Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-02
HUGE BOMBS USED
! TO WRECK BRIDGE
Planes Drop 1,100-Pound
Missiles in War Depart
ment Tests.

The recent airplane bombing eX-
periments on the Pee Dee River
Bridge in North Carolina have con.
WINGED the War Department that,
given a reinforced concrete bridge
target 20 feet wide and 1000 feet in
length. bombing planes cannot in
fiict any military damage on the
structure with missiles weighing less
than LOO pounds.
A direct hit with the 1.100-pound
bomb, however. will demolish an en-
tire span of the strongest concrete
construction employed in any normal
bridge. the tests disclosed.
The Army bombing planes. carry
ing S0o-pounders. less than half OF
which constituted INT, spent one
day in shooting at the bridge and 1T
was learned that bomb of this type
offered no serious menace TO con-
struction of this type Of reinforced
concrete bridge" said the depar'-
ments announcement.
6OO.Pounders Used.
1.-THE next morning, therefore, was
devoted to the use of 6oo-pouHo
bombs. While these bombs accom-
plished some damage when they
made direct hits, il was soon OBVIOUS
that they would not result in oemoh-
ton of the structure. 1t also was APP
parent that explosions OF these oonos
even as close as or 10 feet iIom
the bridge did no effective miii'ary
damage. 49,.
ut was then decided to use the
100 pound bomb, containing ooo
mounds of INT. There were only IL
bombs of this type available for this
mart of the test The attack on the
bridge with these missiles resulted
in nearly IS per cent direct hits ana
Quick reduction OF that part or tne
bridge turned over to the Army All
~orns and the Ordnance Department.
for governmental purposes TO mass
Of battered concrete and tWls'eo
steel. .,- tho
bridge destroyed two approach sp"ns
OF length of so feet. Inc seIonu n
hou,h demolished two more or THESE
annroaches. and the last two NUS
sfrikinc close to the huge pier when
surnorted one of the three large spans
over the river. put this portion OF tne
tsrret out Of commission" The lett
ennroach and one span of the bridge
had been assigned the Air corps LOT
the tests, while the remainder went 10
the Engineer Corps and the Field Ar
tillery for destruction.
Destruction Possible.
@HaS the mission been one of mere
" DESTROYING the bridge" the an
nouncement explained. lit probably
could have been accomplished without
great difficulty by the method or load
Ing each plane of the group with 1.l0o-
mound bombs and releasing these
bombs in salvo from a nine-ship Tor
nation. However since the purpose
of the tests was not merely the DE-
struction Of the bridge but obtaining
military data. il was necessary tnat
the tests cover several days and that
certain phases be carried out under
conditions not designed TO cause the
Immediate destruction of the bridge.
These phases gave TO the war De-
partrent much valuable information
and were most important from tech
nical point Of view"
The War Department explained 1t
was not possible to employ the salvo
method Of dropping the bombs. lin
view Of the fact that IL would have en-
tailed a certain hazard TO occupants
of the country adjacent TO the bridge.
For that reason IL was necessary to
carry out the tests with single planes
or with a formation OF not more than
three planes. This greatly decreased
the possibility of hitting the bridge"
Prior to the dropping Of live bombs
three days were spent in dropping
demolition bomb cases filled with sand
To determine how the cases would
stand up under impact from high al.
titudes.