Original Item: Only One Available. During WWI the U.S. adopted the British Cooper bomb as the standard. After further development the Mark II 25 pound fragmentation bomb was the result. The U.S. also adopted the Cooper bomb fuze and designated it the Mark XII nose fuze, then modified the fuze to meet our requirement of being able to drop the bomb unarmed in case of aircraft problems.

This type of explosive was designed to be used against troops. It had a thick metal wall and a relative small charge of explosive. Their purpose was to throw showers of fragments like those of the high-explosive artillery shell.

Bombs were carried on a simple rack under the wings of pursuit planes, usually four under each wing. They were dropped in pairs, one from each wing, starting with the outside progressing inward. When the bomb was released, the nose spinner was freed to turn which then rotated a plate in the nose, which eventually exposed the detonator to a firing mechanism, which would be activated when the bomb struck a solid object.

This genuine inert example of the MkII Fragmentation Bomb is offered in very good condition. It still retains its screw-off safety top, spinner and fins and has been deactivated to BATF specifications. Measures 26 inches long, 6 inches at widest point and weighs 20 lbs (without explosives!).