Description
Physical description
bomb
This is a German First World War aircraft bomb, consisting of high-grade steel body, with thin steel fins. The latter have a slight angle, so that they impart a spin as the bomb falls, improving the trajectory as well as activating the nose fuze by centrifugal force.
The bomb is 750mm long, 90mm in diameter, and weighs c12.5kg with a fill ratio of 12% explosive.
Label
The first German bomb specifically designed for aircraft use was known as the A.P.K. Bomb, so named after the Artillerie-Prufungs-Kommission (Artillery-Test Commission), the German Army department which had designed the weapon. This bomb consisted of a circular cast-iron shell with an impact fuze, was produced in 5kg and 10kg sizes in 1912/13, but was not used in the War.
In order to obtain a more effective weapon, a series of bombs called Carbonit ( or Karbonite) type were produced that had a tear-drop shaped, cast-iron body, steel nose and a ring shaped stabilising fin. These were produced in 4.5kg, 10kg, 20kg, and 50kg sizes, generally containing TNT, and the early R-planes carried these hung vertically in the bomb bay. They were used from the end of 1914 until 1916, but although better than the A.P.K. bomb, they tended to oscillate after release and drift with the wind.
To overcome these shortcomings, the Prufanstalt und Werft der Fliergertruppe (P.u.W. - Test Establishment and Workshop of the Aviation Troops) developed the P.u.W. Bomb. This streamlined bomb had a superior aerodynamic performance and could be considered as the prototype of the modern aircraft bomb. It was manufactured from high-grade steel, rather than cast-iron, which gave it better penetration, and the tail fins were mounted at an angle to spin-stabilise the bomb as it fell and also activated the centrifugal nose fuze. The P.u.W. Bomb was produced in six different sizes, ranging from 12.5kg up to 1000kg, of which this is a 12.5kg example.
