Tweet
I came across this interesting bit of info on a rare Japanese weapon.... a Kamikaze bomber with what looks to be a 3 ton shaped charge, I know the literature calls it a thermite bomb but it has a shape that resembles a shaped charge and being of german origin maybe it is, hope this has not been posted before....if it has im sorry for necropstin:)
What would a Ki-167 Peggy Hiryu Sakuradan 3 ton thermite bomb or something of this size do to a battleship? Keep reading...
Ki-167 was a Hiryu version specifically adapted to accommodate the so-called Sakuradan 3 ton thermite bomb. The thermite-based directional incendiary charge installed in the Ki-167 was an unconventional 6,393-lb weapon, shaped somewhat like a pressure cooker with a diameter of 5 ft 3 in and the base facing forward and angled downward some 15 deg, demanded some structural modifications of the fuselage. The bomb was placed on the aircraft CG and its diameter necessitated the cutting away of some of the upper fuselage structure, the protruding portion being enclosed by a plywood fairing reminiscent of a camels hump. The rear casing of the charge was parabolic and 19.7 in thick in order to direct the blast forward. Special attack version equipped with one thermite bomb of 2,900 kg (6,400 lb) in the fuselage behind the crew cabin. The shape of the bomb conducted the blast forward, projecting a jet capable of reaching nearly a mile with a maximum blast radius of 300 m (980 ft). The bomb was designed to breach emplacements as well as to destroy massed formations of armor
Whether there is a direct, technology-transfer link between the SHL series of German weapons and the Japanese Sakuradan is difficult to say, but I would consider it plausible. The link below does claim that the Sakuradan was based on a German weapon, but doesn't mention the SHL-6000 specifically
The Sakuradan was based on a weapon developed in Germany in WWII, the plans for which were taken to Japan aboard the submarine I-30 in October 1942, and testing was conducted in the strictest secrecy at Pai-Chengzi in Manchuria. During these trials it was ascertained that the fierce flame generated by the weapon projected some 3,280 ft ahead of the point of detonation and at a distance of 985 ft from impact a medium tank could be totally destroyed. With insertion of the Sakuradan in the Hiryu, the starboard controls were deleted, the crew being reduced to pilot, engineer, navigator and radio operators, and all gun positions were faired over.
The first two Sakuradan-equipped Ki-167s were completed in February 1945, and after flight testing at Kagamigahara, these were delivered to the “special attack” unit of the 62nd Sentai at Tachiarai, to where the unit had transferred from Nishi Tsukuba. This unit also possessed several To-Go Hiryus, and the first mission with a single Sakuradan-equipped aircraft was flown from Kanoya, Kyushu, on 17 April, in concert with two To-Go Hiryus. The Ki-167 was piloted by Lt Kozaburo Kato and its target, as was that of the accompanying To-Go Hiryus, was the Allied carriers and other naval vessels off Okinawa.
The three aircraft took-off at intervals between 0715 and 0726 hours, successfully eluding interception by F6F hellcats SE of Tokunsoshima Island at about 0950 hours. At 1010 hours, Lt Kato broke radio silence with the message: “Have found a carrier. Am attacking!” Shortly after this, Cdt Maemura, who was flying as navigator in one of the To-Go Hiryus, saw flame streaming back from the Sakuradan equipped aircraft, the nose of which suddenly pulled up sharply as it disappeared into cloud, and it was assumed that the Ki-167 was mortally hit before it could commence its attack on the target that Lt Kato had reported.
A second “special attack” unit was formed by the 62nd Sentai with two more Sakurandan equipped Ki-167s and two To-Go Hiryus, flying its first mission on 27 May from Kanoya against Allied naval forces west of Okinawa. Both Ki-167s disappeared after signalling that they were attacking targets and both To-Go Hiryus returned to base when they failed to find suitable targets. The “special attack” units of the 62nd Sentai were the only recipients of the Ki-167s, comparatively few of which were completed, at least one of these being destroyed in an accident and another as a result of sabotage. It is recorded that a unit equipped with Ki-167s under the command of Maj Isamu Katano was formed in June 1945, and was scheduled to leave Japan for an attack on Saipan on 16 August, the day after official ceasefire, yet no example of the Sakuradan equipped aircraft was found by the Allies after the occupation.
Mistel combinations consisted of a twin-engined bomber, in practice almost always a modified Ju 88, with a fighter (Bf 109 or Fw 190) mounted on top. The bomber was unmanned, its cockpit replaced by a large shaped-charge warhead, and additional tanks were installed to transfer fuel to the fighter. The combination was controlled by the pilot of the fighter. He would aim the Mistel at a target, then uncouple his fighter to fly back home. Over 250 were built. The warhead fitted to the Mistel was of the hollow charge type. Such warheads were used a great deal during the war against tanks. But with the Mistel a hollow charge warhead weighing 7,700 pounds - far larger than any built before or since - was to be used. Below is an early Mistel 1 combination, with the hollow charge war- head fitted in place of the crew compartment of the Ju 88 lower component. This warhead, seen below on a Mistel 1, was capable of "drilling" a hole clean through the hull of even the most heavily armored warship. The 7,800 pound hollow-charge warhead, containing 3,800 pounds of explosive (70 per-cent hexogen and 30 per-cent TNT) Impact fused, arming took place about three seconds after separation, the six foot diameter warhead fitted to the Mistel lower component, gave a theoretical maximum penetration of the order of 24 feet. The definitive Mistel warhead was a very large shaped charge, of nearly two short tons in weight, fitted with a copper or aluminium liner, not unlike the warhead of the much smaller, anti-tank Panzerfaust weapon. The warhead was expected to have a penetration of up to 7 meters of reinforced concrete. Such a warhead would I penetrate the heaviest armor carried by a ship with ease. Once through the outer protective shell of the target, and now confined inside it, the jet of high energy metal would vaporize anything in its path.
this picture is supposed to be a german warship maybe a battleship tested with large mistel shaped charge.
Jean Bart was the second ship of the Courbet-class battleships, the first dreadnoughts built for the French Navy, she was renamed Océan, disarmed and hulked in 1936 and became a harbour training ship in Toulon. The Germans captured her intact when they occupied Toulon in 1942 and used her for testing large shaped charge warheads. here can be seen the effects of such weapon this is the battleship ocean used by the germans to test the mistel warhead Tests with the specially shaped charges showed that it could easily penetrate through any known armor materials. These were tested on an old French battleship that had its turret armor increased by several feet of thickness. The warhead not only penetrated all of that, but also another 50 feet of the ship!
What would a Ki-167 Peggy Hiryu Sakuradan 3 ton thermite bomb or something of this size do to a battleship? Keep reading...
Ki-167 was a Hiryu version specifically adapted to accommodate the so-called Sakuradan 3 ton thermite bomb. The thermite-based directional incendiary charge installed in the Ki-167 was an unconventional 6,393-lb weapon, shaped somewhat like a pressure cooker with a diameter of 5 ft 3 in and the base facing forward and angled downward some 15 deg, demanded some structural modifications of the fuselage. The bomb was placed on the aircraft CG and its diameter necessitated the cutting away of some of the upper fuselage structure, the protruding portion being enclosed by a plywood fairing reminiscent of a camels hump. The rear casing of the charge was parabolic and 19.7 in thick in order to direct the blast forward. Special attack version equipped with one thermite bomb of 2,900 kg (6,400 lb) in the fuselage behind the crew cabin. The shape of the bomb conducted the blast forward, projecting a jet capable of reaching nearly a mile with a maximum blast radius of 300 m (980 ft). The bomb was designed to breach emplacements as well as to destroy massed formations of armor
Whether there is a direct, technology-transfer link between the SHL series of German weapons and the Japanese Sakuradan is difficult to say, but I would consider it plausible. The link below does claim that the Sakuradan was based on a German weapon, but doesn't mention the SHL-6000 specifically
The Sakuradan was based on a weapon developed in Germany in WWII, the plans for which were taken to Japan aboard the submarine I-30 in October 1942, and testing was conducted in the strictest secrecy at Pai-Chengzi in Manchuria. During these trials it was ascertained that the fierce flame generated by the weapon projected some 3,280 ft ahead of the point of detonation and at a distance of 985 ft from impact a medium tank could be totally destroyed. With insertion of the Sakuradan in the Hiryu, the starboard controls were deleted, the crew being reduced to pilot, engineer, navigator and radio operators, and all gun positions were faired over.
The first two Sakuradan-equipped Ki-167s were completed in February 1945, and after flight testing at Kagamigahara, these were delivered to the “special attack” unit of the 62nd Sentai at Tachiarai, to where the unit had transferred from Nishi Tsukuba. This unit also possessed several To-Go Hiryus, and the first mission with a single Sakuradan-equipped aircraft was flown from Kanoya, Kyushu, on 17 April, in concert with two To-Go Hiryus. The Ki-167 was piloted by Lt Kozaburo Kato and its target, as was that of the accompanying To-Go Hiryus, was the Allied carriers and other naval vessels off Okinawa.
The three aircraft took-off at intervals between 0715 and 0726 hours, successfully eluding interception by F6F hellcats SE of Tokunsoshima Island at about 0950 hours. At 1010 hours, Lt Kato broke radio silence with the message: “Have found a carrier. Am attacking!” Shortly after this, Cdt Maemura, who was flying as navigator in one of the To-Go Hiryus, saw flame streaming back from the Sakuradan equipped aircraft, the nose of which suddenly pulled up sharply as it disappeared into cloud, and it was assumed that the Ki-167 was mortally hit before it could commence its attack on the target that Lt Kato had reported.
A second “special attack” unit was formed by the 62nd Sentai with two more Sakurandan equipped Ki-167s and two To-Go Hiryus, flying its first mission on 27 May from Kanoya against Allied naval forces west of Okinawa. Both Ki-167s disappeared after signalling that they were attacking targets and both To-Go Hiryus returned to base when they failed to find suitable targets. The “special attack” units of the 62nd Sentai were the only recipients of the Ki-167s, comparatively few of which were completed, at least one of these being destroyed in an accident and another as a result of sabotage. It is recorded that a unit equipped with Ki-167s under the command of Maj Isamu Katano was formed in June 1945, and was scheduled to leave Japan for an attack on Saipan on 16 August, the day after official ceasefire, yet no example of the Sakuradan equipped aircraft was found by the Allies after the occupation.
Mistel combinations consisted of a twin-engined bomber, in practice almost always a modified Ju 88, with a fighter (Bf 109 or Fw 190) mounted on top. The bomber was unmanned, its cockpit replaced by a large shaped-charge warhead, and additional tanks were installed to transfer fuel to the fighter. The combination was controlled by the pilot of the fighter. He would aim the Mistel at a target, then uncouple his fighter to fly back home. Over 250 were built. The warhead fitted to the Mistel was of the hollow charge type. Such warheads were used a great deal during the war against tanks. But with the Mistel a hollow charge warhead weighing 7,700 pounds - far larger than any built before or since - was to be used. Below is an early Mistel 1 combination, with the hollow charge war- head fitted in place of the crew compartment of the Ju 88 lower component. This warhead, seen below on a Mistel 1, was capable of "drilling" a hole clean through the hull of even the most heavily armored warship. The 7,800 pound hollow-charge warhead, containing 3,800 pounds of explosive (70 per-cent hexogen and 30 per-cent TNT) Impact fused, arming took place about three seconds after separation, the six foot diameter warhead fitted to the Mistel lower component, gave a theoretical maximum penetration of the order of 24 feet. The definitive Mistel warhead was a very large shaped charge, of nearly two short tons in weight, fitted with a copper or aluminium liner, not unlike the warhead of the much smaller, anti-tank Panzerfaust weapon. The warhead was expected to have a penetration of up to 7 meters of reinforced concrete. Such a warhead would I penetrate the heaviest armor carried by a ship with ease. Once through the outer protective shell of the target, and now confined inside it, the jet of high energy metal would vaporize anything in its path.
this picture is supposed to be a german warship maybe a battleship tested with large mistel shaped charge.
Jean Bart was the second ship of the Courbet-class battleships, the first dreadnoughts built for the French Navy, she was renamed Océan, disarmed and hulked in 1936 and became a harbour training ship in Toulon. The Germans captured her intact when they occupied Toulon in 1942 and used her for testing large shaped charge warheads. here can be seen the effects of such weapon this is the battleship ocean used by the germans to test the mistel warhead Tests with the specially shaped charges showed that it could easily penetrate through any known armor materials. These were tested on an old French battleship that had its turret armor increased by several feet of thickness. The warhead not only penetrated all of that, but also another 50 feet of the ship!
Comment