1000 pound AN M-65 Aerial Bomb

A 1000 pound AN M-65 General Purpose (GP) high explosive aerial bomb. These bombs were used to target ammunition dumps, airplanes, railway tracks, engines and cars, aircraft on the ground, and all types of construction, and seacraft - except battleships. There is no nose fuze, or nose fuze hole cap inserted. The body is painted a drab brown with a 13 mm wide red paint band 32 mm from the nose fuze hole, and a 50 mm yellow band 250 mm from the nose. There is a large tail plug 130 mm wide and 407 mm diameter fixed to the rear end. These bombs had two types of explosive fillings, either T.N.T., or a 50/50 Amatol and T.N.T. mix. The weight of filling was 530 pound (240 kg).

The 1000 pound AN M-65 General Purpose (GP) high explosive aerial bombs were manufactured in the USA for both army and navy use. They were used extensively by all allied forces during the second World war. This is a type example of a Second World War munitions component from the collection of munitions originally held by the Maribyrnong Explosives Factory in Victoria.