Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1918-03-21

70 get rid Of that "jam tin" because
from experience he had learned not
TO trust it.
When the powers that be realized
That they could not change Tommy
they decided to change the type Of
bomb and did so-substituting the
hair brush" the 'cricket ball." and
later the Mills bomb.
The standard bomb used in the Brit
tsh army is the Mills" 1t is about the
shape and size of large lemon. AL
though not actually lemon, Fritz In
sists that 1t is; perhaps he judges it
BY the havoc caused by Its explosion.
The Mills bomb is made of steel, the
outside Of which is corrugated into 4S|
small squares, which, upon the explo-
sion OF the bomb, scatter in wide
area, wounding OF killing any Fritz
who Is unfortunate enough to be hit
BY one Of the flying fragments. !!
Although a very destructive and eff
6cient bomb the Mills" has the con-
hdence Of the thrower, in that he
knows 1t will not explode until re-
leased from his grip.
1t is mechanical device, with
lever, fitted into slot at the top,
which extends half way around the
circumference and is held in place at
the bottom by fixing pin. In this pin
there Is small metal ring, for the
purpose Of extracting the pin when
ready to throw.
You do not throw a bomb the way a
baseball is thrown, because, when in
narrow trench, your hand is liable
TO strike against the parados, traverse
or parapet, and then down goes the
bomb, and, in a couple of seconds or
60, up goes Tommy.
In throwing. the bomb and lever are
grasped IN the right hand, the left foot
ls advanced. knee stiff, about one and
q half Its length to the front, while
the right leg, knee bent, is carried
slightly to the right. The left arm is
extended ut an angle of As degrees,
pointing IN the direction the bomb Is to-
be thrown. This position is similar
to that of shot putting, only that the
right arm Is extended downward. Then
you hurl the bomb from you with an
overhead bowling motion, the same as
In cricket, throwing it fairly high in
the air, this in order to give the fuse
chance to burn down so that when
the bomb lands, 1t Immediately ex-,
plodes and gives the Germans no time
to scamper out of its range or to re-
turn 1t.
AS the bomb leaves your hand, the
lever, by means Of a spring, is projected
Into the air and falls harlnlessly to
the ground a few feet In front of the
bomber.
/. When the lever flies off 1t releases
strong spring, which forces the firing
pin into percussion cap. This ignites
the fuse, which burns down and sets
on the detonator, charged with fulmi-
nate of mercury, which explodes the
main charge Of ammonia. !
The average British soldier is not an
expert at throwing; 1t is a new game
to him, therefore the Canadians and
Americans, who have played baseball
from the Kindergarten up, take natu,
rally to bomb throwing and excel in
this act. A six-foot English bomber
Will stand In awed silence when he
sees little five-foot-nothing Canadian
Outdistance his throw by several yards.
have read a few war stories Of bomb
Ing, where baseball pitchers curved
their bombs when throwing them, but
pitcher who can do this would make
sChristy" Mathewson look like piker,
and Is losing valuable time playing in
the european War bush league, when
he would be able to set the "bie
league" on fire.
We had cushy time while at this
school. In fact, to us it was regular
vacation, and we were very sorry when
one morning the adjutant ordered us
to report at headquarters for trans
portation and rations to return to our
units up the line.
Arriving at our section, the bows
once again rendered us the glad mitt,
but looked askance at us out of the
corners Of their eyes. They could not
conceive, as they expressed it, how
man could be such blinking idiot as
to join the Suicide club. was begin
ming to feel sorry that 1 had become
member Of said club, and my life to
me appeared doubly precious.
Now that I was a sure-enough
bomber was praying for peace and
hoping that my services as such would
not be required.