German Butterfly Bombs

marcsignal

German Butterfly Bombs (Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg or SD2)

I think these little feckers were among the nastiest weapons of WW2, and their little brothers are still causing a lot of controversy today.
I hate to say it, but the dialog/narration in this clip is typically 'British' and in parts, even bordering on funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWsnfK-MeCE

I started digging around on their development history, but found it hard to get much information on the web, other
than snippets on wiki and a few collectors sites. I did find quite a bit from other sources though, and it's pretty interesting stuff.
So here's what I dug up.

The idea appears to have been concieved by the head of Luftwaffe weapons development, a guy called
'Ernst Markwart' (unsure of surname spelling), and the working prototype invented by a German fuse expert
called 'Herbert Ruleman' (again, unsure of spelling of surname). It was then pressed into service with the Luftwaffe
by 'Markwart'. I couldn't find anything on these two guys on Google, even despite trying different spelling variations
of both surnames, just to be sure. I did however discover that, apparently, 'Matkwart' didn't 'oficially' exist at the time,
the nature of his work was so secret.

The Germans first used these weapons in an air raid on RAF Wattisham on October 24th 1940, code named
'Operation Operabourne' (again, spelling?). Hundreds of them were dropped all over the Aerodrome, and the RAF
ground personnell didn't know what they were. 2 Sergeant Armourers were consequently killed trying to deal with them.
Many aircraft were destroyed or damaged, and RAF Wattisham was put out of commission for 2 full days until
all of the Butterfly Bombs were destroyed. They could only blow them up in controlled explosions in-situ, because
the UXB Crews couldn't find any other way of dealing with them.

The Germans were fully aware of the chaos caused from reconissance flights, but mysteriously they never appeared
to use them in any great numbers afterward, until 1943. This time the weapon had been modified with a new fuse and
on June 13th 1943, 3500 of them, along with High Explosive and Incendiary bombs, were dropped on 'Grimsby', and
its neighbouring town 'Cleethorpes' in England. They were also used on a very small scale in Russia on the opening
day of Operation Barbarossa in 1941, again on Aerodromes.

The towns of 'Grimsby' and 'Cleethorpes' became enormous booby traps, with these things hanging from bushes, trees,
telephone wires and gutters. It took 2 full weeks for everything to return to normal. They definitely did exactly what
they intended to do, because only 12 people were killed during the raid itself. 37 were killed within an hour of the end
of the raid, and 12 were killed in the hours following that, because people emerging from shelters, began to find, and
interfere, with these curious objects, as the You Tube clip shows. Sadly 8 months later, a child out collecting shrapnel
was killed by an SD2 in a local graveyard in Grimsby, on finding one that had been missed by bomb disposal teams.
They still, very occasionally, turn up in woods and lofts in parts of England to this day.

Understandably the British ordered this whole incident be kept top secret. A strict news blackout on the chaos caused in
'Cleethorpes' and 'Grimsby' ensued, because they feared the Germans would get wind of it, and repeat the raids in other places.
Luckily, the news blackout was a success, and the Germans never did repeat the use of Butterfly Bombs in this way.
The last recorded death from a German Butterfly Bomb in England happened on November 27, 1956, over 11 years
after WW2 ended. Flight Lieutenant "Herbert Denning" of the RAF was examining an SD2 at the Upminster bomb
cemetery, East of RAF Hornchurch, when it exploded. He died of his injuries at Oldchurch Hospital the same day.

'Herbert Ruleman' was awarded a medal by 'Hermann Goering' for his work on the SD2, and for his work on other
'Time Delay Fuses'. Apparently, during the ceremony, while presenting him with his medal, 'Goering' is reputed to
have said to him, smiling, "Keep inventing Herr Ruleman"

After the war 'Ruleman' was poached by the US during 'Operation Paperclip' and worked for the US Military (Now there's a surprise).
'Ernst Markwart' became a weapons consultant for the Borfors Arms Manufacturers in Sweden.
The United States, with Ruleman's help, manufactured a copy of Markwart's SD2 for use during the Korean War and
Vietnam War, designating it the M83 Butterfly Bomb.

I was using these borrowed books listed below, and a great BBC Documentary called 'Danger UXB' for the info I found.
So if anyone else has any further info on links or books to post, other than the ones below, on the SD2, and its use in
WW2, it would be much appreciated.


Designed to Kill, Arthur Hogben, 1987, Stephens.
Unexploded Bomb, Arthur Bamford Hartley, 1959, W. W. Norton

Fratton Fred

That's a great post, thanks.

When people judge the allies after the war, you have to remember that this is the sort of stuff ordinary people had to put up with on a daily basis.

Today it is easy to look back and judge, but five years of this **** would seriously affect anyones compassion towards their enemy.

marcsignal

Fratton Fred wrote: »

That's a great post, thanks.

When people judge the allies after the war, you have to remember that this is the sort of stuff ordinary people had to put up with on a daily basis.

Today it is easy to look back and judge, but five years of this **** would seriously affect anyones compassion towards their enemy.

Yeah, that's very true Fratton Fred. I mentioned on the 'Relatives in the War' thread that I had 2 uncles in RAF Bomber command in WW2.
One of them still lives in Walkinstown, but the other settled in Surrey, England. After the war, he married a girl from the WRAF who was attached to his unit. He died in 1985, but my aunt only died last year.

It was only on reading her obituary, that I learned she had originally been engaged to a Canadian bomber pilot, who was killed on a bombing raid over Germany in Nov 1944. Despite marrying my uncle after the war, it affected her for the rest of her life. Whenever they visited us in Dublin throughout the 70's, it became clear to me, that although she often spoke fondly to me, as a child, about her time in the WRAF, she hated the Germans, and everything German, passionately, and did so until her terminal breath.

Dr Strange

marcsignal wrote: »

...and in parts, even bordering on funny.

Yes, I actually couldn't help laughing at the "squeak" that the little boy let off when the thing exploded. Sorry, I am callous that way.

Morlar

Preusse wrote: »

Yes, I actually couldn't help laughing at the "squeak" that the little boy let off when the thing exploded. Sorry, I am callous that way.

It reminded me a bit of that Harry enfield sketch 'women know your limits!!' ... yep I laughed when the bomb went off too. The shriek was too funny.

ojewriej

marcsignal wrote: »

So if anyone else has any further info on links or books to post, other than the ones below, on the SD2, and its use in
WW2, it would be much appreciated.

This is what I found - http://www.inert-ord.net/usa03a/usa6/bfly/index.html

It's actually about US M83, but it was a copy of SD2, so it's relevant.

Not really that much info (the full website seems to be passworded for some reason), but gives you a good idea how it worked.

I also know that Soviets were developing this kid of bombs as well, after the war though. A lot of them were used in Afganistan, usually disguised as toys, box of chocolates etc, which in reality means tha they were mainly targeting children.

marcsignal

ojewriej wrote: »

Not really that much info (the full website seems to be passworded for some reason),

'Markwart' up to his old tricks again, trying to keep his work secret

Stovepipe

Hallo all
The SD-2 bomblets were hated by the Luftwaffe, as well, because the little bastards often hung up on the upper half of the container, which stayed attached to the aircraft's bomb rack(in one version, at least).I read one account of an incident where Me109s were landing back at base, after having used SD-2s on a raid and one landing aircraft was damaged when some SD-2s fell off upon landing and caused the aircraft to groundloop, getting wrecked in the process.Later, a mechanic was killed and a pilot and a mech injured, when other SD-2 hang-ups fell off, as the pilot dismounted, and caused the injuries.I think there is at least one clip on YouToob of an FW-190 dropping SD-2s on the Eastern Front.
regards
Stovepipe

FiSe

...and just recently, I think I've heard, that Russians were using those lads/obviously not SD-2s/ during their latest adventure in Georgia.
But /!/ I haven't 100% conformation about it, just some news report describing civilians being killed by "little timed bombs" dropped from Russian aircrafts

Shutuplaura

And of courser the bombs dropped by the during the second indo-chinese war are still killing people regularly - two girls near Phonsovan (spelling?) in Laos a few weeks ago.

The guys in the link seem to be doing great work in helping local people solve the problems posed by these unexploded munitions.

http://www.maginternational.org/

Snickers Man

Fratton Fred wrote: »

That's a great post, thanks.

When people judge the allies after the war, you have to remember that this is the sort of stuff ordinary people had to put up with on a daily basis.

Today it is easy to look back and judge, but five years of this **** would seriously affect anyones compassion towards their enemy.

A daily basis, Fred? Three attacks on Britain during the entire war, it would appear. One on an RAF base and two more on Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

The only time I laughed during the film was when the commentary said indignantly:
"These bombs are being dropped by the enemy for the sole purpose of killing people"

Quite.

Fratton Fred

Snickers Man wrote: »

A daily basis, Fred? Three attacks on Britain during the entire war, it would appear. One on an RAF base and two more on Grimsby and Cleethorpes.

The only time I laughed during the film was when the commentary said indignantly:
"These bombs are being dropped by the enemy for the sole purpose of killing people"

Quite.

I was including regular bombings, doodle bugs etc in "This sort of Stuff".

Its interesting to talk to someone who grew up in London during the war. Sleeping in Underground stations, waking up the next morning not knowing if your house is still there, going shopping and hearing the buzz of a VII going overhead then hearing the engine cough, stall and the whizz before the bang as yet another person loses everything, maybe even their life.

Yeah, it was pretty much a daily basis for a lot of people.

Dinter

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Yeah, it was pretty much a daily basis for a lot of people.

That's true Fred.

It is important to remember the hundreds of thousands of civilians who died in Berlin, Dresden, Tokyo or Lubeck to name a few. The Blitz, in reality, was never in the same league as the RAF's Area Bombing Directive for example.

In Arthur Harris's own words;

"the aim of the Combined Bomber Offensive...should be unambiguously stated [as] the destruction of German cities, the killing of German workers, and the disruption of civilized life throughout Germany.

It should be emphasized that the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories."

Were I an unarmed German civilian or refugee, dodging death from the skies 24 hours a day, I'd have happily inserted the fuses in the Butterfly bombs myself.

Fratton Fred

Dinter wrote: »

Were I an unarmed German civilian or refugee, dodging death from the skies 24 hours a day, I'd have happily inserted the fuses in the Butterfly bombs myself.

That's pretty much my point.

Ask the people of Coventry just how "pin Point" the bombing was in november 1940 or April 1941 and would they happily have bombed Dresden themselves.

You could also ask the people of Norwich, Exeter, York, Bath and Canterbury would they have had any sympathy for a nation who chose targets to bomb out of a tour guide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baedeker_Blitz

It is easy to sit here 65 years later and judge people who had been through years of sleeping on tube stations and in civic shelters such as this one in Wymering, not knowing if they had a home to go to in the morning.

Nice personal memory here http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/70/a2013670.shtml

Hagar

Dinter wrote: »

In Arthur Harris's own words;

"the aim of the Combined Bomber Offensive...should be unambiguously stated [as] the destruction of German cities, the killing of German workers, and the disruption of civilized life throughout Germany.

It should be emphasized that the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives, the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale, and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories."

I've never seen that full quote before, it's stomach churning for that to be an official policy to be honest. Understandable I suppose in the desperate circumstances of the time but in today's world it reads like the script for a terrorist video.

He didn't write training manuals for any "local organizations" after the war by any chance?

Fratton Fred

Hagar wrote: »

I've never seen that full quote before, it's stomach churning for that to be an official policy to be honest. Understandable I suppose in the desperate circumstances of the time but in today's world it reads like the script for a terrorist video.

He didn't write training manuals for any "local organizations" after the war by any chance?

It is, although there are similar quotes from German officers as well.

At the time, Harris was fighting a guerrilla war though, Britisn was on its arse and preventing the Germans from bombing britain was his main objective, If that included targetting the workers that made the weapons, then so be it.

Don't forget, Germany was not like, Say, Britain today, where it's government is engaged in a war the majority of people do not believe in. In 1942 Germany, the germans were fighting for what they believed, which was the third reich.

Morlar

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Don't forget, Germany was not like, Say, Britain today, where it's government is engaged in a war the majority of people do not believe in. In 1942 Germany, the germans were fighting for what they believed, which was the third reich.

Isn't deliberately targetting civilians a warcrime ?

Leadership

Morlar wrote: »

Isn't deliberately targetting civilians a warcrime ?

Yes but very hard to prove as you can say most targets do have a military value. Take a Nuclear weapon that will always kill more civi's.

Russia has had questions asked of them with their PFM -1 as it has probably caused more casualties for children than adults let alone combatants. Again it resembles a butterfly and kids love them.

Dinter

Fratton Fred wrote: »

It is, although there are similar quotes from German officers as well.

Hitler calls for "disruptive attacks on the population and air defences of major British cities, including London, by day and night" in September 1940. This was in response to a British attack on Berlin which in fairness was in response to the accidental (?) bombing of London.

Tbh the first phase of the Blitz was aimed at what we would understand as military targets, namely docks and warehouses. While it is obvious that some bombs hit residential areas, at this stage, bomb pattern evidence would describe these as more accidental than deliberate.

Due to lack of resources at this time, Freddy Pile must concentrate his small amount of Flak so as to defend the docks etc. It is hoped that concentrating them here will force German bombers to drop early thus sparing the military targets.

Between November 1940 and February 1941 the scope of the bombing campaign is widened to take into account other industrial areas. Despite some horrendous massed wing attacks, just as the Blitz diluted the attacks on RAF facilities the same is true of this.

As of February 1941 the number of attacks on civilian targets waned as the Germans sent their bombers eastward or switched focus to ports and maritime facilities. The Blitz is reckoned as having ended by May 1941. (Same time as the North Strand Bombings coincidentally)

Although at the end of the Blitz there had been many casualties and much damage done I don't see how anyone could actually state that the Blitz was in anyway comparitive with the prolonged mass bombing campaigns carried out across Germany.

Anyone wondering at the number of casualties inflicted by the Luftwaffe should read up on Shelter Mentality and why HMG decided on Anderson shelters for all.

The closest German air assault I can find with the same stated aims as Harris described would be the Baedecker Blitz which in total caused around 1600 fatalities over three months.

However that was in response to the destruction of Lubeck in March 1942. This raid was planned because as Harris said "Lubeck went up in flames because it was a city of moderate size of some importance as a port, and with some submarine building yards of moderate size not far from it. It was not a vital target, but it seemed to me better to destroy an industrial town of moderate importance than to fail to destroy a large industrial city".

Of course while Harris should take the lions share of blame for instigating and championing strategic bombing it should be remembered that it was not even his idea. In fact a professor Lindeman (HMG scientific advisor) is the first to moot the idea of deliberately targeting civilians and the whole idea is passed by the cabinet.

Anyone interested in seeing the steely determination to slaughter civilians that Harris, Lindeman and Churchill's practiced should read up Operation Gomorrah which in one week inflicted more casualties than the German bombing offensive against Britain over the course of the war.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

At the time, Harris was fighting a guerrilla war though, Britisn was on its arse and preventing the Germans from bombing britain was his main objective, If that included targetting the workers that made the weapons, then so be it.

If we accept that operation Sealion needed fighter cover to have any hope of success than at no stage was "Bomber" Harris fighting anything even resembling a guerrilla war. Even before the Germans switched their assaults to the cities instead of the airfields the Luftwaffe was getting torn apart by the dogged determination of the RAF and their ability to replace a downed airplane three times quicker than the Germans thought possible. Anyone who wants an unbiased and neutral account of the Battle of Britain without the polish of 60 years of spin, should try and get a copy of Battle of Britain by Len Deighton.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Don't forget, Germany was not like, Say, Britain today, where it's government is engaged in a war the majority of people do not believe in. In 1942 Germany, the germans were fighting for what they believed, which was the third reich.

The majority of British civilians were as much behind their government as the German civilians were behind theirs.

Fratton Fred

Look, I'm not trying to justify the area bombing strategy, it was flawed for sure. All my point was that it is understandable that people had no sympathy for the Germans.

Harris and Lindeman were blood thirsty but in their mind they were not the aggressors. If we go tit for tat, this was in retaliation for, then I think the simple answer would be that the Germans didn;t have to invade Poland in the first place.

At the time no on knew Hitler was going to give up on his invasion plans, Germany was a very efficient war machine. Britain had no foot hold in Europe and the only way they could strike at the Germans was by air and they saw first hand in Coventry just how effective incendiary devices could be.

Sure, there were far more civilian casualties in Germany than in Britain, but the war was never actually fought on British soil, but it was in Germany so there are going to be more civilians on the front line so to speak. Yes, deliberately targetting civilians is a war crime, but displacing them so they cannot work in factories producung munitions, is that a war crime?

and yes, the majority of the British population was behind the British government, but lets not orget who it was that started the war and was actively rounding up and gassing Jews.

marcsignal

Found This on Ebay today !!

any takers

gizmo555

The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin - first published in 1943 - is a classic of British wartime literature dealing with the British response to a German booby trap weapon of this kind. Highly recommended.

You can get it on Amazon for £0.01 plus P&P - can't go far wrong at that! (There was also a film of it made by Powell & Pressburger in 1949 - I haven't seen that though.)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Small-Back-Cassell-Military-Paperbacks/dp/0304356948/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254384559&sr=1-1

Tony EH

ojewriej wrote: »

This is what I found - http://www.inert-ord.net/usa03a/usa6/bfly/index.html

It's actually about US M83, but it was a copy of SD2, so it's relevant.

Not really that much info (the full website seems to be passworded for some reason), but gives you a good idea how it worked.

I also know that Soviets were developing this kid of bombs as well, after the war though. A lot of them were used in Afganistan, usually disguised as toys, box of chocolates etc, which in reality means tha they were mainly targeting children.

Some more...

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/sd2.htm

Tony EH

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Don't forget, Germany was not like, Say, Britain today, where it's government is engaged in a war the majority of people do not believe in. In 1942 Germany, the germans were fighting for what they believed, which was the third reich.

I think you need to read more about "...the Germans" and what "...they believed in" in 1942 Fred.

Tony EH

Dinter wrote: »

Hitler calls for "disruptive attacks on the population and air defences of major British cities, including London, by day and night" in September 1940. This was in response to a British attack on Berlin which in fairness was in response to the accidental (?) bombing of London.

Bombs were dropped on London by mistake (against Hitler's express orders) by either a squadron of Heinkels, or a single Heinkel. The pilot involved got a bollocking and was arrested in Germany.

Churchill immediately ordered an attack on Berlin the next night 25th/26th. Then again on several consequtive nights. This was done as a deliberate attempt to get Hitler to lift his order not to bomb London. Franlkly, he'd been gagging at the bit to broaden the bombing war.

After the Sportspalast speech on the 4th September, in which Hitler warned that if the British dropped "...two, three or four thousand kilos of bombs, then we will now drop 150,000, 180,000, 230,000, 300,000 or 400,000 kilos", the RAF again bombed Germany. Thus the Luftwaffe struck back on the 7th. Its main target being the London docklands area.

But Churchill played a blinder and fooled Hitler into diverting his bombers away from easy to hit strategic targets (like airfields) to more confused Strategic targets like the targets in London. It really put the nail into Germany's attempt to knock Britain out of the war. Although I believe that "Sealion" was more a ruse than ever a serious attempt to invade Britain, once the Luftwaffe were ordered to try and attack a target like London, all bets were off...and it allowed Fighter Command time to regroup and consolidiate its forces.

Dinter wrote: »

Although at the end of the Blitz there had been many casualties and much damage done I don't see how anyone could actually state that the Blitz was in anyway comparitive with the prolonged mass bombing campaigns carried out across Germany.

Agreed and such comparisons fall apart when one considers that the total number of British civilians killed by German bombing (circa 60.000) could be killed in a couple of nights consecutive bombing in Germany.

Leadership

Hey OP,

If you are interested in these types of devices I may be able to help. I was a Bomb disposal officer for while in the British Army and specialized in landmines & bobby traps. I was also a victim of a Yugoslav made PMR in Bosnia so I know a lot about the victims as well.

I do consultancy for Norwegian Peoples Aid and still circulate with the professional community.

BTW - The Russian PFM 1 is a nasty little fecker. It was a problem in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation as kids loved them

marcsignal

Leadership wrote: »

Hey OP,

If you are interested in these types of devices I may be able to help. I was a Bomb disposal officer for while in the British Army and specialized in landmines & bobby traps. I was also a victim of a Yugoslav made PMR in Bosnia so I know a lot about the victims as well.

JESUS !! I'm sorry to hear that Leadership, Were you badly injured??

I'm really just interested in the SD2, because I remember seeing first it on a 70's TV series called Danger UXB, and thought they were wierd looking devices, and was fascinated by the way they kept turning up years after the war.

Leadership wrote: »

I do consultancy for Norwegian Peoples Aid and still circulate with the professional community.

I'm curious to get any info about the 2 men in the OP "Ernst Markwart" and "Herbert Reuleman" and what they did after the war, if you've ever heard about them?

Leadership wrote: »

BTW - The Russian PFM 1 is a nasty little fecker. It was a problem in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation as kids loved them

Yeah I remember their being a lot of controversy about that at the time, with a lot of kids being killed.

Stovepipe

Hi all,
I once had a chat with a man who was running for an air-raid shelter in London in 1944 and heard the sound "like a two-stroke with no exhaust" of a V-1 going over.Just as he looked up, he saw it appear between buildings and heard it's engine cut out.He actually saw it tip over into it's final dive, just as he entered the shelter. The Warden slammed the door shut behind him and they threw themselves down. A few seconds later,the shelter shook, "the floor hit me in the face and there was dust everywhere",and they heard a "deep thump". After a while, it went quiet and the Warden opened the door, just in time for the man to hear the last of the anti-aircraft's shrapnel rattling off the roofs. He went out and had a look around and saw a big trail of dust and smoke a few streets away.He went on his way but did tell me that he saw or heard at least three V-1s in 1944.
regards
Stovepipe

marcsignal

Found a few more good Butterfly Bomb pics, so am just bumping this old thread for the benefit of newer posters that never came across the original.













I'm still on the lookout for any new info about the weapon, or the two men responsible for its development and use by the Luftwaffe, "Ernst Markwart" and Herbert Reuleman", that hasn't already been posted, if anyones killing time on the web.
.

BlaasForRafa

Well I don't have anything on its development but I did look through my Jagdwaffe books and the following were the most significant mentions.

From Aviation Aircraft Elite 12: JG27

In addition to their traditional Stuka-escort duties, many of JG27's pilots would spend the opening hours of Barbarossa flying a series of ground attack sorties against numerous Soviet frontier airfields

A new weapon was introduced to assist them in their task. It consisted of large bomb-rack fairings which could be fitted to their BF 109s. Each of the fighters so equipped was capable of carrying 96 SD-2 splitterbomben. These tiny fragmentation bomblets had originally been developed as an anti-personnel weapon. But they were to prove highly effective when used against rows of parked Soviet aircraft"

and from Aircraft of the Aces 37: BF 109 Aces of the Russian front:

Although the Luftwaffe threw some 35 Kampf and Stukagruppen into the initial attacks against the Soviet Air Force on the ground, so numerous and so crowded were Russia's airfields that a substantial proportion of the German fighter force had to fly bombing missions too.

The weapon they were to use was the recently introduced SD-2 splitterbombe also called the Butterfly bomb. Weighing only 2kg this devilish little device, which could be fused to explode either on or before impact with the ground had been developed as an an anti-personnel weapon. But if dropped in sufficient numbers it could also do a lot of damage to rows of parked aircraft. And each BF 109 could carry 96.

Shuttling back and forth between their bases and the target airfields, the bomb-laden BF 109s did indeed wreak considerable havoc. And although of short duration such missions were not at all popular with the pilots.

firstly the four bulky panniers (arranged in 2 tandem pairs) from which the SD-2 were suspended had a marked effect on the BF 109s performance and handling characteristics. Secondly for maximum effect, the bombs had to be salvoed from an altitude of just 40 metres at which soviet small arms fire was at its most vicious.

But perhaps most alarming of all the SD-2 had an unfortunate tendancy to hang up. At any sort of speed - and, for obvious reasons, pilots did not dawdle when making low-level runs across an enemy airfield - the build up of air pressure held the SD-2s in place in their racks; particularly the 8 bombs of the front 2 rows.

It was only when the fighter slowed down - on approaching to land back at its base for example - that the last of any remaining bombs fell away. Numerous reports from this time note that incoming BF109s could often be distinguished by the trail of small explosions left in their wake. Worst still was the fact that some SD-2s did not release until the fighter was actually taxying in. A number of casualties were incurred.

It soon became standard practice for returning BF109s to make a low (but high-speed!) pass across their home fields to allow observers on the ground to confirm that their bomb racks were empty. Only when they got the all-clear from below did the pilots come in to land.

It was estimated that some 1500 soviet aircraft were destroyed on the ground.

marcsignal

I found this episode of an old series from 1979 called Danger UXB.
It deals specifically with Butterfly Bombs, and the depictions of how they were dealt with is remarkably accurate.
Although the townland is fictional, it's certainly based around the Raids around Grimsby and Cleethorpes in 1943.

Enjoy

Part 1 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHIcQv0z_Zg

Part 2 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-yle8iTiNU

Part 3 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCryGvWaL48

Part 4 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQnJ5okYFyQ

Part 5 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQnfSdk3Umg

Part 6 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYGS57vTBKY

Part 7 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk_i7YXm7aE

Part 8 of 8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-qEIWCw-G0

The whole series is easily found on YouTube, well worth the watch !!