German SD70 HE Bomb

The Germans used two main types of ariel bombs. There were the SC (Sprengbombe Cylindrisch, cylindrical explosive bomb) and SD (Sprengbombe Dickwandig, thick-walled explosive bomb) series. The SC were used as a general-purpose bomb and differed from the SD by having a thinner casing. Virtually identical, the two types were identified by coloured stripes at the rear of the device, running parallel to the stabilising fins; yellow for SC and red for SD.

Each device was type-prefixed with either SC or SD and numbered according to the weight of the bomb. Both variants could be loaded either under the aircraft externally, or tail first within a bomb bay (depending on the arrangement of the bomber's design). The thicker walls of the SD enabled use against heavily-protected targets, e.g. tanks or bunkers and when fitted with a delayed time fuse, was intended to act as an armour-piercing 'bunker buster' by destroying the target with a combination of blast and fragmentation from inside. The SD range could also be fitted with either a Dinort rod or parachute to allow for use as an anti-personnel device. The Dinort rod was fitted to the nose and extended beyond the overall length of the bomb by some 610 mm (2 feet), which provided for detonation of the device on the surface, thus maximising the fragmentation; the parachute enabled an airburst, again with the same effect against soft targets in the open.

Our example is a replica SD70. We believe this to be a former film prop, although we have no details as to which film. It is a 1:1 scale copy.

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