Looking though the archives here earlier i the week, I came across some photos of a bomb that was dropped here in 1916 by, presumably a French plane.

It simply does not look like a bomb as such. I get the impression that it is a 75 mm or so shell with fins bolted or something on to it (one photo shows what seem to be fins that have come off and are very buckled lying beside it).

When were bombs as such for air dropping first brought into use, and what was used before that (I know that very early 'bombs' were effectively hand grenades - at least that was what the French were dropping).

Fairy early on, IIRC the 20lb Hales bomb came in sometime in 1915. The adapted 75mm shell could have been a stop gap - there was a plan for 9.45 inch trench mortar shells, the flying pig, to be fitted with fins for dropping from the Handley Page O/400's once warfare became a lot less static in 1918 to use up the stocks, but aside from the official leaflet describing it with diagrams I haven't seen any evidence of it actually being used

In 1913 the German firm APK were contracted to produce a series of aircraft bombs. some of which had an elongated streamlined body with fins on the tail. In early 1914 these were replaced by a series of bombs produced by A G Carbonit- Shlebusch in general pear shaped with a circular tail. These were produced in various sizes and with variations on the tail design until the end of 1916 when they were replaced by a different series of bombs the P u W series very like those of today. However the Germans did utilise 21 cm artillery shells with fins welded on (with a slight skew so as to introduce spin).

The Germans have it in 1913 as stated.The Carbonit bombs were the first to be equpped with fuzes to arm the bomb as it fell initiated by a rotating propeller in the tail.

In 1917,the PuW bomb,a development for the German Air Service, was the first bomb to be streamlined, was constructed of steel rather than cast iron and had well designed aerodynamic qualities.The fin design was arranged to effect the bomb to spin on falling as an aid to stabilisation during the fall.Arming of the bomb fuze was achieved by centrifugal force set up by the fins.As said the PuW bomb was the forerunner of the modern bomb and was manufactured in weights up to 1000kg.

In 1918, the RAF were suppiled with the largest capacity bomb,one of 1527 kg but only the HP V 1500 aircraft of the RAF Independent Air Force could lift it and then only as a single load.Intentions to use the bomb against Berlin came to naught as the Armistice intervened.

Thanks for that. The bomb that I have photos of is French. In 1918 a bomb was dropped here and a sketch shows that it was purpose designed with fins, etc an integral part of the thing and the shape is quite different to that of a shell - modern bomb sort of shape, in fact.

One thing that is surprising about the photos I have is that the fuse seems to be missing. There is a hole in the nose where it should have been. It is possible that it had been removed, but could it have dropped off?

Over 700 1,000kg PuWs were dropped in WW1 mainly from Friedrichshafen G IIIa bombers. Other sizes included 12.5, 50, 100 & 300 Kg. A typical Gotha bomb load would be 2 100kg and 5 or 6 50 Kg

Thanks, but all these that have been quoted are German. What about the French?

Well you did ask when was the first real bomb produced! The answer is well before WW1 see photo of bomb used in Mexico http://www.old-picture.com/american-histor...-First-Bomb.jpg. Britain France and Germany all had streamlined aircraft bombs at the beginning of the war however some 'heavies' were still made by fitting fins to artillery shells - some proved quite effective.

Further to the above Glen H Curtiss carried out tests dropping streamlined bombs in 1910. I now think that the picture above may represent one of these bombs. The aircraft certainly appears to be a Curtiss Flyer. This is also the type used by both sides in the Mexican Civil War.

Early French aircraft bombs http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/344221..._03155d7cbb.jpg

Thanks for the reference. They look just like the sketch I have of a 1918 French bomb.

I've seen an equipment list dated 1914 that included Hales bombs.