He 111 Grenade Tube

[Col Bruggy]

Hello,

From Karl Ries', Luftwaffen Story 1935-1939.

With the clear knowledge that the gun defense of the Do 17 and the He 11 bombers is insufficient a purely "nuisance" weapon is installed in late 1939, the Stoerkoerperausruestungen - nuisance body equipment - SKAV 10-106, SKAV 25-106 and SKAV 55-70.
This equipment is delivered during the first months of 1940 for retroactive installation into the tails of the Do 17 and He 111 and consists primarily of an ejection tube into which prior to takeoff, small explosive cartridges are inserted, ten 106 mm cartridges in the case of SKAV 10-106, twenty-five of these in the case of SKAV 25-106 and fifty-five* 70 mm cartridges in the case of SKAV 55-70. Each of these cartridges consists of a cardboard tube filled with explosives and a small parachute with a diameter of 900 mm. Following the ejection the parachute inflation shock triggers the delayed-action fuse and the 0.5 kg cartridge explodes one or two seconds later 90 to 260 m behind the ejecting aircraft, depending on its speed. The device is operated by the ventral gunner and two of these tubes, one above the other, can be installed in the tail of the He 111. The small amount of shrapnel, only about 0.3 kg in the case of the 106 mm cartridge, is primarily intended to harrass a pursuer, since it is hardly sufficient to inflict serious damage to an attacking aircraft (p.259),
There is a clear photograph, on p.249, of a SKAV 10-106 installation with the following caption:

A twin-tube SKAV 10-106 installation into the tail of an He 111P of the II./KG 54 [sic]. Fin and rudder of the B3+AC, W.Nr. 2901, with the crew of Fw. Specht have been hit by an enemy fighter on 9 June 1940 over Evreux.

* EDIT - From thirty-five to fifty-five - Thanks Chris.

See:
Luftwaffen Story 1935-1939.
Ries,Karl.
Mainz:Verlag Dieter Hoffmann,1974.
pp.249 & 259.

Col.