Identification of unknown part

[Kurtl]

What could that be? This part was found at a crashplace of an 4 engined american aircraft.
You can read "FRONT", the number: "33D5227 and "TYPE-B-7 100-1100". Attached you will see the pictures.
Thanks for your help! - Kurtl

[FLYBOYJ]

It's part of a Type B7 Bomb Shackle

[FLYBOYJ]

[FLYBOYJ]

I think it was used on all US bombers and was able to support 100 - 1100 pound bombs

[A4K]

Good man Joe!

[FLYBOYJ]

Thanx

[Kurtl]

Gentlemen, thanks for that identification! Thats an interesting part. I wonder how it worked in detail and if that part really could hold a 1100lbs bomb during flight?
Does anyone have a technical description about it? Thanks. - Kurtl

[A4K]

I think Paul (Micdrow) might be your man there, unless Joe has more info where that came from.

[FLYBOYJ]

I'll dig arounf for info. One of the sites I used to identify it gave me the information about the 100 - 1100 pound capacity.

[Airframes]

They were mounted horizontally on the vertical beams in the bomb bays of B17s, B24s, B25s etc. The shackle 'jaws' at each end locked around rings on the bomb, and were 'tripped' electronically. The two lever in the centre were the locking latches, which closed the 'jaws' around the bomb suspension lugs.
Until modifications to the system, in late 1943, it was quite common for a bomb, sometimes more than one, to 'hang up' on the shackle. This meant that the Engineer/top turret gunner, had to walk out onto the bomb bay catwalk (without a parachute, as there wasn't room!), and try to trip the jaws with a screwdriver. This was absolutely necessary, as trying to land with a bomb hung-up, apart from being forbidden, was extremely dangerous !

[A4K]

Great info Terry!

[Kurtl]

So maybe you could use the bigger hole (with the trigger if it is one) to unlock the "jaws" and set the bomb free?
I found the shackle with open "jaws". So I wonder if that means that the bomb was released before the plane crashed or is it possible that the "jaws" even opens by itself easily as soon as the shackle is seperated of the electric system of the aircraft.
As I am sure that the crashed plane was of the type B-24 I wonder how the bomb bay looks like. Did not the B-24 have four doors for two horizontal like bomb bays instead of one vertical bay like the B-17? Are there any pictures or drawings of the B-24 bomb bay on the net. Just to make sure I figure it out the right way.

[FLYBOYJ]

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[Airframes]

Great pics Joe, better than the ones I was going to post.
Kurtl, unlike most WW2 bombers, the B-24 had 'roller shutter' doors on each side of the bomb bay. Instead of opening into the slipstream as 'solid' doors, they rolled up on tracks, up each fuselage side 'wall'.
I haven't been able to verify it, but I think that you are right, and the larger 'hole' in the shackle assembly is where the jaws would be tripped manually. I believe that, once tripped, the jaws remained open until locked back in place, around the lugs of a new bomb, on the ground. The system was electro-mechanical, with a servo which basically 'pushed' the jaws open. The system is still in use today on 'modern' shackles, little changed from WW2, apart from probably being a lot more reliable.

[vikingBerserker]

Gents, that was impressive!