Adelay-action bomb is anaerial bomb designed to explode some time after impact, with the bomb'sfuzes set to delay the explosion for times ranging from very brief to several weeks. Short delays are used to allow the bomb to penetrate before exploding: "a delay action bomb striking the roof of a tall building will penetrate through several floors before bursting".[1] Similarly, a bomb with a time-delay fuze could penetrate the superstructure, deck or armour of a warship and explode inside, causing greater damage compared to the same bomb exploding outside on contact. A short delay would also prevent afighter-bomber orground-attack aircraft getting caught in the blast of its own bomb after a low-altitude attack. Longer delays were intended to disrupt salvage and other activities, to spread terror in areas where there could still be live bombs and to attackbomb disposal workers.
Such bombs were used widely by British and American and German[2] forces duringWorld War II.[3] One use was to hamper and delay reconstruction and repair of bombed airfields.
Towards the end of the war both British and German bombs becamede factomines, with a secondary fuze mechanism activated by light tilting or magnets to kill those trying to disarm them.
German delayed-action bombs were used in attacks on several high-profile targets in London, includingBroadcasting House[4] andBuckingham Palace[5]
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