4000lb Medium Capacity (MC) Bomb, Mk 1

The Medium Capacity series became the standard bomb used by the RAF from 1941. The 4,000lb version offered greater accuracy than similar sized bombs but could only be carried by Lancasters and specially modified Mosquitos like the one it is displayed with at the RAF Museum Midlands.

4,000lb bombs were the smallest in a series of large explosive bombs known as 'blockbusters' or 'cookies'. When used together with smaller but more numerous incendiary bombs, they could be particularly effective. The explosive bombs would destroy windows and roofs, creating conditions in which the small fires started by the incendiaries could quickly spread.