Unkown huge bomb. NEED IDENTIFICATION!

[hibacusa]

Sorry to disagree with the consensus, but I really don't see artillery shell here - I don't profess to be an expert by any means, but I have seen more variety of large shells first hand than most - the fuse pockets (if that's what they are) are definitely raised and appear to be welded to the casing - making a high velocity artillery shell out of the equation - also where are the drive bands? a plain steel projectile cannot seal inside a rifled barrel. Most aerial bombs do have flat "bases" without their fin assembly attached, not to mention a "pointy end" - though very few have what appears to be a separate nose cone and possible nose impact fuse. All that is certain is that it appears to be a large munition of some sort - surely there are enough distinctive features here for a true expert to id? I would be fascinated to know what it it actually is (and be prepared to be wrong!).

NickW, drive bands are the brass rings around the shell? If so, i assure you that where removed right after the war because of the poverty and the hunger. The used to remove them and sell them.

[hibacusa]

Without knowing the dimensions this is a bit of a stab in the dark, but how about this 406mm coastal gun? Missing the outer casing and drive bands. If that wiki is correct though, god knows why the ammo ended up in Greece. Assuming it is this round that is.

40.6 cm SK C/34 gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Attachment 561008Attachment 561007

Hi KradSpam, thanx for the info. I don't think that this is a german shell though. I'm pretty sure that it's an Italian one. Tomorrow i'll try to post some more close ups plus some photos of the "Navarone Guns" witch used to operate in Leros during WW2. Good night to all of you!

[Wagriff]

This shell could also be from WWI era as well. All we know right now, is that it looks to be about 10 inches in diameter and is taller than a 55 gallon drum. An Italian 254mm 45 Model 1908 Naval Gun?

[guns ltd]

Naval Gun. Look at the 16 inch projectiles the Iowa class battle ships fire. and some of the british war ships fire. If one were to guess. As I am now. I would say naval projectile.
Just my opinion.


John

[Torch]

Well intertesting thread,hopefully you can get to the bottom of this,you maybe lucky enough to find some markings stamped into the housing to get you a little closer to the truth..I understand what NickW is talking about in relation to driving bands not visible,not just the bands themselves but the deep grooves machined into the housing to accept them..anywho best of luck digging!

[kradman]

I am also thinking this is a Aircraft bomb , never seen fuse holes in the side of a any shell

[Adrian]

There is a well known adage that unloaded guns kill people. It means that no firearm should be treated as unloaded just because someone says so. The 'unloaded' gun often goes off and shoots someone. A child, an adult. No-one is discriminated against.

It would apply here too.

The 'deactivated' ordnance can kill you. Just because a friend says it's safe doesn't make it so. How do you know? How does he know? Did the person he got it from say so? How does he know?
Do the drill holes on the fuses mean it's safe or did someone get bored or break too many drill bits trying to make it safe and then give up?

You only get one chance at life, don't screw it up.

[Wagriff]

I am also thinking this is a Aircraft bomb , never seen fuse holes in the side of a any shell

If it was meant to be an airplane bomb, then why the unusual shape? What is the purpose of making one flat wide end and a sharp tapered pointy end on the other? Such a design wold hardly be equally weight distributed and would tumble and fall way off the intended target. This is why bombs have fins-to stabilize their fall and keep them on target. Even the giant blockbuster bombs had this configuration-bombs like the British 22,000 pounders -not to mention the enormous Hydrogen bombs had tail fins. You'd be hard put to find a bomb that didn't have a snub nose and fin tail. The shape this thing has shows it was designed to Penetrate armour, not simply fall onto something and explode.

[António Fragoeiro]

Hi, i believe this is an artillery shell, not a bomb.
And if this is still live, go in the opposite direction.

Some people never learn.

Leave these things alone!!!

"Look an unexploded bomb, lets touch it", "BOOM"
"It hurts so much"

This thread is another example of it
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/searc...-shell-335669/

[davejb]

Looking closely at the original photos, you can see that there was another outer covering that has mostly come away,I would suggest that the drive bands were there at one time and are now missing ,because of the outer 'skin', this would have been thick enough to conceal the raised section around the fuse area thereby leaving a smooth faced shell, who knows why the configuration of the two fuses,but they are present and suspect.The hole in the nose cap was probably used to screw the cap into the shell, it may well be an Italian shell as the Navaronne guns were Italian, but the fuses could well be German