Incendiary bomb in Spitfire cockpit

[markojeras]

Hello!

Please, can you tell me what kind of incendiary bomb was on starboard side of Spitfire Mk. IX cockpit?

How it was activated? I have a pilot account on how he tried to activate it after forced landing in Croatia at the end of 1944. but faliled...

Any photo of the bomb in colour, how it was painted?

With kind regards,

Marko Jeras

[RSwank]

This may just be a thermite grenade that some pilots apparently carried in the cockpit, perhaps in a improvised holder.

See entry 4 on this link, where a P-47 pilot crash landed and tried to burn his plane but failed.

https://books.google.com/books?id=uk...ockpit&f=false


Mention here of the thermite "bomb" being used:

https://books.google.com/books?id=iB...ockpit&f=false


A picture of a M14: http://www.imfdb.org/wiki/File:AN-M1...ry_Grenade.jpg

[udf_00]

Could it be the IFF self destruct device, under the flap labelled DANGER ?
https://spitfireparts.co.uk/products...g-bracket-unit

[RSwank]

Yes could be the IFF destruct device. A cover marked DANGER covered two buttons on the right hand side of the cockpit. The cover would be flipped up to expose the buttons and then the two buttons had to be pressed simultaneously.

This video allows you to scroll around the cockpit while the pilot is talking so you can take a closer look at the DANGER box and its location. If you go full screen you can zoom in on the location.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxYJ...ature=youtu.be

[markojeras]

Purpose of the incendiary grenade was to pilot set aeroplane on fire im case of forced landing on enemy held territory. And it was factory set on Mk. IX as seen on the attached drawing (no. 47) and attached photograph clearly show holders for grenade.

[markojeras]

G