German cluster bomb circa WW2

[mthrockmor]

In doing some light reading on the Butcher Bird I cam across an entry for a cluster bomb. The AB-250 was deployed by the Fw-190F/G series ground attack version. The bomb would release either 144 bomblets in the SD-2 version, 30 larger bomblets in the SD-4 version or 17 yet larger bomblets in the SD-10 version. I  don't do ground attack but wouldn't it make sense to add these to the F-8 version? By giving it a more robust weapon against towns and airfields we would see a greater use of the F-8 leading to a more realistic game environment. Thoughts or corrections?

Boo

[zack1234]

Did the Soviet use cluster bombs in their IL2's to drop on tanks?

[Masherbrum]

Boo, are you talking about the "SD2 Butterfly Bomb"?   

[Lusche]

I  don't do ground attack but wouldn't it make sense to add these to the F-8 version?

Not until we get a great number of dispersed, soft targets, like troops. They won't be helpful against big structures like town buildings, as the total HE content of a cluster of SD-10 is much smaller than a 250kg HE bomb it replaces.

[mthrockmor]

Yes, SD-2 though I read the other nomenclature associated with it as I posted. The SD-2, -4 and -10 reflected the size of the bombletts.

Lusche, we do have many soft targets. Truck convoys, barges, field guns, and even M-3s. Agreed they would not destroy buildings but could wreck havoc on even hangars, when we consider our hangars are not hardened but big tin huts. Even the radar units could be destroyed by these cluster munitions.

Boo

[Lusche]

Lusche, we do have many soft targets. Truck convoys, barges, field guns, and even M-3s. Agreed they would not destroy buildings but could wreck havoc on even hangars, when we consider our hangars are not hardened but big tin huts. Even the radar units could be destroyed by these cluster munitions.

A hangar takes a ~2700 lbs of damage to be killed.

A 250kg HE bombs, with it's 250lbs of HE filling, does 618lbs of AH damage.
The SD-10 has 2 lbs of explosive filling, the 17 SD-10 in a AB-250 replacing the 250kg HE bomb would add up to 34lbs of HE only. The SD prefix indicates that it's a fragment bomb with a low % of explosive and a bigger number of fragments.

That wouldn't even scratch an AH hangar.

[Daddkev]

  It would be fun to drop on troops running to maproom!  Hope we get it. 

[bangsbox]

isnt there anti-armor cluster bombs that germans used?

[Guppy35]

USAAF Jugs and Mustangs carried frag cluster bombs during WW2

[zack1234]

 

[bongboy1]

Sweeeeet! Plz add this! Great against convoys, trains, n light vehicles!