Incendiary ammunition

At the time, phosphorus was the primary ingredient in the incendiary charge and ignited upon firing, leaving a trail of blue smoke.

[2] The British Royal Flying Corps forbade the use of incendiary ammunition for air-to-air combat with another airplane, as their use against personnel was at first considered to be a violation of the St. Petersburg Declaration.

[3] During World War II, incendiary bullets found a new use: they became one of the preferred types of ammunition for use in interceptor fighters.

For security reasons, and to confuse the enemy, it was initially called "de Wilde" ammunition, even though the design was almost entirely different from the original version.

[6] The B Mark VI incendiary bullets were first issued in June 1940 and tested operationally in the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire in the air battles over Dunkirk.

An RAF fighter pilot who was shot down by incendiary ammunition in the Battle of Britain described his experience:[8]"I could smell powder smoke, hot and strong, but it didn't make me feel tough this time.

A World War I era Buckingham incendiary bullet
Some sectioned shells from the First World War . From left to right: 90 mm shrapnel shell, 120 mm pig iron incendiary shell, 77/14 model - 75 mm high-explosive shell, model 16 - 75 mm shrapnel shell