The following U.S. report on the German WWII butterfly bomb was printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 34, September 23, 1943. [DISCLAIMER: The following text is taken from the U.S. War Department publication Tactical and Technical Trends. As with all wartime intelligence information, data may be incomplete or inaccurate. No attempt has been made to update or correct the text. Any views or opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the website.]

GERMAN BUTTERFLY BOMB Recently received information permits supplementation of the brief description in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 29, p. 2 of the German SD* 2-kilogram "butterfly" bombs. Three types of fuzes are found in these bombs: (1) 41 Fuze Selector screw can be set for bomb to explode in the air Zeit (time) 3 seconds delay after being armed, or on AZ (impact). The bomb is not armed unless 4 threads of the arming spindle are visible. The fuze is screwed into place. The bomb is very sensitive if selector switch is set at Zeit. (2) 67 Fuze Clockwork device which can be set for time delay up to 30 minutes. This fuze can be set for impact ignition also. (3) 70 (A) and 70 (B) Fuzes These are designed to function if the bomb is disturbed or vibrated after falling, hence they are essentially anti-handling fuzes, if these fuzes are armed, 3 threads of the arming spindle must be visible. Fuzes 67 and 70 are pushed into the bomb and secured in position by two projections which fit into slots in the casing. All these fuzes should be treated cautiously. If there is uncertainty regarding the type of fuze, do not approach for 30 minutes. To dispose of an unexploded bomb, build a small sandbag wall around it and destroy in place. The bomb may be detonated by placing a small charge beside it, or a rope may be used. If the latter method is adopted, pull the rope from behind cover. "Butterfly" bombs are dropped from a container holding 23 bombs. If the container falls to the ground unopened or partly opened, with bombs still intact, the container and contents should be detonated in place. If this is not feasible the container should be carried to a trench or other convenient place and detonated therein. Lay the charge on top of the container and tamp with earth. If the charge has not been well laid some bombs may be blown clear. As a precaution, 30 minutes after detonating the container, search the area for bombs and if any are found, detonate in place. *SD designates a bomb which has a thick casing and achieves its effect chiefly by fragmentation.

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