M2 (mine)

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M2 (mine)


Partial sectional view of M2A4 mine with M6A1 pull and push fuse (right)

General Information
Designation: M2
Type: Anti-personnel mine , jumping mine
Country of origin: United States
Development: from 1940
Commissioning: 1943
Working time: since 1943
Technical specifications
Combat weight: M2A1 = 2270 grams, M2A3 = 2950 grams
Charge: 154 grams of TNT
Diameter: M2A1 = 133 mm, M2A3 = 84 mm (bullet tube = 64 mm)
Height: M2A1 = 210 mm, M2A3 = 236 mm
Detonator: M6A1 pull and push detonators (in early versions M1, M2 and M2A1 detonators)
Lists on the subject

The M2 is an American anti-personnel mine . It is a jumping mine that was developed from 1940 and produced from 1943 to 1944. The mine is no longer used by US forces , but was used in numerous conflicts and copied by several other countries. The successor to the M2 is the M16 .

history

Under the influence of the beginning World War II , the USA began developing various anti-personnel mines in the summer of 1940. After the fall of France , the United States came into possession of the plans for the French Modèle type jumping mine in 1939 through the French major Pierre Delalande (also Paul JMR Delalande) . The American M2 mine was developed on this basis. Production in the USA took place from January 1943 to September 1944 and approx. 4,161,000 units were produced in this period. The mine was used from the middle of 1943. The M2 was not a particularly successful design, so after the end of the Second World War, based on the captured plans of the German S mine, successors to the M2 were developed, which were eventually replaced by the M16 . The M2 was procured from various countries such as Cyprus, Greece, Taiwan, South Africa and Turkey and also copied by other countries. As a result of the ratification of the Ottawa Convention , large stocks of the M2, e.g. B. destroyed in Greece, Cyprus and Turkey.

description

The M2 consists of 3 main components: base, fuse and projectile. The base connects the fuse to the projectile and contains a propellant charge for the projectile. The shell for the bullet resembles a tin can. The projectile is based on a 60 mm mortar shell (originally M49A2) and the M6A1 push and pull fuse with a preloaded firing pin is used. The receptacle for the detonator is located next to the bullet cup and resembles a pen holder. The M2 mine is olive green with a black base and yellow markings. From version M2A3 the lead is olive green with a yellow base and black lettering. The corresponding non-explosive training mines are black (inert) or light blue (smoke charge) with white markings. The tube of the bullet is labeled with the M2A3 with MINE ANTI-PERSONNEL.M2A3 .

function

Each mine comes in a cardboard box with 4x 8 m wire spools for trip wires and the like. Ä. delivered. The wire is olive green or sand colored. 10 (M2A1) or 6 (M2A4) cardboard boxes are delivered in a wooden box. The mine is buried in the ground in such a way that the projectile is covered with earth and the detonator protrudes slightly from the ground. The detonator can now be connected to a trip wire . Since the igniter protrudes from the ground, it is z. B. camouflaged with light plant parts to make detection by the enemy more difficult. Then the safety pin is removed: the mine is now sharp. If the detonator is now subjected to tensile or compressive force or if the tripwire is triggered, the detonator activates a propellant charge made of gunpowder, which shoots the projectile upwards from the ground. The delay detonator then explodes at a height of 2 - 3 m and the fragments of the missile's fragmentation warhead are distributed around the area. At a distance of up to 10 - 18 meters, fatal injuries and up to 100 meters can be expected to cause minor injuries. There is still a risk even at a distance of 150 meters. When jumping mines such as the M2 are used over a large area , they are often laid together with ( low-metal ) pressure mines in order to make it more difficult to overcome or clear the mined area. The M2 can also be used if the enemy does not trigger the mine, but instead a pull wire (instead of the trip wire) runs from the detonator of the mine to its own position with appropriate cover, from which one's own forces can trigger the mine.

Defusing

Since the M2 contains a lot of metal and the trigger z. Sometimes it protrudes from the ground, it can be recognized relatively easily by means of a metal detector and by eye. The recognized mine can then be defused by qualified persons by placing a suitable object, e.g. B. carefully insert a needle or a piece of wire into the opening for the locking pin and unscrew the igniter from the mine.

variants

The individual variants of the examples of the M2 produced in the USA differ in terms of the fuse and the base of the mine. Early specimens had a large, thin, flat, and rounded base, while later specimens had a smaller and thicker base. Later versions also had improved water resistance, which together with mass production was one of the main problems of the M2. The US developed the following variants:

  • M2 - bullet tube is riveted to the base
  • M2A1 - bullet tube is soldered to the base
  • M2A1B
  • M2A1B1 - variant of the M2A1B using the same bullet, but the holder for the detonator and the mine body are combined in one component made of cast iron in order to simplify mass production. The mine was 96 mm wide, 220 mm high and weighed 3248 g.
  • M2A2 - troop modification with canvas bag (for water protection)
  • M2A3 - This variant and subsequent ones were used in World War II. The main difference to later variants seems to be a stronger propellant charge. The bullet tube is pressed into the steel base
  • M2A3B1 - bullet barrel, fuse holder and base are combined in one piece made of cast iron. The mine is too heavy and will not be accepted.
  • M2A3B2 - Steel bullet tube and fuse holder are pressed into the cast iron base
  • M2A4 - Steel bullet barrel and fuse holder are welded to the steel base
  • M2A4B1
  • M2A4B2 - Steel bullet barrel and fuse holder are welded to the cast iron base

The M8 or M8A1 practice mine is available for simulation purposes . It corresponds in form and function to the M2, but is light blue and emits a projectile made of cardboard or smoke when triggered.

Manufacturer

  • USA, also developer
  • Belgium, copy as PRB M966
  • Pakistan, copy as P7
  • Portugal, copy as M / 966
  • Taiwan, copy

Known locations

swell

  • C. King, J. King: Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005-2006 , Jane's Information Group, 2005, ISBN 0-7106-2701-7 .
  • E. Banks: Brassey's Essential Guide to Anti-Personnel Landmines: Recognizing & Disarming , Potomac Books, 1998, ISBN 1-8575-3228-7
  • US Army FM 20-43
  • US Army FM-5 31 Landmines and Boobytraps

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Ordata, M2
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j USNBD, M2
  3. ↑ The mine was patented in the USA under the name "Paul Delalande" US Patent 2,374,179 at GooglePatents
  4. ^ Lieutenant-Colonel John Ingraham & Col. Dalton Jones. Technical Intelligence Bulletins 8 (5), 2003. (available online)
  5. ↑ 2006 Size of the inventory unclear 2006 ICBL report
  6. ↑ 2006 inventory of 214,374 mines ICBL report 2006
  7. ↑ Taiwan refuses to provide information on stock levels and has produced M2 under license. 2006 ICBL report 2004 ICBL report
  8. ↑ Alex Vines, Human Rights Watch Arms Project: Still Killing: Landmines in Southern Africa , Human Rights Watch, 1997, pp. 132f., Especially Belgian PRB M966
  9. ↑ 2006 inventory of 146,882 mines 2006 ICBL report
  10. ↑ a b lexpev, M2
  11. ↑ a b WW2Wikia, M2
  12. ^ Standard Ordnance Items Catalog 1944 volume 3, page 596
  13. ↑ Sectional view of the mine - shows the M2A3 with a double propellant charge. Diagram at ORDATA mines
  14. ↑ lexpev, M8
  15. ↑ http://www.ag-friedensforschung.de/themen/Landminen/antifahrzeugminen.pdf , especially Portuguese M / 966
  16. ↑ Shawn Roberts, Jody Williams: After the Guns Fall Silent: The Enduring Legacy of Landmines , Oxfam, 1995, p. 212, especially Belgian PRB M966 and Portuguese M / 966
  17. ↑ Alex Vines, Human Rights Watch Arms Project: Still Killing: Landmines in Southern Africa , Human Rights Watch, 1997, p. 112f., In particular Belgian PRB M966 by SADF
  18. ↑ Printed matter 18/4750 , German Bundestag, 2015, p. 2

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