Submission + - Archives Show Poison Dart Bombs Developed for WWII
Hugh Pickens writes: "BBC reports that newly opened archives from World War II show a coordinated project between Britain and Canada to develop millions of darts, to be dropped from aircraft in "500lb cluster projectiles" each containing 30,000 darts laced with a poison that could cause death "within 30 seconds" without damaging nearby buildings or equipment. A "grooved zinc alloy dart" would contain a small poison deposit in the hollow needle section, kept in place by a cotton and wax seal, while a paper tail would keep it flying straight at up to 250 ft per second. Under the heading "Lethality" the "Top Secret" note explained: "If penetrating into the flesh, will cause death if not plucked out within 30 seconds. If plucked out within this time will cause disablement by collapse. Collapse occurs within 1-5 minutes, and death within 30 minutes." Trials with the darts were conducted at an experimental station in Suffield, Alberta, Canada where in one experiment, the Canadians dressed sheep and goats in two layers of battledress material and positioned them across a wide area, some in trenches, to be exposed to the killer darts. It is unclear why the weapon was rejected although it is speculated that Britain may have worried that its enemies would adopt the poisoned darts and use them on British troops. "To our modern sensibilities it seems shocking and there's a real sense of viciousness about this weapon," says Mark Dunton, a contemporary history specialist at the National Archives. "But it shows the Allies were prepared to consider anything — no matter how gruesome — to secure a victory.""
