Were cluster bombs used in ww2?
The M29 cluster bomb was a 500-pound (230 kg) cluster bomb used by the United States Air Force during World War II against troops, unarmoured vehicles and artillery.
Why was Grimsby bombed in ww2?
The first use of these new bombs was on Monday 14 June 1943 when a plague of butterflies landed on Grimsby and Cleethorpes causing terror, chaos and death.
What is a ww2 butterfly bomb?
The German SD 2 ‘Butterfly Bomb’ was used on a large scale during the Second World War, and was designed as an anti-personnel/fragmentation weapon. They were delivered by air, being dropped in containers that opened at a predetermined height, thus scattering the bombs.
How big is a cluster bomb?
The definition of a cluster munition under Article 2 is “a conventional munition that is designed to disperse or release explosive submunitions each weighing less than 20 kilograms, and includes those explosive submunitions.” Therefore the ban on cluster munitions, and all relevant Convention obligations such as …
Did Grimsby get bombed in ww2?
Later on in the war, Grimsby was the first town to have anti-personnel bombs dropped on it. Thousands of these bombs landed all over Grimsby and people did not know what they were so many got killed or maimed that night. The next day, bombs were found in roof gutters, gardens and in the streets all over the place.
Was Cleethorpes bombed in ww2?
During the war the Germans dropped some particularly nasty bombs on Cleethorpes known as butterfly bombs, because they had wings on the sides. Many people were caught out by the bombs and met a dreadful end. One night a lot of butterfly bombs were dropped on Cleethorpes and some landed down Pasture Street.
What is a cluster bomb?
A cluster munition (or cluster bomb) is a container filled with small explosive bombs called “sub-munitions.” This container may be a shell, rocket, missile, or other device. Dropped from an aircraft or fired from the ground, it opens in the air and releases the sub-munitions.
What does a butterfly bomb look like?
Butterfly bombs were usually painted either straw yellow (desert camouflage), or, if fitted with the DoppZ (41) or (41) A fuze, dark green or grey.
What was the first cluster bomb used in World War 2?
The first significantly operationally used cluster bomb was the German SD-2 or Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg, commonly referred to as the Butterfly Bomb. It was used in World War II to attack both civilian and military targets.
What was the fragmentation density of an SD 2 bomb?
The fragmentation density produced by an SD 2 was 1 fragment per m 2 in 8 meters radius from a ground burst SD 2 bomb; overall, the body of an SD 2 did produce about 250 fragments with a mass of over 1 gram and a still greater number of lighter fragments.
Why are cluster bombs so dangerous to civilians?
Because cluster bombs release many small bomblets over a wide area, they pose risks to civilians both during attacks and afterwards. Unexploded bomblets can kill or maim civilians and/or unintended targets long after a conflict has ended, and are costly to locate and remove.
How many cluster bombs were dropped on Yugoslavia?
About 2,000 cluster bombs containing 380,000 sub-munitions were dropped on Yugoslavia during the Operation Allied Force, in 1999, of which the Royal Air Force dropped 531 RBL755 cluster bombs.