cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 My neighbour is again clearing out some of her father's WWII kit/items and as she knows I like old tat....brought these round today. He was in the RA in NW Europe I think I can ID some of these but not all. Any help with confirming/Identifying much appreciated. 1. Parachute flare? Cotton printed with MAPLE 1940 30IF. 2. Small Canvas bag. Stencilled "WATERPROOF SIGNAL". small label "Bags, Waterproof, Signal" and instructions for use. 3. 2" Mortar Bomb. Smoke? 4. German Incendary bomb tail. 5. PIAT tail (presumeably picked up after fired in anger as metal peeled back from impact) 6. Unidentided item. From colour German? Front nose cap unscrews as does heavy rear section with following markings: AZ 13(inside a small circle) A and under these 41 Many thanks [/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoseman Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 hi, think the AZ 41 is a fuse of some sort. I have one similar marked off a butterfly bomb! type 41 fuse, not date. the two holes for a pin spanner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I belive AZ was the designation for Luftwaffe ariel bomb fuses, various types including some with booby traps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 hi, think the AZ 41 is a fuse of some sort. I have one similar marked off a butterfly bomb! type 41 fuse, not date.the two holes for a pin spanner. Thanks was guessing it might be German from paint colour. I'd not thought of a large fuse and I'd not seen one before. The heavy end cap has what appear to be cold chisel marks on the end, but am guessing it wasn't removed with a chisel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 I belive AZ was the designation for Luftwaffe ariel bomb fuses, various types including some with booby traps. Thanks Tony, This one is empty,so should be safe. Interesting piece of history though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 (edited) Doing some more Googling on Type 41 fuse, I think they were also used on incendiary bombs. I think what I have here is a complete inert Incendiary Bomb with fuse and tailfin. The marks I thought were from a chisel are probably actually impact marks from when it hit the ground. The seperate tail matches up and it looks much more like one of these (photo just clipped from the internet): Edited March 2, 2013 by cordenj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootles Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Top left, in your pictures 1/2, under the flare parachute, is, I think, the tail of a PIAT anti tank round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Top left, in your pictures 1/2, under the flare parachute, is, I think, the tail of a PIAT anti tank round. Yes I agree. Think it is a PIAT tail. It is marked 2 43 which I take to mean it was made in Feb 1943. The explosive damage to the front shows it been fired and presumeably then picked up sometime later as a souvenir. As the neighbour's father has now passed away, can't find out the history of how and where he collected these artifacts...so can only imagine what this PIAT did (of course may have just been used on a range!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Suslowicz Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 The "Bag, Waterproof, Signal" is for waterproofing signals equipment for beach landings, river crossings and wading. There were several sizes of bag available, as well as a few "flat sheet" pieces (the latter intended to be stuck together with some kind of mastic adhesive (which I think contained asbestos fibre(!)) to waterproof large pieces of kit. Best, Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cordenj Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Thanks Chris, That's all items ID'd. Knew it wouldn't take long on here! Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Careful with the incendiary bomb's casing, I believe they were made out of Magnesium. It will corrode quite easily, more importantly, although it'll take some doing to ignite it, once burning, you'll struggle to put it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoseman Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Just a further note on the Butterfly fuse relic I have. A collector in the early 80`s (I think) had the complete bomb on his mantle piece at home as a display!!!! It was when the series "Danger UXB" was on tv (maybe earlier than 80`s then, sure I will be corrected!) He watched the one with the Butterfly Bomb and they said it couldnt be de-fused!!!! He then carried his to the bottom of the garden and called the Bomb Squad. They blew it there and then and said if he hadnt have moved it they would have no choice to blow it where it wes.....on his mantlepiece!!! This is true as it was in the Daily Mirror at the time which is how I found out about it and wrote (Yes, a letter....pen, paper, stamp etc....you get the drift!! LOL) to him asking for information on it. He searched the debris and sent me the outer fuse cover with all the stampings on!! On another note that would scare the poop out of you. Last year one of my customers (a demolition company) had an unanounced safety inspection at his workshops. The safety guy recognised the item being used as a door stop in the workshops.......... only another Butterfly bomb!!! This was taken to local fields by the Bomb Squad and blown!!!! Scarey as hell what some people have lying round!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Quite a few Butterfly bombs come to light.Grimsby seems to be fertile ground for these little buggers! http://www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk/Grimsby-s-horrific-night/story-11539274-detail/story.html#axzz2MTmpLVsj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootles Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Some years ago, I became a fanatical collector of ammunition, bombs, grenades, and some really odd stuff. Anyway, there was at the time a company in Denton, Manchester, (now sadly gone), called Pass & Co, who manufactured bomb trepanners for the MOD. They always had a constant supply of all types of bombs, empty of coarse, for testing their renowned hole cutting equipment and of coarse, I was constantly on 'the sniff' around the factory, becoming quite friendly with the manager. One day, he gave me a large shell, supplied for cutting by the MOD, made from wrought iron, no good to them at all. I quickly identified it as an 8" RML, a rare beast. It had come from Shoeburyness trials range. Reading up on it in the Ammunition Treaties, I saw it weighed 68lb empty, but hey, mine weighed 74lb. With great difficulty I unscrewed the base plug, and out came 6lb of black powder...........:-X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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