Picture of the day

https://2.bp.########.com/-WDo45QZjrC8/WI9k4oUyTpI/AAAAAAAACEU/kZ-XYnBp0wgdEPCbHJhIY8jW9I1tIK2VQCLcB/s1600/UK-4.5inPhotoflashBomb-w.jpg

4.5" Photoflash bomb

The heavy photoflash bomb weighed 40 lbs.

[Overall length:#33 inches
Body diameter:#4.5 inches

Total weight:#19 pounds
Illumination time: 0.1 second (approx.)


Fuzing: Nose Fuze No.28B, 848, or 849; No.860 can be used only if specially authorized

Color and markings:#Body black overall; tail red,
1/2-inch red band around nose end,
FLASH printed plainly on the body near the nose end.

# #

Description: The Photoflash Bombs Mk I and Mk II are similarly constructed, the only difference being that the Mk II has narrower tail fins.# Each flash has a tubular body, closed at the tail by a closing dome and at the nose by a front diaphragm having a bush into which is screwed the nose fuze.# The four tail fins are located at the after end.# A quantity of flash composition is contained in the body between a front and rear diaphragm.# The filling hole is closed by a press-cap and overseal.# A central tube, closed at each end, extends between the front and rear diaphragms and is filled with gunpowder.# A socket secured to the front diaphragm houses a perforated disc, and a muslin disc, which closes the nose end of the central tube.# The perforated disc is held in position by a socket plug having a flash hole covered by a disc, which, in earlier issues, is made of brass, but in later issues is paper.


Functioning: When the fuzed bomb is released from an aircraft, its fuze is set in operation and the flash falls until the magazine charge of the fuze explodes.# The flash from the magazine charge passes through the perforated disc and ignites the gunpowder in the central tube.# The gunpowder explodes, bursts the body of the photographic flash, and simultaneously ignites the flash composition.
##

Suspension: The bomb is suspended by means of a suspension band to which are secured two suspension lugs, one for attaching to a Light Series Bomb Carrier, and the other for attaching to a Universal Bomb Carrier.

#
Remarks: These flash bombs are intended to provide illumination for night photography, and when activated they explode with a loud report and vivid white flash.# It is important to distinguish between flares and photoflash bombs.# They may be distinguished by the following characteristics.# FLASH is stencilled on the nose of all photoflash bombs, and the tail of the bomb is red.# Eight rivets are visible around the body at the junction of the red and black parts of the bomb.# On removal of the tail dome of a flash bomb, there is no parachute or shackle visible.

Externally, the 4.5-inch Heavy Photoflash Bomb is the same as the ordinary 4.5-inch photoflash.# Internally, the construction is slightly modified, as the rear diaphragm is moved to a position nearer the closing dome, consequently increasing the length of the central tube.# A retaining diaphragm is positioned in the body 5 and 1/2 inches from the front diaphragm.# A cast-iron weight is located between the front and retaining diaphragms, the flash composition being housed between the rear and retaining diaphragms.# The fuze is a US Mechanical Time Fuze Mk III which has a fuze adapter in order to fit it into the British bomb.# When it is loaded, the arming wire is fitted through the second hole in the arming wire is fitted through the second hole in the arming pin and passes through the arming vane lock.# The delay may be from 5 seconds to 93 seconds.# The heavy bomb weighs 40 pounds.
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fat tony said:
Man I would want to be far away if one of those flash bombs accidentally went off. Does anyone know if the Stirling typically carried flash bombs?
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Reconnaissance flares and such were pretty standard equipment on most bombers and maritime patrol aircraft.
 
diopter said:
937033.jpg

The interior of a RAF Short Stirling bomber, Britain, 1941

937074.jpg

A Chinese soldier checks rifles and bayonet in the armoury of the Military Camp at Chengtu, Szechuan, China, 1944
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Short shorts an puttees??
 
Short Sterling:

f277bc0c65a02950af2d5d6be5a60ff3.jpg

short stirling wireless operator station

a0611c5f3a621ebd98fd2ad8ba61f098.jpg

Navigators station behind pilot

2ff823555140929b7dc6b811f52e27ed.jpg

Short Stirling cockpit

d273faed81ae804fac012ec24ef622c7.jpg

Flight engineers station Short Stirling

020cb8749bb1b8b6f3f535bcf40bc820.jpg

Bombardier Station in front and above is the front turret gunner station.

stirling_2.gif
 
bogusiii said:
I bet that's a Sunderland instead of a Stirling. Way too much room and the wrong shape for a slab sided Stirling.
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I have to agree with you that it doesn't look much like the interior of the Stirling. Even if the caption and photographer (Cecil Beaton) seem to match up. (I don't think its a Sunderland, either.) For example, I believe the Stirling's flare chutes were vertical and prominent, whereas it looks like a horizontal chute in that pic.

Also doesn't seem to match up with the construction drawings and pics found here.

For example, look at the ribbing and flare holders in the pic below, looking aft toward the tail.

mds00176.jpg
 
Interesting aircraft, the Short Sterling performance was crippled by the pencil pushers who insisted that the wings be short enough to fit inside that standard RAF hangers.

From = https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Stirling

" The S.29 used the Sunderland's 114 ft (35 m) wing and it had to be reduced to less than 100 ft (30 m), the same limit as that imposed on the P.13/36 designs (Handley Page Halifax and Avro Manchester). In order to get the needed lift from a shorter span and excess weight, the redesigned wing was thickened and reshaped.[3] It is often said that the wingspan was limited to 100 ft so the aircraft would fit into existing hangars but the maximum hangar opening was 112 ft (34 m) and the specification required outdoor servicing.[6] "The wing span was limited by the Air Ministry to 100 ft"[9][10][3] The wingspan limitation has been alleged to have actually been enforced as a method of restricting the designer into keeping the overall weight down.[11] In June 1937, the S.29 was accepted as the second string for the Supermarine 316 and formally ordered in October. Both Shorts and Supermarine were issued with instructions to proceed.[3] "

http://www.pilotfriend.com/photo_albums/timeline/ww2/Short Sterling.htm
 
CV32 said:
Reconnaissance flares and such were pretty standard equipment on most bombers and maritime patrol aircraft.
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I looked this one up when I build Lancaster model.All UK designed bombers did have them and maritime and all FAA large aircraft had double (read more) load onboard as a standard equipment.

One problem came up fast when large bombing raids started-those bombs created very significant fire hazard if damaged by flak while still onboard and number of especially Halifaxes burned in mid air and exploded with bright flash.

That was one of minor reasons for minimizing load of those bombs or omitting them altogether when Pathfinder squadrons started operating with efficiency.

Also for some reason many Coastal Command bombers were issued 1920s made flash bombs,long after they should have been utilized (somehow I doubt this one but that's what the author of the book wrote).
 
"there were hundreds laying around, some of them not even on fire!"

Yeah, they would burn right out in a couple of days!

I think, basically, that they had a pretty good chassis (apart from the fact that it burned too easily when hit) in fast series production, so they just used what they already had, swapping only the turrets at factory level. It got them what they needed, did it fast...... and there were already mechanics and LOADS if spares available: no special training, few special parts needed.
 
The link below gives some information on the Polsten but does not give references. It seems that at the end of WWII the type was not retained, seems they were used until some unspecified time in the 1950's after which they faded into the sunset. I wonder if they were dumped in a deep ocean trench somewhere? Articles mention Brits along with Polish & Czech engineers worked as a team on the design, which included the design of a 30 round box magazine.

http://www.anti-aircraft.co.uk/polstenquad.html


I read somewhere the Skink was armed with 4×Polsten. An encouraging development in Polish Canadian relations. John Inglis made a boatload of them.
 
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Cressy Class Cruisers

HMS_Euryalus_SLV_AllanGreen-c.jpg


Three of them sank by U9 on Sept 22
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_22_September_1914

Service
Until 1908, the ships served in Home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. On the outbreak of the First World War Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Bacchante and Euryalus formed the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Due to the obsolescence of the ships and that they were crewed by inexperienced reservists the squadron was known as the "Live Bait Squadron". This epithet proved prophetic when Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were sunk in a single action on 22 September 1914 by U-9 near Holland. After the first cruiser had been hit, the following cruisers both came to a dead halt to pick up survivors, making themselves easy targets for torpedoes.[2]

Ships
HMS Cressy: launched 4 December 1899, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Sutlej: launched 18 November 1899, scrapped 9 May 1921
HMS Aboukir: launched 16 May 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Hogue: launched 13 August 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Bacchante: launched 21 February 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
HMS Euryalus: launched 20 May 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
 
diopter said:
Cressy Class Cruisers

HMS_Euryalus_SLV_AllanGreen-c.jpg


Three of them sank by U9 on Sept 22
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_22_September_1914

Service
Until 1908, the ships served in Home waters, the Mediterranean and the Far East. On the outbreak of the First World War Cressy, Aboukir, Hogue, Bacchante and Euryalus formed the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Due to the obsolescence of the ships and that they were crewed by inexperienced reservists the squadron was known as the "Live Bait Squadron". This epithet proved prophetic when Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir were sunk in a single action on 22 September 1914 by U-9 near Holland. After the first cruiser had been hit, the following cruisers both came to a dead halt to pick up survivors, making themselves easy targets for torpedoes.[2]

Ships
HMS Cressy: launched 4 December 1899, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Sutlej: launched 18 November 1899, scrapped 9 May 1921
HMS Aboukir: launched 16 May 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Hogue: launched 13 August 1900, torpedoed and sunk 22 September 1914
HMS Bacchante: launched 21 February 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
HMS Euryalus: launched 20 May 1901, scrapped 1 July 1920
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Looks like a big ship with almost no guns. Looks more like an armed merchant ship.
 
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