USNBD, Bombs and Fuzes; Section I - High Explosvie Bombs; Part II

U.S.N.B.D. - UNITED STATES - BOMBS AND FUZES; PYROTECHNICS

SECTION I - HIGH EXPLOSIVE BOMBS

PART II - U.S. ARMY "M" SERIES BOMBS

INTRODUCTION

BOMBS INCLUDED IN THIS "M" SERIES ARE:

M-30	100 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-31	300 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-32	600 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-33	1100 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-34	2000 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-57	250 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-43	500 lb.	Demolition H.E.
M-44	1000 lb.	Demolition H.E.

Prior to the organization of the AN Standardization Board in 1941, these bombs were designated as "Demolition H.E." bombs; under the standardization policy they were re-titeled as "General Purpose High Explosive (G.P.H.E.)" bombs.

COMMON CHARACTERISTICS OF THE "M" SERIES BOMBS:

Targets:

Ammunition dumps, railway engines, and cars, all types of construction, and aircraft on the ground

Fuzing:

Refer to page 11.

Body Constrcution:

These bombs may be made by any one of the following methods: (a) From seamless steel tubing in which the nose of the bomb is formed by swaging and the tail by drawing to the necessary diameter; (b) or the case may be forged in one piece; (c) or the bomb may be formed from cast sections welded together. These bombs have female base filling plates.

Type of Suspension:

Always suspended horizontally by dual lugs.

Construction of Suspension Lug:

Two eyebolts welded to body along longitudinal axis of the bomb. The eyebolts are formed from bar steel, shaped in the form of a U and then welded to the body.

Color and Markings:

Prior to March 11, 1942, these bombs would have been painted yellow over with black manufacturer's markings: since that date they have been painted olive-drab with a one-inch yellow band around the nose and base and a 1/4 inch band around the center of gravity.

Material of Tail:

Sheet steel.

Tail Construction:

This type of tail consists of the following parts: (a) a cast steel sleeve secured to the body of the bomb by a fin locking nut; (b) four fins or vanes; (c) internal box-type struts. One vane and one strut are pressed from one piece of metal and the four pieces are welded together and to the sleeve.

Type of Filling:

(a) 50/50 Amatol. Since Amatol is hygroscopic, TNT surrounds are pla-ced around the nose and tail booster sleeves to seal the Amatol from moisture; (b) 100% TNT, which will be stencilled on the bomb. All of this series except the 100 lb. M-30 contain two built-in M104 auxiliary boosters, one in the nose and one in the tail, which contain tetryl. The 100 lb. M-30 has the auxiliary booster in the nose only. The M102 adapter booster (tet-ryl) is threaded to the base plate of all bombs in the series and receives the tail fuze.

Other bombs that carry an "M" designation, although not actually classified in the "M" series, are included in this section because they are obsolescent:

M-62	600 lb.	A.P.-H.E.
M-61	800 lb.	A.P.-H.E.
M-60	900 lb.	A.P.-H.E.
M-52	1000 lb.	A.P.-H.E.
M-63	1400 lb.	A.P.-H.E.
M-5	30 lb.	Frag.