nickle" Leaflet Bomb