Q&A ยท 2:36:06-2:36:24

American battleship shells adapted as bombs

A question compares U.S. and Japanese use of battleship projectiles as the basis for aircraft bombs.

Question

Did the United States turn battleship shells into aircraft bombs as Japan did?

Short answer

Yes in broad principle, though the United States developed its own range of heavy armor-piercing weapons rather than copying the Japanese solution directly.

Notes

The Americans also developed specialized weapons from heavy naval-shell concepts, although their program followed its own designs rather than merely duplicating Japan's. The short exchange is a useful pointer into the relationship between deck-penetrating bombs and battleship armor-piercing ammunition. It also cautions against treating the Japanese adaptation as unique.