Colors of USAAF bombs

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Snake Man
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Colors of USAAF bombs

Post by Snake Man » Tue Dec 26, 2017 4:12 pm

A question for our ordnance experts.... In some of the old photos, I see bombs in different color schemes. Some are O.D. with yellow bands, some have no color bands, and some are over-all yellow with lengthwise black stripes, usually four of them, the black stripes look like they were hand-painted. Sometimes you can see bombs of that type being dropped in videos mixed with ordinary O.D. painted types. Also you can see these variations in paint on bombs on carts being loaded on to bombers. Anybody know the color regulations, or why the variations in color.

[CAT]CplSlade
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Re: Colors of USAAF bombs

Post by [CAT]CplSlade » Tue Dec 26, 2017 5:09 pm

OP 1664, which is the Navy's manual on ordnance from May 1947--and includes material on Army ordnance--basically calls for all Army bombs as being overall OD from 3/11/1942 forward with a 1 inch yellow band around the nose and base, and a 1/4 inch band around the bomb's center of gravity. Manufacturer's markings would be in black. Prior to this March change, bombs were yellow all over with black markings.

Navy bombs started yellow, went gray, and then ended up OD with yellow bands like the Army's. That is all I could find doing a rough search. Most of my reference material is German armor-centered, which is of no help.

Snake Man
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Re: Colors of USAAF bombs

Post by Snake Man » Wed Dec 27, 2017 8:18 am

I found the same info, but there was nothing in it regarding the yellow bombs with the lengthwise black stripes. Those were probably not uncommon, because I have seen them fairly often in old photos. I don't think it was a Navy thing, because I only saw them in connection with USAAF bombers, and never as the entire load. Other than the paint jobs, they look identical to the rest of the load. Special purpose bombs of some sort, perhaps ?

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