A 'Tallboy' bomb being loaded into a Lancaster bomber, England, 1945. The 'Tallboy', one of the largest bombs developed for Bomber Command during World War II and weighing five tons, was also known as an 'earthquake bomb' and was used against concrete structures that had resisted smaller bombs. It was designed to penetrate concrete and explode, sending out shock waves which shook foundations, as shock waves are transmitted more strongly through earth than through air. Falling faster than the speed of sound the explosion from the bomb was heard before the noise of its descent. Two Bomber Command squadrons in which many Australian aircrew served, Nos 617 and 9 Squadrons, became specialists in operations involving different sorts of bombs for particular kinds of target. The first Tallboy operation was flown by No. 617 Squadron RAF against a French railway tunnel and bridge at Saumur on 9 June 1944, shortly after the D-Day landings in Normandy. Reports indicated a German armoured division was going to pass through the tunnel on its way to Normandy and the Tallboy attack successfully damaged both structures. Two of the No. 617 Squadron Lancasters despatched to Saumur were piloted by Flight Lieutenant Arthur Kell and Flying Officer Ian Ross, both RAAF. [AWM P00878.002]
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