The following U.S. intelligence report on Japanese bombs designed for used against grounded aircraft was originally published in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 41, December 30, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

JAPANESE ANTIAIRCRAFT BOMB A Japanese bomb used against grounded aircraft has been recovered in the Southwest Pacific area. The bombs are dropped in a black canister containing 33 bombs. The canister is equipped with an air-burst fuze which opens the case 100 feet below the bomber plane. On detonation, each bombs produces a crater about 1 foot in diameter and 10 inches deep. The body of the bomb is black with a transverse yellow stripe. The tail is colored grey. Arming is accomplished by a vane with three brass cups protruding from the side of the cone. The fuze is apparently a simple impact tail fuze, the striker being moveable. The bombs weigh half a pound, have an overall length of 10 1/2 inches and a body length of 4 1/2 inches. The filling is probably TNT.

Back to Articles by Subject | Intel Bulletin by Issue | T&TT by Issue | Home Page