Post by LeicesterTiger on Sept 10, 2009 15:56:36 GMT
My latest project is to have two Cooper air dropped bomb replicas made for me for RFC displays. Sometimes known as the 25lb (20lb casing, 4lb of explosive, so not sure why it's not referred to as 24lb instead of 25lb in publications - possibly the addition of the safety cap, fuse etc), as they replaced the 20lb Hales bombs they were designated HE Cooper 20lb Bomb.
They were used on most, if not all, active aircraft when they were introduced, and intended for use on personnel and aerodromes, so during the German spring offensive of 1918 even single seat scouts such as the SE5a and Sopwith Camel were armed with them.
Night bombers such as the FE2b and even the enormous 'bloody paralyser' Handley Page O/100 and O/400 heavy bombers were armed with Coopers to supplement the much heavier bombload, and were used to drop on targets of opportunity - namely searchlights, although, as with firing at searchlights with Lewis guns, how successful they were in knocking out the targets or just successful in persuading the searchlight crews to turn off the searchlight for a while, is hard to tell
If the plans etc are of use to anyone else, let me know and i'll send over what I have
They were used on most, if not all, active aircraft when they were introduced, and intended for use on personnel and aerodromes, so during the German spring offensive of 1918 even single seat scouts such as the SE5a and Sopwith Camel were armed with them.
Night bombers such as the FE2b and even the enormous 'bloody paralyser' Handley Page O/100 and O/400 heavy bombers were armed with Coopers to supplement the much heavier bombload, and were used to drop on targets of opportunity - namely searchlights, although, as with firing at searchlights with Lewis guns, how successful they were in knocking out the targets or just successful in persuading the searchlight crews to turn off the searchlight for a while, is hard to tell
If the plans etc are of use to anyone else, let me know and i'll send over what I have
