WWII British Enemy Bomb-Disarming Diagrams Collection
1941-1942. Fifty-six (56) items comprising 18 ink diagrams on waxed paper, 28 dyeline diagrams, eight photostat prints, and two blueprints, most dyelines stamped with “John Fowler & Co. (Leeds) Ltd, Engineers, Leeds” and dates including “11 Oct. 1941”, ink diagrams dated and initialled and include “9.10.41. M.E.G., W.R.” in ink lower left or right, 38 x 25cm to 102 x 69cm. Tears, creases, slight foxing. The diagrams in this collection were most likely British military teaching tools concerning the disarmament of German “HE” or high explosive bombs, such as incendiary and oil bombs, 500kg ‘thick’ and ‘thin’ wall bombs, German rocket bombs, the 1,000kg ‘Hermann’ and the 1,800kg ‘Satan’ bomb, and nos. 69 and 73 grenades. Most of the printed material in this collection is issued from the “Ministry of Home Security Inspector General’s Department. Crown copyright reserved” or the “Home Office ARP [Air Raid Precautions] Department.” During the London Blitz of 1940-1941, the Luftwaffe dropped 18,291 tonnes of German bombs. The Blitz created the need for more specialists to deal with unexploded bombs and delayed-action fuses, which provoked fear and uncertainty in the civilian population. By August 1940 the Royal Engineers consisted of 220 sections which served in Explosive Ordnance Disposal regiments. Since 2010 (when the data began to be recorded), the UK Ministry of Defence stated “it has been involved with making safe 450 German WWII bombs — about 60 per year.” Ref: Wiki; BBC 14.2.2018.
Item #CL194-145
Price (AUD): $5,500.00 other currencies