With the development of aviation equipment used for warfare, ammunition was required that could hit enemy ground forces over a large territory. Incendiary bombs appeared on the eve of the First World War. These were primitive devices, consisting of a container with kerosene and an inertial fuse, the basis for which was an ordinary gun cartridge.
In the 30s of the last century, the so-called phosphorus balls were used for bombing. The filling for them was yellow phosphorus in the form of granules with a size of 15-20 mm. When dropping such a ball, it was set on fire, and closer to the ground the burning particles of phosphorus, burning off the shell, scattered, covering a huge area with fire rain. Also used was a method of spraying ignited pellets from special aircraft tanks at low altitude.
During the Second World War, humanity first learned what a phosphorus bomb is in the form in which it exists today. It was a container filled with phosphorus balls weighing from 100 to 300 g, with a total weight of up to one ton. Such ammunition was dropped from a height of about 2 km and exploded 300 meters from the ground. Nowadays, phosphorus-based incendiary shells in the strongest armies of the world occupy a significant part of the entire ammunition used for bombing.
White phosphorus
Among all the combustible substances used in incendiary munitions, white phosphorus occupies a special place. This is due to its unique chemical properties and primarily with a combustion temperature reaching 800-1000 degrees Celsius. Another important factor is the ability of this substance to ignite spontaneously when interacting with oxygen in the air. Burning, white phosphorus emits thick poisonous smoke, which also causes burns of the internal respiratory tract and poisoning of the body.
A dose of 0.05-0.1 g is fatal to humans. White phosphorus is obtained artificially by the interaction of phosphorites or apatites with silica and coke at a temperature of 1600 degrees. Outwardly, it looks like paraffin, is easily deformed and cut, which makes it very convenient for equipping any ammunition. There are also bombs filled with plasticized white phosphorus. Plasticization is achieved by adding a viscous solution of synthetic rubber.
Types of Incendiary Phosphorus Ammunition
Today, there are several types of weapons in which white phosphorus is a striking substance:
- aerial bombs;
- rockets;
- artillery shells;
- mortar shells;
- hand grenades.
The first two types of ammunition are the most dangerous, since they have a greater striking potential in relation to the rest.
What is a phosphorus bomb
Modern phosphorus bombs are aviation ammunition consisting of a body, a combustible filler in the form of white phosphorus or a complex charge of several mixtures, as well as a mechanism for igniting it. They can be divided into two types according to the method of operation: in the air and after hitting the surface. The former are driven by a controlled detonator, based on the desired altitude and flight speed of the aircraft, the latter explode directly upon impact.
The body of such an aerial bomb is often made of a combustible alloy called an “electron, ” consisting of magnesium and aluminum, which burns with the mixture. Other combustible substances, such as napalm or termite, are often added to phosphorus, which significantly increases the combustion temperature of the mixture. The action of a phosphorus bomb is like an explosion of a bomb filled with napalm. The combustion temperatures of both substances are approximately the same (800-1000 degrees), however, for phosphorus and napalm in modern ammunition, this figure exceeds 2000 ˚ C.
The air forces of some armies have cluster incendiary bombs, which are a special container filled with dozens of small bombs. The dumped container is controlled by the on-board surveillance system and is revealed at a certain height, which makes it possible for the main ammunition to hit the target more accurately. In order to understand what a phosphorus bomb is in action, it is necessary to realize the danger posed by its striking factors.
Striking factors
When using white phosphorus as a combustible substance for an air bomb, several damaging factors are obtained:
- strong flame from burning the mixture at temperatures up to 2000 ° C, causing burns, terrible injuries and painful death;
- poisonous gas that stimulates cramping and burning of the airways;
- burnout of oxygen in the area of use, leading to suffocation;
- psychological shock caused by what he saw.
A small phosphorus bomb detonated at the right height affects an area of 100-200 square meters, covering everything around with fire. Once on the human body, particles of burning slag and phosphorus adhere and carbonize organic tissues. You can stop burning by blocking the access of oxygen.
Special phosphorus explosive bombs are also used to defeat an enemy in hiding. Heated to 1500-2000 ˚ C, the combustible mixture can burn through armor and even concrete floors, and given that at that temperature oxygen in the air quickly burns out, there is practically no chance of surviving in a basement, dugout or other shelter.
It was from strangulation that hundreds of Vietnamese civilians died during one of the bombing of the US Air Force. These people found death in dug dugouts in advance, having no idea what a phosphorus bomb is.
Consequences of the use of phosphorus munitions
During the combustion of napalm and phosphorus, a mass of toxic chemicals is released into the atmosphere, among which dioxin is a powerful poisonous substance with strong carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. During the Vietnam campaign, American aviation actively used napalm and phosphorus bombs. The effects of the combustion products of these substances on the human body can be observed in our time. In areas that have undergone such bombing, children with serious deviations and mutations are still born today.
Ban on the use of phosphorus bombs
Phosphorus munitions are not officially classified as weapons of mass destruction, but their use is limited by the protocol of the UN Convention. This document regulates their use for military purposes and prohibits the use of strikes on peaceful objects. According to the protocol, phosphorus bombs are prohibited for use in populated territories and their environs, even if military facilities are located there.
Known facts of the use of phosphorus munitions in our time
During the occupation of Kampuchea in the 1980s of the last century, the Vietnamese army used aircraft unguided rockets charged with white phosphorus to destroy the Khmer Rouge. Phosphorous rockets were used by British intelligence in 2003 near the city of Basra in Iraq.
A year later, in Iraq, the US Army used phosphorus bombs in the battles for Fallujah. A photo of the consequences of this bombing you see in the article. In 2006 and 2009, the Israeli army used phosphorus munitions during the Second Lebanon War, as well as in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.
