The Disney Bomb

From the beginning of the war in 1939 through the end of 1942, Allied forces had only neutralized 150 U-boats, roughly three per month.

In contrast, the Germans had a success rate of sinking 20 ships of roughly 180,000 tons per month.

The British were desperate for a solution. They could not withstand losing any more ships and essential supplies at the hands of the stealthy U-boat hunters.

Conventional bombs had little effect against the massive concrete structures of the Kriegsmarine submarine pens. The RAF made futile bombing raids that always had the same outcome.

A U-boat pen's roof could withstand the impact of 7,000 pounds bombs, more than any Allied aircraft could carry at that time.

As ideas ran short of putting an end to the German threat at sea, a peculiar animated film from Walt Disney's company inspired the Royal Navy to begin working on a bomb that could penetrate the thickness of German bunkers.

The Britons decided to baptize this warhead with the source of their inspiration. They called it the Disney Bomb.