| SBe 50 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Fragmentation bomb |
| Place of origin |  |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Luftwaffe |
| Wars | World War II |
| Production history | |
| Variants | A I, A II, C, C II, D, E |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 49–52 kg (108–115 lb) |
| Length | 1.09 m (3 ft 7 in) |
| Diameter | 8 in (200 mm) |
| Warhead | TNT Naphthalene |
| Warhead weight | 3–5.4 kg (6 lb 10 oz–11 lb 14 oz) |
The SBe 50 (Splitter Beton) or concrete fragmentation in English was a family of fragmentation bombs used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SBe series of bombs were designed to be semi-armor piercing fragmentation bombs that could act as an adjunct to the SD series of bombs. There were two bombs in this series the SBe 50, and the SBe 250. The number in the bombs designation corresponded to the approximate weight of the bomb. The SBe series was an effort to balance low cost, good fragmentation, and effective explosives. The SBe series achieved its fragmentation by embedding scrap metal in a layer of concrete instead of having a thick steel casing like the SD series. This concept had already been used successfully on the SD 10 A Type II and the SD 10 DW. [1]
The SBe 50 wasn't a single type but six closely related sub-variants intended to rectify shortcomings in the original design. None of the models were considered completely successful. [1] The explosive for the Model A I was contained in a thin metal liner which the concrete was cast around. However, the Model A I was not satisfactory because the explosive charge was too large which pulverized the concrete instead of creating effective fragments. The Model C unsuccessfully attempted to address this problem by reducing the amount of explosives and increasing the thickness of the concrete. The Model D reduced the amount of explosive once again and increased the thickness of the concrete but the explosive charge was now too small. The Model E increased the amount of explosives back up to the amount used by the Model C, the internal metal container was eliminated, and the concrete was now cast around a rebar framework. The early models were filled with TNT but later models were filled with naphthalene a lower grade explosive that may have been used to promote fragmentation. Early models had sheet steel tails set in concrete while later models had detachable tails. The SBe 50 could be suspended vertically in a bomb bay or horizontally from a wing or fuselage hard point. The bombs were painted bright green in color. [2]
An armor-piercing shell, armour-piercing shell in Commonwealth English, AP for short, is a type of ammunition designed to penetrate armor. From the 1860s to 1950s, a major application of armor-piercing projectiles was to defeat the thick armor carried on many warships and cause damage to the lightly-armored interior. From the 1920s onwards, armor-piercing weapons were required for anti-tank missions. AP rounds smaller than 20 mm are typically known as "armor-piercing ammunition", and are intended for lightly-armored targets such as body armor, bulletproof glass and light armored vehicles. The AP shell is now seldom used in naval warfare, as modern warships have little or no armor protection. In the anti-tank role, as tank armor improved during World War II newer designs began to use a smaller but dense penetrating body within a larger shell. These lightweight shells were fired at very high muzzle velocity and retained that speed and the associated penetrating power over longer distances.
A Butterfly Bomb was a German 2 kilogram anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when the bomblet deployed gave it the superficial appearance of a large butterfly. The design was very distinctive and easy to recognise. SD 2 bomblets were not dropped individually, but were packed into containers holding between 6 and 108 submunitions e.g. the AB 23 SD 2 and AB 250-3 submunition dispensers. The SD 2 submunitions were released after the container was released from the aircraft and had burst open. Because SD 2s were always dropped in groups the discovery of one unexploded SD 2 was a reliable indication that others had been dropped nearby. This bomb type was one of the first cluster bombs ever used in combat and it proved to be a highly effective weapon. The bomb containers that carried the SD 2 bomblets and released them in the air were nicknamed the "Devil's Eggs" by Luftwaffe air and ground crew.
The AB 70-D1(Abwurfbehälter) was a cluster bomb dispenser used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The AB 250-2(Abwurfbehälter) was a cluster bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
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The SB 1000 (Spezialbombe) was a luftmine or aerial mine in English used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SB 2500 (Spezialbombe) was a luftmine or aerial mine in English used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SD 50 or thick walled explosive bomb in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SD 70 or thick walled explosive bomb in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SD 250 or thick walled explosive bomb in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SD 1700 or thick walled explosive bomb in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The PC 500 or cylindrical armor-piercing explosive bomb in English was a series of armor-piercing bombs used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The PC 1000 or cylindrical armor-piercing explosive bomb in English was an armor-piercing bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The PC 1400 or cylindrical armor-piercing explosive bomb in English was an armor-piercing bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The PC 1600 or cylindrical armor-piercing explosive bomb in English was an armor-piercing bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SD 15 or thick walled explosive bomb in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The SBe 250 or concrete fragmentation in English was a fragmentation bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The AB 500-3A(Abwurfbehälter) was a cluster bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The AB 500-1B(Abwurfbehälter) was a cluster bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.
The AB 500-1(Abwurfbehälter) was a cluster bomb used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.