These were not proximity fuses, but fuses with clockwork timers designed to delay hours or days until they exploded. This turns them into area denial weapons. M

These were not proximity fuses, but fuses with clockwork timers designed to delay hours or days until they exploded. This turns them into area denial weapons. Militaries use them to this day (but with modern electronics) on targets like airfields. Early "proximity" fuses like you're talking about (not the later radar VT fuses developed by the British & Americans, first used at the Battle of the Bulge) had mechanical timers with delays of only a few seconds to account for the planned height of the aircraft when dropped. Many of the men awarded the George Cross for their UXB work encountered them after they malfunctioned (If you ever have the chance to visit the UK Imperial War Museum, it's highly recommended.) https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-incredible-stories-of-bravery-during-the-blitz https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/10-incredible-stories-of-brav... > Seems like the Germans once again beat the British at their own disgusting tactics with better technology. Check your timeline. The German bombing campaign against the civilian population of major British cities started in early September 1940 (mom spent many nights sheltering in the family's Anderson Shelter from the German bombs). Retaliatory bombing in occupied Europe & Germany by the British didn't begin until the next year.