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WWII-Era 100 Lb Practice Bomb?


McDermut99
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I have a chance to buy this inert 100 Lb bomb in the next couple days and would appreciate some advice from those more knowledgeable in the area of inert ordnance. I'm going after it mainly because it would be an interesting addition to the collection, but also because there are not very many collectors in my area and there are WAY too many wannabe "pickers" and "dealers" who would probably make it into some shabby chic piece of crap. Rant aside, is this a WWII-era bomb or later? I'm guessing the paint job is not military. How much do bombs like these usually go for? I've seen a variety of prices online but I'm still not sure on how much this is worth. Any information is greatly appreciated!



Sorry for the poor photo quality. I plan on looking it over in detail and take some additional photos.



(P.S.-The people selling the it had the local bomb squad come by and verify it was safe, which it was. According to the bomb squad it is not a practice bomb, and is supposedly an actual unused bomb shell.)


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To me it appears to be a standard WWII era practice bomb. Can't tell from your photo, but mine has a screw off nose cap for filling with sand. My Dad was a Bombardier in WWII. He identified mine as the type of bomb he dropped at Carlsbad in training. They were originally painted a flat medium dark blue, and often referred to as the "Blue Peril."

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Garandomatic

My M38A2 has a smooth nose and was filled from the tail. Mine is made of thin sheet metal, stamped into shape, and has simple bent 1/4" rod loops for the bomb racks. The tail of mine has the fins welded to a 2 1/2" or so pipe, about the thickness of exhaust tubing, not very heavy duty AT ALL, and had a spotting charge in the tail, as seen here:

 

http://www.nebraskaaircrash.com/practicebombs/m38a2.html

 

 

This being totally different might well be a real casing. I would expect the shell to be thicker if it is a real one. I have the army manual on aircraft armament at home, I can check for sure later.

 

I googled around briefly, and it appears very similar to an M47A1, which was used for gas, smoke, and incendiary purposes.

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Garandomatic

That being said, I notice the tail section of this is different from the M47A1. Has a gradual teardrop to it, as opposed to a sharp angle.

 

The only bombs with that shape that I see tend to be navy examples, but they have a circular panel on the side of the nose in addition to the threaded piece that this has.

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As far as value I can only tell you what I have paid for the two that I have. I paid $60.00 for one at a thrift shop & $100.00 for the other at a flea market. The one the flea market had been made into a lamp.

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phantomfixer

based on the pic, the nose and tail...looks like a Mk15...not a positive ID but based on the tail configuration and nose dome

The shackles on the OP look different...with the steel bands

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DEADLINE222

The casing is a Mark 15, 100lb, sand / water fill practice bomb.

 

The only question is the Mod number?

 

It is an earlier Mod due to the separate straps for the dual suspension lugs, where the later Mod 4 (pictured above) was the only mod to have the welded lugs.

 

There are multiple ordnance pamphlets and technical manuals on aerial ordnance that explain these bombs in great detail.

 

I am too lazy to provide a Mod number.

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DEADLINE222

 

According to the bomb squad it is not a practice bomb, and is supposedly an actual unused bomb shell.

 

 

Where do they find these people? :rolleyes:

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Where do they find these people? :rolleyes:

 

Many times it is from the ranks of US military EOD teams after their military service is done.

 

What's your impression of those folks regarding expertise?

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DEADLINE222

Are you referring to the topic I quoted which is misidentifying a practice bomb of this type for an "unused casing"?

 

If so, my impression of their expertise in the field would be of a relatively cautious one.

 

I would think something like a high explosive, illumination, photoflash or chemical casing would garner a more exact identification; especially when speaking of the high explosive variety in my opinion.

 

I am no EOD, but I would care to think, if not rely on a real EOD to be able to positively identify a.......bomb. But that is just me.

 

I work in a warehouse, but I can't begin to count the times I have fallen asleep at night over the past 11 years with some sort of ordnance technical manual in my hands.

 

I know A LOT about ordnance. I am regularly asked by many people if I am EOD to the point of annoyance.

 

Sadly I am not. I just like to read...and call me crazy...understand what I am dealing with. Just like the stuff in the field, these things can get you killed as well. It is a pretty risky hobby.

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DEADLINE222

Ergo. If you cannot properly identify ordnance, you should not be going around identifying ordnance.

 

Eh.....

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It's my impression that the area bomb squad came in, examined the bomb, and confirmed that it was an inert bomb. I was able to examine the bomb in person earlier today and using the information provided here and a couple other sources I confirmed that it is indeed a practice bomb and not a actual bomb shell.

Now, as to the issue of the expertise of the bomb squad, I hold every confidence in them. Their job was to determine if the bomb contained any potentially explosive material. When I first tilted the bomb to one side a small amount of what most likely was bird shot came out of the hole at the bottom of the casing where it meets the fin assembly. Even though the previous owner used the shot to add weight, it can be understandable that the shot would be mistaken as potential propellant or shrapnel to the untrained eye. This is likely one of the reasons the bomb squad was contacted, not to mention the seller is likely required by law since the sale is conducted through a public business. Additionally, we don't have many bombs (practice or not) come up for sale around here very often at all, so yeah I'd be calling the bomb squad too if I were the seller.

As to why they thought it was a shell and not a simple practice bomb, their job is to make sure the said object is safe. Determining if it is a practice bomb or an actual shell comes second. I'm no EOD expert, but it seems possible that even a practice bomb could be altered to become just as effective as its real deal brother if in the right hands. This was the precaution the bomb squad had to take, and I understand their actions completely.

 

On a funnier note, when I spoke to the seller he mentioned that when he advertised the officially cleared bomb on Facebook, the idiots running it not only removed the ad, but took down the entire page. FTR, he clearly stated that the local bomb squad cleared the bomb and that it was a novelty piece and nothing more. It took him a lot of frustrating conversation with Facebook but eventually his page was restored, and he could advertise the bomb.

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Are you referring to the topic I quoted which is misidentifying a practice bomb of this type for an "unused casing"?

 

If so, my impression of their expertise in the field would be of a relatively cautious one.

 

I would think something like a high explosive, illumination, photoflash or chemical casing would garner a more exact identification; especially when speaking of the high explosive variety in my opinion.

 

I am no EOD, but I would care to think, if not rely on a real EOD to be able to positively identify a.......bomb. But that is just me.

 

I work in a warehouse, but I can't begin to count the times I have fallen asleep at night over the past 11 years with some sort of ordnance technical manual in my hands.

 

I know A LOT about ordnance. I am regularly asked by many people if I am EOD to the point of annoyance.

 

Sadly I am not. I just like to read...and call me crazy...understand what I am dealing with. Just like the stuff in the field, these things can get you killed as well. It is a pretty risky hobby.

 

Indeed I am. Doesn't really answer my question. Instead of acting like the techs are clowns, start teaching them if your expertise is better than theirs. They risk their lives with it, you don't.

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DEADLINE222

 

Indeed I am. Doesn't really answer my question. Instead of acting like the techs are clowns, start teaching them if your expertise is better than theirs. They risk their lives with it, you don't.

 

I did answer your question:

 

Q: What is your impression these folks regarding their expertise?

 

A: My impression of their expertise in the field would be of a relatively cautions one.

 

 

"They risk their lives with it, you don't".

 

Professionally, sure. But the truth of the matter is that anyone who collects ordnance or who frequents an establishment who traffics ordnance (i.e.: flea markets, surplus stores, road side venues, etc.) also risks their lives.

 

With all do respect; If you do not agree, then perhaps you have not seen enough.

 

There is a rule when it comes to ordnance (even practice bombs and unused bomb shells and/or casings) which is:

 

If you cannot see in it, then it is live.

 

"Teach them"......

 

I do. One day I was browsing a local antique mall and I saw a beautiful MK2 practice grenade. I left it where it was to finish my browsing. Later, as I approached the counter the army vet at the cash register was showing off his mental library of fascinating information concerning hand grenades to a impressionable young woman who was also an employee.

 

I asked to see the grenade, and due to the cork in the bottom missing I was immediately able to see that the detonator was present along with the little bag of black powder -aka spotting charge.

 

I then advised the "vet" that there was a live grenade (although a practice grenade, still definitely not something you want some teenager to pull the pin on during their ride down to the beach.) in the store to which he completely denied and found rather humorous.

 

After taking 30 minutes to explain to the "vet" that I knew EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT he finally gave in and said: "ok, I will take it to my.........wait for it...................................."army buddy" and see when he has to say.

 

Well, I left and upon returning to the store a few months later, the "vet" pulled me to the side, shook my hand and thanked me for getting that live grenade out of his store. He said that his buddy to the grenade to the "bomb squad".

 

Anyways. I have been doing this for 11 years. Collecting "inert" ordnance is dangerous. I have found numerous live, smaller caliber shells in the 20-40mm range, including fuzes and self destroying tracers. In my experience, people seem to think that high explosive devices are something that are safe to have.............or even distribute.

 

I have heard and read a lot of stories. I have seen a lot of stupid things. I just get tired of it all.

 

There is a massive difference in a "practice bomb" and a bomb shell "casing", both in terms of technicality and safety.

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Saying your impression would be a cautious one does not describe the type of impression very well. I know the language quite well. Please stop or else take this to PM

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CNY Militaria

Let's stay on topic here folks or the thread will be locked. As a side note, because I feel it needs to be said, comparing the danger level of you collecting ordnance to the actual risks taken by EOD specialists and Bomb Squad Members in the field every day is ridiculous. If you honestly believe you take are in the same league, you're out of touch with reality. If you fail to understand my point, feel free to PM me or any other veteran and/or Law Enforcement Officer on this forum and I will explain the concept of asymmetrical warfare involving IEDs to you. As a bonus, I will talk about a few cases I have worked on in civilian law enforcement involving the need for the bomb squad.

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Let's stay on topic here folks or the thread will be locked. As a side note, because I feel it needs to be said, comparing the danger level of you collecting ordnance to the actual risks taken by EOD specialists and Bomb Squad Members in the field every day is ridiculous. If you honestly believe you take are in the same league, you're out of touch with reality. If you fail to understand my point, feel free to PM me or any other veteran and/or Law Enforcement Officer on this forum and I will explain the concept of asymmetrical warfare involving IEDs to you. As a bonus, I will talk about a few cases I have worked on in civilian law enforcement involving the need for the bomb squad.

Thank you sir. My intention when starting the topic was to get some background information about said practice bomb and a good idea of what to pay for it. I have already learned a great deal more about these types of bombs then before starting the topic. Thank you to all members who have contributed to the thread so far so that a younger collector may gain more knowledge.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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DEADLINE222

Anyways.

 

Based on my experience, I say that the item in question is a MK 15 MOD 2, sand/water fill, 100 pound practice bomb.

 

It is not a MOD 3, because the MOD 3 has a much larger fill hole directly on the nose of the casing. Much like the MOD 2 but twice the size.

 

I have seen with my own eyes, the MOD 3 with both the round and flat nose (as pictured). Flat noses prevented bombs from ricocheting off of water borne targets.

 

As mentioned earlier, the MOD 4 has the suspension lugs permanently welded to the body, most likely due to the fact that this MOD came after the ANM standardizations and required no field modifications.

 

As for the MOD 1, your guess is as good as mine. The MOD 1 was probably based around the early M or MK series of bombs. It probably had a fill cap on the side of the body and a third suspension ring and lug for pre-ANM, naval, single lug suspension.

 

Assuming my image attached, I included what I believe the MOD 1 would have looked like based on early known practice bombs and a correct time period,1937 dated, ultra-rare M38 from my personal collection.

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Here is another possibility. An M47A1 Chemical Bomb. I have attached some data sheets on it. As an EOD guy, I get nervous when ordnance has filler plugs. LOL!! Not saying that its not a MK 15, but based on the pic, it could be a few different things. The sheets I attached have measurement that can help ID or rule out the M47A1. I will put other data sheets up for other possibilities. Its still a cool piece for conversation no mater the ID! Nice find!!!

 

Smitty

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Untitled 1.pdf

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Another possibility is the 50lb M46 photoflash bomb. It is roughly the same size as the M47 and the MK 15. Its called a 50lb bomb because the filler is photoflash powder. Here are the sheets on this one.

 

Smitty

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One more possibility is the 100lb Smoke or Incendiary bomb, AN-M47A4. I have an old Naval EOD reference that covers bombs dropped during WWII. It has several bombs and their related info to include the AN-M74A4. It also has fuze data for various bombs. This would be a good source to hang on to for future use. Hope this helps! Its to big to post. If you would like a copy. PM me with your email and I will send it. Here is the part on the mentioned bomb. Based on the position of the lug in the picture at the beginning of the thread, this would be my most likely candidate. Theses are very common and I have disposed of many during my EOD service.

 

Smitty

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