M3 (mine)

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M3 (mine)
General Information
Designation: M3, M3A1, M3B1
Type: Anti-personnel mine
Country of origin: United States
Technical specifications
Combat weight: 4355 grams
4672 grams (with igniter M7A1)
Charge: 408 grams of TNT powder
Length: 89 mm
Height: 135 mm (body)
218 mm (with igniter M7)
Detonator: M3, M3A1, M7, M7A1 Push-pull combination igniter (1 × -3 ×)
Lists on the subject

The M3 (English: Anti-Personnel Mine M3 ) is an American anti-personnel mine from the time of the Second World War . The mine works primarily through the formation of splinters when its cast iron shell explodes.

history

Under the influence of the beginning World War II, the USA began developing various anti-personnel mines in the summer of 1940. The M3 was produced from 1942 to 1944.

description

The M3 consists of the mine body and 1 to 3 detonators. The cuboid body is made of cast iron , corners and edges are slightly rounded. At the bottom of the body there is a round opening for filling in the explosives. The opening is then closed with a cover plate. The cover plate can be yellow. There are three threaded openings in the body to accommodate up to three separate detonators. One opening is located in the middle at the upper end and the other two openings are each off-center on two opposite side surfaces of the body. The body is painted olive green and has yellow or black lettering on the side without openings. The labeling consists of the mine type, manufacturer, lot number and date of manufacture and can look like this, for example:

example #1 # 2 # 3 # 4
labeling MINE,
ANTI-PERSONNEL, M3
LOT 4473-20
P.A.-7-1942		 MINE
ANTI-PERSONNEL, M3.
LOADERS LOT LAD -1-12
5-1943		 MINE
ANTI-PERSONNEL, M3
LOT ENS
NS 4 1943		 MINE
ANTI-PERSONNEL, M3.
LOADERS LOT KOP -5-2
6-1942

The inert training variant of the M3 is black with white lettering. The M3 lead and the M7A1 detonator can be stored at temperatures from −51 ° C to +71 ° C and used at −40 ° C to +52 ° C.

function

The M3 is delivered as 6 × M3 mine, 6 × M7 detonators and 6 × 32 m rolls with steel wire together in a wooden box weighing 33.2 kg. The wire is olive green or sand colored. The openings for the detonators are protected with plastic plugs. The M3 can be used above ground, buried, standing or lying down. For this purpose, the M3 is provided with the appropriate (secured) 1-3 detonators, brought into position, provided with tripwire if necessary , camouflaged and finally the fuses are removed from the detonators: The mine is now armed. If now z. B. if a person exerts a pressure of 3.6-9.1 kg on one of the M7A1 detonators or a pulling force of 1.4-4.5 kg via tripwire, the corresponding detonator is triggered, the explosive charge of the mine explodes and the The jacket of the mine body made of brittle cast iron spreads around the area like a fragmentation warhead. When laying above ground, fatal injuries to people must be expected at a distance of up to 9 meters and when laying underground up to 3 meters. Even at a distance of 90 meters there is still a hazard. The M2 can also be used when the opponent 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. If mines such as the M3 are used over a large area , they are often laid together with spring mines and anti-tank mines in order to make it more difficult to overcome or clear the mined area. The mine is only waterproof to a limited extent and should not be surrounded by water for more than a few days.

Defusing

Since the M3 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 fuse pin of the fuse, screw in the fuse screw and unscrew the fuse from the mine.

variants

  • M3
  • M3A1
  • M3B1

Known locations

swell

  • TM 43-0001-36 Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Land Mines (FSC 1345), Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1994
  • FM 5-31 Land Mines and Booby Traps, Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1943, Chapter 52.02: US Anti-Personnel Mine M3
  • FM 31-12B-S Special Forces Soldier's Manual for MOS 12B (SQI S), Headquarters, Department of the Army, Washington, DC, 1981

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Afghanistan Ordnance Guide Overview for Troops in Afghanistan, p. 130
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Michael Hiske
  3. ↑ a b c d e TM 43-0001-36 Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Land Mines (FSC 1345), Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1994, p. 34ff.
  4. ↑ a b c d e f g h Bulletpicker , schematic drawing with detonators M3 and M7, data
  5. ↑ a b c TM 43-0001-36 Army Ammunition Data Sheets for Land Mines (FSC 1345), Headquarters, Department of the Army, 1994, p. 96ff.
  6. ↑ a b c d www.usmilitariaforum.com Pictures and data
  7. ↑ a b c d e ORDATA photos and data
  8. ↑ TM 9-1940 with Michael Hiske
  9. ↑ FM 5-31 US Antipersonnel Mine M3, 1943.