Incendiary Ammunition - World War II

World War II

During World War II, incendiary rounds found a new use: they became one of the preferred types of ammunition for use in interceptor fighters. They were not nearly as effective at puncturing enemy bomber aircraft as armor piercing rounds, but were far more effective than standard rounds because they could also ignite fuel if they came into contact with a fuel tank or pipeline. Incendiary rounds were developed in Britain following the failure of a Swiss-developed incendiary (De Wilde ammunition) when it was tested for use in the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire. A round with similar incendiary capabilities was developed by Major Dixon at the Woolwich Arsenal, and was adopted by British forces as the 0.303 Incendiary B Mark VI. It was initially called De Wilde ammunition, even though the design was almost entirely different from the original Swiss version. The B Mark VI incendiary bullet was packed with nitrocellulose, and a small steel ball was placed in the tip of the bullet to ensure that the chemical explode on impact. As opposed to earlier designs, the M Mark VI was a true incendiary round rather than a tracer round.

One fighter pilot who was shot down by incendiary rounds while flying in the Battle of Britain describes his experience:

"I could smell powder smoke, hot and strong, but it didn't make me feel tough this time. It was from the cannon shells and incendiary bullets that had hit my machine...Bullets were going between my legs, and I remember seeing a bright flash of an incendiary bullet going past my leg into the gas tank...Then a little red tongue licked out inquiringly from under the gas tank in front of my feet and became a hot little bonfire in one corner of the cockpit."

According to Joseph Folino of the 691st Tank Destroyer Battalion, he and his men were equipped with both high-velocity armor piercing and incendiary shells. When they mistakenly fired an incendiary shell at a tank, he described it as "the best thing that could have happened." The phosphorus exploded inside the tank, and raised the temperature so much that its crew surrendered immediately. He also said that their phosphorus rounds could burn through anything, even steel. Phosphorus rounds also became a favorite of tank crews, who used them both in the Normandy hedgerows and to deal with larger German tanks. Phosphorus rounds could easily clear out machine gun nests and other light emplacements. American tankers also discovered that a phosphorus round that struck near the air intakes of a German tank engine would fill the interior with smoke, fooling the crew into believing their vehicle was aflame, often leading them to abandon it.