Lewes bomb
Encyclopedia
The Lewes bomb was a blast-incendiary field expedient explosive device, manufactured by mixing diesel oil and Nobel 808 plastic explosive
. It was created by Lieutenant Jock Lewes
, one of the original members of L Detachment SAS
in 1941. The SAS needed a combined incendiary
and explosive device light enough to be carried by a small group of commandos yet powerful enough to destroy and set fire to aircraft on an enemy airfield. Weighing approximately 1 pound (0.45359237 kg), the Lewes Bomb could be carried in quantity by an individual.
The only available bomb at the time was too cumbersome to be carried by a paratrooper
. Lewes experimented with various types of incendiary and explosive materials, using trial and error. The final design used a pound of plastic explosive
, mixed with a quarter pound of thermite
and a small amount of diesel oil. Inside the mass was inserted a 2 ounce
dry guncotton booster
, plus a detonator
attached to a thirty-second fuse. Alternatively, Lewes bombs could be triggered by pencil detonator
s or booby-trap firing devices such as pressure release switches.
It is not clear what was used as a container for the explosive, though it was probably a small canvas bag of some sort. In use, the device was placed inside the cockpit or on the wing of an aircraft in order to ignite the aviation fuel stored within.
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
. It was created by Lieutenant Jock Lewes
Jock Lewes
Lieutenant John Steel Lewes, known as Jock was born in Calcutta but grew up in Australia and served as a British officer of the Welsh Guards in World War II...
, one of the original members of L Detachment SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
in 1941. The SAS needed a combined incendiary
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
and explosive device light enough to be carried by a small group of commandos yet powerful enough to destroy and set fire to aircraft on an enemy airfield. Weighing approximately 1 pound (0.45359237 kg), the Lewes Bomb could be carried in quantity by an individual.
The only available bomb at the time was too cumbersome to be carried by a paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
. Lewes experimented with various types of incendiary and explosive materials, using trial and error. The final design used a pound of plastic explosive
Plastic explosive
Plastic explosive is a specialised form of explosive material. It is a soft and hand moldable solid material. Plastic explosives are properly known as putty explosives within the field of explosives engineering....
, mixed with a quarter pound of thermite
Thermite
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
and a small amount of diesel oil. Inside the mass was inserted a 2 ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
dry guncotton booster
Explosive booster
An explosive booster acts as a bridge between a low energy explosive and a low sensitivity explosive such as TNT. It increases the explosive shockwave from an initiating explosive to the degree sufficient to detonate the secondary charge.Unlike C4 plastic explosive, not all explosives can be...
, plus a detonator
Detonator
A detonator is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the latter two being the most common....
attached to a thirty-second fuse. Alternatively, Lewes bombs could be triggered by pencil detonator
Pencil detonator
A pencil detonator or time pencil is a time fuze designed to be connected to a detonator or short length of safety fuse. They are about the same size and shape as a pencil, hence the name. They were introduced during World War II.- No. 10 delay switch :...
s or booby-trap firing devices such as pressure release switches.
It is not clear what was used as a container for the explosive, though it was probably a small canvas bag of some sort. In use, the device was placed inside the cockpit or on the wing of an aircraft in order to ignite the aviation fuel stored within.