Ordnance & Bomb Store

Ordnance & Bomb Store

The ordnance company at Shipdham was responsible for handling every bomb - inspecting, arming, moving to the airfield, and loading them into bombers - on every mission. It was a staggering task given a single B-24 could carry 8,000 pounds of bombs and dozens of B-24s flew every mission. 150,000 pounds of bombs were needed for an average mission. The work was physical - bombs ranged from 100 to 2000 pounds. Each was lifted into a bomber with a winch-like device and strung on racks in the belly of the plane. As the pace of missions hastened, ordnance men worked 24 hours a day. Ordnance was also responsible for armaments - namely ammunition and guns. (Note: In early 1945, the armaments company merged with ordnance at Shipdham.) The sheer quantity of their equipment was staggering - 600 .50 caliber guns, a pistol for every man on base, and millions of rounds of ammunition.