# Liquid inside WWII bombs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 30, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336 "2012-09-30T21:47:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/1 "2012-09-30T21:47:37Z")
In the mesmerizing ‘[The Master](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1560747/combined)’, one scene shows a character unscrewing a plate from the surface of a (WWII era) bomb. Doing so allows him to drain a liquid from inside the bomb which he then proceeds to drink - to get stoned. I have a few questions: 1. What was the liquid? Alcohol? Some other organic substance? If so, what? 2. What was the function of the liquid? Part of the fuse? Part of a [chemical time delay system](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Time_pencil.svg)? (In the Wikipedia link, the liquid is cupric chloride which is far too toxic, I think, to be ingested as in the movie) Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![stuyguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@stuyguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stuyguy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/2 "2012-09-30T22:11:34Z")
I have not seen the movie. Are you sure it was a bomb, not a torpedo? Some torpedoes contained alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/3 "2012-09-30T22:28:51Z")
Found [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) a while ago on Wikipedia. I didn’t remember the pop culture portion being there when i first read it. ETA: looks like it was added 5 days ago ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/4 "2012-10-01T01:31:31Z")
Thank you both! It must have been a torpedo - shows what I know. And, the Wiki link is clearly talking about what I was referring to. It’s interesting that just five days ago a reference was added to the article about what was depicted in The Master. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![rann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@rann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rann)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/5 "2012-10-01T13:28:41Z")
Not seeing the movie i’m guessing like the others that it was alcohol. I believe the Germans at one point devoted over half the production of potatoes to the conversion of alcohol. The alcohol was fuel. There was also a type of hydrogen peroxide in these things. A catalyst converted the hydrogen peroxide into oxygen. This mixed with the alcohol for combustion and therefore propulsion. This was used for torpedoes, the V2 rockets and a prototype sub that could go very fast. If I recall the show it was featured on, it could go over 30 knots but wasn’t put into production due to lack of the vital alcohol that was diverted to the V2 program. I believe this type of set up for torpedoes was used by the British until maybe the 50s and a fatal accident (fire) was one reason why it was discontinued. If you’ll remember a few years ago there was a Russian sub in the Bering sea that had a fire in the torpedo compartment which resulted in I believe loss of all on board. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/6 "2012-10-01T13:43:33Z")
The Barents Sea in 2000, [The Kursk](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_submarine_Kursk_explosion). ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/7 "2012-10-01T13:47:26Z")
Not only was it alcohol, it was wood alcohol; [drinking it could make you go blind.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/8 "2012-10-01T18:20:01Z")
When I read “The Master” I thought for a second you were referring to \*Our \*Master, Cybil. No, wait, **Cecil**! Yeah, that’s it! BTW where \*is \*the ruler of this board? Any Cecil sightings lately? ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/9 "2012-10-02T14:07:39Z")
This practice is the basis of the common vernacular phrase “getting bombed,” meaning to become intoxicated.\* - This is completely made up. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/10 "2012-10-02T14:24:06Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Not only was it alcohol, it was wood alcohol; [drinking it could make you go blind.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) Note that they switched the denaturing agent to croton oil later because of that. An interesting point which doesn’t seem to be mentioned there is that the addition of the red warning dye to the methanol in the original formulation quite possibly hurt rather than helped. The filtering techniques that sailors came up with to attempt to remove the wood alcohol didn’t work. But they DID remove the dye, making them think the stuff was now safe. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/11 "2012-10-03T01:14:18Z")
On a similar note, I recall reading that the Russian soldiers based in Berlin actually drank the fuel for the nuclear missiles located there and the stuff they replaced it with was significantly weaker and would’ve had a hard time flying past their blast radius. ---
**Author:** ![am77494](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d2c977/32.png) [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/12 "2012-10-03T04:06:03Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Not only was it alcohol, it was wood alcohol; [drinking it could make you go blind.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) Not true. Methanol or wood alcohol was added for denaturing the grain alcohol - it was only like 5%. It was removed by soaking in bread. Read more here : [Torpedo juice - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/13 "2012-10-03T06:56:39Z")
> [@am77494](#): > > Not true. Methanol or wood alcohol was added for denaturing the grain alcohol - it was only like 5%. It was removed by soaking in bread. Read more here : [Torpedo juice - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torpedo_juice) Pssst… ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/14 "2012-10-03T08:37:49Z")
> [@yabob](#): > > Note that they switched the denaturing agent to croton oil later because of that. An interesting point which doesn’t seem to be mentioned there is that the addition of the red warning dye to the methanol in the original formulation quite possibly hurt rather than helped. The filtering techniques that sailors came up with to attempt to remove the wood alcohol didn’t work. But they DID remove the dye, making them think the stuff was now safe. And then there was the account of Yuri Belenkov (the Mig-25 pilot.) Their m-25’s systems kept freezing up because ground crews kept filching the alcohol-based anti-freeze to drink, and replacing it with water. ---
**Author:** ![core\_dump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dec6dc/32.png) [@core\_dump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core_dump)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/15 "2012-10-03T09:15:45Z")
Only somewhat off-topic: What about aircraft? Can you crack open your “whiskey compass” and get a quick fix if you’re on a long flight and start to see pink elephants? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/16 "2012-10-03T20:19:36Z")
> [@Johnny\_Q](#): > > On a similar note, I recall reading that the Russian soldiers based in Berlin actually drank the fuel for the nuclear missiles located there and the stuff they replaced it with was significantly weaker and would’ve had a hard time flying past their blast radius. That seems unlikely. The only nuclear-equipped liquid propellant theater ballistic missiles that the the Soviet Union deployed in Europe during the Cold War were the R-14 (NATO reporting name SS-5 “Skean”) and the R-11/-17 (SS-1B/C “Scud A/B”), which used caustic storable propellants; that is, unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH) for the fuel and some combination of red fuming nitric acid (RFNA) and nitrogen tetroxide (N[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]4[/SUB]). Of these, the latter is the least harmful, as it will just make your tissues highly permeable to any environmental toxins and (in high concentrations) and cause pulmonary hemorrhage. UDMH will spontaneously combust in the presence of strong oxidizers, and RFNA can literally cause the flesh to melt off of your skeleton. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/17 "2012-10-03T20:26:31Z")
> [@core\_dump](#): > > Only somewhat off-topic: What about aircraft? Can you crack open your “whiskey compass” and get a quick fix if you’re on a long flight and start to see pink elephants? It’s actually kerosene - the higher viscosity helps to dampen compass swings. It isn’t water because that can freeze and crack the glass. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/18 "2012-10-03T20:36:50Z")
Never underestimate the ingenuity of a soldier looking to tie one on. I remember my grandfather telling me about how, while he was stationed in the Amazon Jungle during WWII, there was a large surplus of Aqua Velva in his camp for some reason, and they would pour it on slices of bread (with the bread acting as a filter of sorts, retaining the alcohol) and then eat the bread in order to get drunk. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/19 "2012-10-03T21:12:53Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Yuri Belenkov (the Mig-25 pilot.). Victor Belenko ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336/20 "2012-10-03T23:33:38Z")
^ Hehe… forgetfulness fought. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liquid-inside-wwii-bombs/636336.md?page=2)