Planes, Bombs, Mines & Incendiaries of WWII - PD275 and flight crew 12sqn

Incendiary Bombs (IB)

4 lb.. Magnesium IB
The mainstay of the Command's incendiary devices was the 4 lb.. Magnesium (IB) bomb. Packed into Small Bomb Containers (SBC) to allow for enmass delivery, the device was aimable and once dropped often became effected by cross winds. This resulted in incendiary attacks become wide spread downwind of the target and also lead to other bombers being struck by falling bombs. In May 1943 efforts were made to developed a delivery device for the 4 lb.. IB which would allow for them to be aimable and therefore more accurate. Development, delivery and operational problems all plagued the system and by wars end only a limited number had reached squadron service.
30 lb.. Phosphorus IB

This type differed from the 4 lb.. Incendiary in that is could be aimed similarly to a conventional bomb. Various marks of the phosphorus filled device were developed between 1941 and 1944. Over 3 million of the type had been dropped by the time it was phased out in favor of the 4 lb.. IB.
30 lb.. J-Type IB

Developed in early 1944 the 30 lb.. J-Type IB entered operational trails in April of that year and was unique in that upon impact the J-Type IB produced a 2 foot wide by 15 foot long white flame which burned for one minute or more. Results however, showed that the type was only half as effective per ton as that of the 4 lb.. IB and had been phased out of service by August 1944. Regardless of its short life span over 400,000 were dropped.
250 lb.. IB

First used in 1940 the 250 lb.. IB used a light bomb casing originally designed for chemical warfare and was used extensively for several years by the Command. The type was eventually converted into the first Target Marking (TI) devices which used colored pyrotechnic materials and became standard equipment for the Pathfinder Force.
500 lb.. IB

A scaled up model of the 250 lb.. IB, this device which contained liquid phosphorus was carried primarily by Mosquitoes and used in a low level attack roll.
2,700 lb.. IB

Probably the least known of all of the Command IB devices. It used the casing of a 4,000 lb.."Cookie" HC bomb, which was filled with Incendiary materials. Delivered mostly by Mosquitoes, the type was used mainly against specially selected targets.