Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: thos@softway.sw.oz.au (Thomas Cohen) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Hardened structures. Message-ID: <1991Feb4.063941.20565@cbnews.att.com> Date: 4 Feb 91 06:39:41 GMT References: <1991Jan23.033625.1497@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Softway Pty Ltd, Sydney, Australia Lines: 40 Approved: military@att.att.com From: thos@softway.sw.oz.au (Thomas Cohen) In article <1991Jan23.033625.1497@cbnews.att.com> scott@sting.Berkeley.EDU (Scott Silvey) writes: > >Is this because we don't posess munitions capable of penetrating or at least > shaking up the contents of these bunkers? Is it even possible that some > man-made structure is capable of resisting a direct hit from a 2000lb bomb > travelling at several hundred knots?! If so, how are such structures made? With lots and lots of concrete. For instance, the U boat pens at Brest, had many metres of reinforced concrete as a roof. It needed the 12000 lb 'Tallboy' dropped from a Lancaster at 15000+ ft to penetrate, and these bombs had special steel casings, with thick nose walls, etc. 'Normal' concrete structures are reasonably impervious to thin walled bombs, bunkers all the more so as all these bombs do is provide blast on the outside of the wall. Concrete piercing bombs are more of a problem for them. > level the structure? I think that they used to call 1000lb bombs in WWII > "blockbusters", implying they would destroy all buildings on a single city > block (I don't know if this is the literal affect though). This was the 4000 thin case bomb. In effect a giant sheet steel container stuffed with very near 4000 lbs of explosive. One of these, while not penetrating the ground very far, would go straight through a building and explode in the basement or near to it. And ~4000 lb of explosive makes a very satisfying BANG! In contrast to this city environment bomb, most bombs are designed for some kind of aerodynamic effect and don't carry anywhere near their stated weight in explosive. The 'Tallboy' mentioned earlier had at best half of the 12000 lbs in explosive, but that and its bigger brother the 'Grand Slam' were specially cased bombs. Most bombs are better than that, but few approached the blockbuster, as it didn't even have fins! Just a cylindrical case. -- thos cohen |Softway Pty Ltd "Stopping to pick up passengers would disrupt |ACSnet: thos@softway.oz the timetable" - Alderman Cholerton, on why|UUCP: ...!uunet!softway.oz!thos the council's buses didn't stop for passengers|Internet: thos@softway.oz.au