What did war pilots (WWII or otherwise) do with their bombs after they were shot-down and bailing?

by vazzaroth

Did they emergency drop them all? Let them go down with the plane? Were the bombs even designed where a crash would set them off? What about during a crash landing where the crew planned to ride the bomber to the ground?

Side question: Is there precedent for bombs being shot while on the wings of fighters or bombers and exploding?

(Remade post to fix typos)

white_light-king

The general practice was to drop the bomb load once the aircraft could no longer reach its target. In an emergency the bombs are just dead weight and a damaged aircraft will have better flight characteristics and fuel economy without bombs on board. Additionally, with externally carried bombs they were routinely dropped before any kind of landing (especially on an aircraft carrier!) Crash landings were much safer without a bomb load. Even if the bombs were not armed (arming was needed for normal detonation), bombs were still a fire hazard. Allied aircraft in both the European and Pacific theaters could usually dispose of the bomb load over water or enemy territory.