M114 bomb explained

The M114 bomb was a four-pound U.S. anti-personnel bomb and biological cluster bomb sub-munition. The M114 was used in the M33 cluster bomb.

History

The M114 was a sub-munition for the M33 cluster bomb, as such, it was the first standardized U.S. biological weapon in 1952.^[1] The M114 was an improved version of a British World War II-era bomblet that was designed to disperse anthrax.^[2]

Specifications

The M114 was similar to a pipe bomb: it had a 21inches tube with a diameter of NaNinches. 108 M114s were clustered into the M33 cluster bomb;^[3] each had its own detonator and was ejected from the M33 while the bomb was still aloft.^[4] Each M114 held 320 milliliters of Brucella suis.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Croddy, Eric and Wirtz, James J. Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Encyclopedia of Worldwide Policy, Technology, and History, (Google Books), ABC-CLIO, 2005, p. 75,, accessed November 13, 2008.
2. Kirby, Reid. "The CB Battlefield Legacy: Understanding the Potential Problem of Clustered CB Weapons ", Army Chemical Review, pp. 25-29, July–December 2006, accessed November 12, 2008.
3. Smart, Jeffery K. Medical Aspects of Chemical and Biological Warfare : Chapter 2 - History of Chemical and Biological Warfare: An American Perspective, (PDF: p. 51), Borden Institute, Textbooks of Military Medicine, PDF via Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, accessed November 13, 2008.
4. Regis, Edward. The Biology of Doom: The History of America's Secret Germ Warfare Project, (Google Books), Macmillan, 2000, p. 140, .