The big bent piece has a part number, 33D5233:
Google comes up with a hit labeled "Waco Aircraft Company Records, 1930-1950," that says it's a "Link Assembly - Bomb Shackle"
Apparently you can buy a whole B-24 bomb shackle on e-bay (and what home doesn't need one?), but I have so far been unable to find a photo of this particular piece. It's about a foot long, and bent at about an 85-degree angle -- I suspect during the crash.
An article at b24.net tells what the shackles were for:
The Army Air Corps and the Navy used the same bombs but attached them to their planes differently. As a result, each bomb had three lugs: one near the front and tail for use in AAC planes and one in the center on the other side for use in Navy planes. (576th armorer Tom Perry said the Navy's lug "always got in the way" when loading bombs.) A metal clip called a shackle was clamped onto the two lugs; the shackle was then hooked onto the bomb rack.
When the bomb was released, the shackle disengaged simultaneously from both ends of the bomb. A bomb was "hung up" when one end did not completely separate from the shackle. An airman then had to step out on the narrow catwalk in the bomb bay (without a parachute, as he wouldn't fit if he wore one), often at bombing altitude, and kick the bomb loose.
Sounds fun.
I would welcome any information about the piece, and how it would have worked.
One more "link" to Dad's last flight.
