BOMB DROPPING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 258, 19 July 1918, Page 6

BOMB DROPPING

♦-= —— DEVELOPMENT OP A NEW ART. (By Captain Paul Bew6her.) (Published by Authority of the War Office, and Circulated by the Eoyal Colonial Institute.)

Bomb-dropping is a branch of 'aerial warfare which by its very nature affects civilian life more than any other, yet little is known about it by civilians. Bombs in the early days of the ivar were- dropped overboard by hand, but this was soon discarded as the weight of the bombs increased, and there arose the need for releasing them easily while the bomb-dropper was scrutinising his target. British bombing machines now carry, say, sixteen bombs, weighing per'haps a hundred-weight each—as heavy, very often, as the man who them. Thoi bonitnlropper is sometimes eight or' ■more feet'from his bombs, which he often never sees. Ho kneels in his small "cockpit" on tho extreme nose of the machine, a "bomb-sight" in front of him —a wooden lever at his side. With that wooden lever he can felease his threequarters of a ton of bombs in two seconds if he wishes to, or ho can drop them slowly one by one across the factory or aerodrome which it is his duty to ■bombard. It will be seen that, with his faculties absorbed in obtaining- the exnet range with the bomb sight, directing the pilot's steering to the right or left with his hand in order to cross exactly over the objective, the actual releasing of tho bombs must be as simple and as easy as possible.

Bombs are usually dropped in a line one after another so as lo ensure a great ■proportion falling upon the objective. If all are released at once there is a danger that they all may fall slightly short of, or beyond, the objective. On moonlight nights the visibility is so good that not only can the bomber see tho flash of his bursting bombs, but ho can also distinctly 6ee afterwards tho clouds of smoke caused by each, and can by this check his results. Bombs can, if necessary, be dropped "safe"—so that they will not explode even if they strike the ground with a great force. This is made possible by a steel safety pin which has to be drawn out before the bomb becomes "live." Many bombs still containing the pin have been dropped in England by German airmen, and have not exploded. This has probably been caused by the nervousness and fear of the airman, who, in his anxiety to get rid of his load as quickly as possible, and to leave the danger zone, has forgotten the small but most important .operation.

Aorial torpfedoes are not used. The German bombs, being fish-shaped, and in some instances being very long, havo tho appearance of torpedoes. Thus have risen the legends of the "torpedoes" being fired on to one part of London while tho machine is over another. This is not so; these bombs arc dropped in the namo way as the others.

Various fuses arc fitted on bombs for 'different uses. If they are intended to Ml men, an instantaneous fuse is used so that the bomb explodes immediately on touching the ground, and tho splinters scatter over a wide area, like shrapnel. If they aro intended to damage buildings a "delay fuse" is fitted so that tho bomb explodes a certain fraction of time after the impact. JT.his allows tho Tjonih to penetrate inside tho building before bursting, and so the destruction is ranch greater. Similarly, delay fuses aro used for dropping on submarines for even if the submarine itself is not struck the enormous displacement; of the water may cave it in, or jar its'plates fo much that, they let in water, and cause it to sink.