Carcass (projectile)

A carcass was an early form of incendiary bomb or shell, intended to set targets on fire. It comprised an external casing, usually of cast iron, filled with a highly flammable mixture, and having three to five holes through which the burning filling could blaze outward.^[1]^[2] Carcasses were shot from howitzers, mortars, and other cannons to set fire to buildings and defences; on impact, the shell shattered, spreading its incendiary filling around the target. Congreve rockets were also sometimes fitted with carcass heads.

They were named carcass because the circles which pass from one ring, or plate, to the other, were thought to resemble the ribs of a human carcass.^[2]

^ "Carcass". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.
^ ^a ^b This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Carcass". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.

[oed-1] "Carcass". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 1989.

[cyclo-2] This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chambers, Ephraim, ed. (1728). "Carcass". Cyclopædia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences (1st ed.). James and John Knapton, et al.

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