Bomb, Air-to-Surface

Object number2008.137.1

Manufacturer Spang, Chalfant and Company

Datec. 1940

OriginEtna, PA

MediumIron

Credit LineGift of Jeff Plowey

DescriptionIron air-to-surface bomb. Cylindrical shape with incised lines around body. Conical tail with rectangular wings, with top edge closest to body angled downward. Loop at end of tail.Dimensions3.5 x 3.875 x 19.5 in. (8.9 x 9.8 x 49.5 cm)
Historical NotesWorld War II unarmed fragmentation bomb--Frag 20 LB AN M 41--made at the Spang Chalfant Company plant in Etna, PA. Viola Hart worked in the plant during the war, as well as other members of the family. In total, 150 women worked at Spang during the Second World War; over a two-year period, the company produced 781,004 of these air-to-surface, anti-personnel bombs for the Allied war effort. B-17 crews rigged these types of bombs into 120-pound or 400-pound clusters and dropped them on enemy infantry positions as part of ground forces support tactics. A special computation table was used with the Norden bomb sight in order to calculate a target.Label TextOver a two-year period during World War II, women workers at the Spang Chalfant Company in Etna, Pennsylvania helped produce over 780,000 of these air-to-surface, anti-personnel bombs for the Allied war effort.

Related person Viola Hart

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