Author Topic: V I - Timer.  (Read 5761 times)

pete.mason

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #25 on: October 27, 2020, 05:06:26 PM »
A. It was in a book from the library about bomb disposal in WW2 that the title now escapes me!
mmitch.
The 2 classics were by Maj Bill Hartley -Unexploded Bomb & Highly Explosive, published in the 1950s,

Offline MartinR

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #24 on: October 27, 2020, 02:27:22 PM »
I tried a couple of Internet searches on "sulphuric acid bomb disposal" and "sulphuric acid V1 fuse" but nothing relevant came up.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #23 on: October 27, 2020, 12:24:03 PM »
The childish pyromaniac in me absolutely loves these stories. Thanks guys.


Bashing bombs etc to make them go off is stark contrast to the EOD guys trying to avoid that scenario. Came across tales of defusing enemy bombs in wartime, rather than just safe detonation, because a type of fuse was required for teaching purposes!


I've stopped looking now, but the nearest I could find to acid on a V1 fuse, was the use of acetone to dissolve (?) the explosive around the fuse pocket. This was a V1 landing in Sandhurst, Kent.


Curiously, some of those V1 that crashed intact were found to have the charges that initiated the steep dive still intact. These ones did come down after expiring their fuel and just glided down.

pete.mason

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #22 on: October 27, 2020, 08:27:12 AM »
When and where was this? Sounds like a scene from Dad's Army! 😂


Late '70s, East coast & Welsh coast ranges.

Offline grandarog

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #21 on: October 26, 2020, 07:00:33 PM »
Cosmo ,
          You would be amazed at some of the tricks we used to get up to concerning demolition in the services.  A standard method of disposal for small ordnance was dig a hole insert said whatever in varying amounts ,empty the contents of a couple of starter cartridges or flares on top .Cover hole with a steel plate, leaving a gap at edge. Light a Portfire ignitor and chuck it in before making a walk away retreat to cover.. Fierce burn would then ignite and destroy what ever. Great fun if there were signal cartridges in the burn .Often the plate would be blown to one side and Very lights of all colours would go up. This was OK so long as the Tower had been told demo was occurring. If not Satco was not amused.
 Not heard or come acrossof the potshot method but have thrown rocks at 8 1/2 lb.practice  smoke or flame bombs to set them off on the beach. Anything bigger like Marine Markers, Depth Charges or other shells etc were manhandled onto the back of our Bantam truck and recovered to base.
 Destroying a large quantity of Hawker Hunter Starter Cartridges in Malta once . The system was to remove the cruciform charge and deposit in a 40 gallon oil drum until full. The empty case was then fired by holding the negative wire of a 12v batterry on the case and touching the cap with the live wire.The brass case was the boxed up labelled Safe ,Free from Explosives and destined to the Station Scrap yard On one occasion some of the charges in the barrel must have been corrupted as suddenly the whole lot blew out like Vesuvius giving a spectacular display .(Luckily didn't reach where we were sheltering behind a corrugated iron screen.)
Another highly illegal trick we used to pull in the Hunting Season. As the Maltese in those days would shoot at any migratory birds that game in range was to drop Chipmunk Starter Cartridges at the side of goat tracks. They were 12 Bore calibre and black so looked just like a Russian 12 Bore ShotGun Cartridge.  Just after daybreak when the daily barrage started we would laugh when in among all the bangs you heard a woosh like a rocket taking off. We knew we had caught another mug and saved a sparrow. Im'e sure Pete can tell you a few more tales. :) :)

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #20 on: October 26, 2020, 04:48:46 PM »
When and where was this? Sounds like a scene from Dad's Army! 😂

pete.mason

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #19 on: October 26, 2020, 01:41:22 PM »
I did my A3 course with some RAF armourers from various ranges & bomb dumps. All the kit they had on the ranges were a mini van, 100 fathoms of rope , a rifle and 5 rounds. The bombs were mostly practice but still capable of causing injury. Theory was to tie the bomb to the van and bounce it along the beach, if that failed take potshots at it.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #18 on: October 26, 2020, 12:45:15 PM »
The book may have been Danger UXB by James Owen? There's a review online mentioning acid as one of many early experimental ways of dealing with early war bomb fuses. Doesn't seem like it worked successfully then? Other early methods were pounding and shooting at the bomb fuses!

Offline mmitch

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #17 on: October 26, 2020, 10:14:38 AM »
As I remember reading it, the disposal men couldn't get the fuse out so decided to find some acid. Nearby was a girl's school so they found sulphuric acid in the science cupboard! It was some time ago that I read about it. It was in a book from the library about bomb disposal in WW2 that the title now escapes me!
mmitch.

Offline Dave Smith

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2020, 05:16:09 PM »
Cosmo. A very interesting set of pictures, thanks. It seems the fuses were belt, braces & string, just in case!

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #15 on: October 25, 2020, 03:34:52 PM »
https://www.oldnautibits.com/stock_php/infopage.php?catalogue=AIT&stocknumber=6168&frompage=share


Grandarog, this is a slightly better image of the clockwork backup fuse.

pete.mason

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2020, 02:22:20 PM »
See http://zenza.se/vw/V1%20fusing%20system.pdf for full details including wiring diagrams of the fuze systems

Offline grandarog

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #13 on: October 25, 2020, 12:07:02 PM »
The Veeder Timer that Cosmo has posted was the Odometer counter that was driven by the small propellor on the nose to determine when the V1 would dive .
The Clockwork Timer we are concerned with operated a back up fusing system.Until now i cannot find any info on the web.I know they definitely existed just need to find a picture.

Offline Cosmo Smallpiece

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #12 on: October 25, 2020, 09:22:38 AM »
http://home.scarlet.be/~sh446368/pics-fieseler-103.html


Above link, slideshow pic 8 shows one in situ.

pete.mason

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Re: V I - Timer.
« Reply #11 on: October 25, 2020, 09:21:28 AM »
Great find Cosmo, fuzing system is unlike anything else they used.