According to the Official Munitions Production of the United States (1947), over 180,000 250 lb AN-M57 bombs were purchased between 1940 and 1941, prior to the introduction of Lend-Lease. While the data is sourced from both the British (BPC) and Netherlands Purchasing Comissions (NPC), the NPC was only established in 1941 and it can be safely assumed that all purchases made in 1940 were by the BPC.
Fig.1 An AN-M57A1 bomb, the single suspension lug is visible at the bottom of the bomb body. Note that the Tritonal filler was only introduced in 1944 (from my own estimates), and the early bombs of this type received by the British would have either an Amatol 50/50 or TNT filler.
US AN-series bombs were fitted with both dual and single suspension lugs, enabling their carriage by British bomb carriers without additional modification. This source confirms the use of the 250 lb AN-M57 bomb by British aircraft in the early war period, and limited use of the 100 lb AN-M30.
Fig.2 Figures from the document show that 100 lb, 250 lb, and 500 lb bombs of various service and obsolete types were purchased by the British and Dutch over 1940-41. The presence of AN-M46 is a typo of AN-M64; AN-M46 was a 50 lb photo-flash bomb.
An alternative 4000 lb bomb for late British bombers, especially the upcoming Washington B.1 aka. the B-29A in British service;
The 4000 lb HC Mk V (or Mk VI) are British-designed bombs of US manufacture and filling. Approximately 38,000 were produced in the United States, being filled with either 2903 lb TNT or 3144 lb Tritonal.
A Tritonal-filled 4000 lb HC bomb would have a TNTe of 1682.79 kg, surpassing the 1,339 kg TNTe of the 4000 lb HC Mk II by over 25%.
So the currently missing British bombs (250 lb SAP, 1900 lb GP, 4000 lb GP, 2000 lb HC, 4000 lb MC, etc) are going to require a Suggestion in order to be added to the game, and cannot simply be bug reported as missing. This lines up with my intention to submit a general overhaul Suggestion for British bombs in game.
Having also researched US bombs, they are in a similar situation and are implemented ahistorically.
Made a new bug report in particular regarding the 500 lb HE MC Mk II, an erroneous bomb found on a few postwar British aircraft.
It uses the visual model from the 540 lb bomb, the name of a much earlier MC bomb, and seems to have the 240 lb RDX/TNT filler that [should be in the 500 lb MC Mk I.
If actioned, this report could result in the addition of a 500 lb MC Mk VII with Minol 2 filler, lighter than and with TNT equivalent only slightly below the American AN-M64A1.
A second late-war MC, the 500 lb MC Mk XIII with Torpex 2 filler, is also suggested, which exceeds the explosive power of the AN-M64A1 by a little over 11%.
