German containers can be subdivided into (1) those designed to scatter their contents before impact and (2) those intended to carry their contents safely to earth. The latter are few in number and simple in princible. They are a means of getting limited quantities of supplies to specific location. In general, they consist of a compartment to house the supplies and a parachute to bring it safely to earth. No explosive opening devices are in-corporated.

Containers designed to scatter their contents from a height can be subdivided upon either of two bases:

a. Droppable containers and containers retained in the aircraft; or,

b. By content, as bombs, flares or a combination load of both bombs and flares.

Nondroppable containers may be jettisoned but are primarily intended to be used repea-tedly. They are constructed to carry and scatter a great number of small incendiary bombs, the release mechanism being such that desired spacing of the bombs is possible.

Droppable containers are fitted with fuzing and opening devices designed to release the contained missiles after a predetermined time of fall from the aircraft. Some of these containers are merely clustering devices, some are bomb shaped and hinge at the after end, others release missiles through large ports.

The contens of bomb containers are chiefly small antipersonnel or incenidary bombs and flares, the 1-, 1.3-, and 2-kg electron incendiary bombs, SD 1, SD 2 and SD 10 A/P bombs being the ones most frequently used. A common practice is to include a small number of SD 2 bombs in a container of flares.