ABSTRACT
Paragraph 19 16. The C-in-C, at the end of this paragraph, deprecates, by implication, the delay in the supply of a marker bomb, for which he had asked in March 1942, having urged its development several years
previously. It must not be assumed that the potentialities of such a weapon were not fully appreciated by the Air Ministry at the time, but all ideas on the subject had been ruled out as impracticable owing to ease of simulation or some other obvious defect. In the event, a great share of the credit for the eventual solution of the problem should go to an officer on the Air Staff at the Air Ministry who flew as an observer on the first "Gee" raid on Essen on March 8/9th 1942, and came back with the conviction that a full stick of incendiaries, if coloured, would defy effective simulation. As a result of investigations into this possible solution of the problem, it was found that, while it was not practicable to colour the 41b. I. Bs, 250 lbs bomb cases which could tail eject pyrotechnic candles were a practicable proposition and would serve the purpose equally well if dropped in sticks. With the enthusiastic co-operation of M. A. P., this important link in the P.F.F. chain was quickly developed to the operational stage.
