Artillery fuze
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An artillery fuze or fuse is the type of munition fuze used with artillery munitions, typically projectiles fired by guns, howitzers and mortars. A fuze is a device that initiates an explosive functio
Tightening of the fuse on a 105 mm howitzer round
British 'Boxer' wooden time fuze, 1870s, burned for maximum 9 seconds, adjusted by punching through applicable hole
Early British "direct action" nose impact fuze of 1900 with no safety or arming mechanism, relying on heavy direct physical impact to detonate
French point-detonating fuze of 1916 with inertia plunger and 1/10-second delay, used with heavy trench mortar bombs
No. 106 fuze
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The number 106 fuze was the first British instantaneous percussion artillery fuze, first tested in action in late 1916 and deployed in volume in early 1917.
Early model No. 106 Mk II, without safety shutter, 1917
Later No. 106 E Mk IV with safety shutter, showing before use, before firing, during flight and on impact, and action of tape and shutter
Unassembled 18-pounder shell, 106 Mk II fuze and safety cap