Anti-tank mine (long)
| Anti-tank mine (long) | |
|---|---|
| General Information | |
| Designation: | Anti-tank mine (long) |
| Type: | Shaped charge |
| Country of origin: | German Empire |
| Commissioning: | 1943 |
| Working time: | 1943-1945 |
| Technical specifications | |
| Combat weight: | 1.36 kg |
| Charge: | 500 g RDX and TNT |
| Length: | 533 mm |
| Lists on the subject | |
The anti-tank mine (long) was a close-range anti-tank weapon of the Wehrmacht that was used in World War II . It was reminiscent of a stick hand grenade in terms of structure and mode of operation , but carried a shaped charge for anti-tank combat and had wings to stabilize its trajectory after the throw.
Structure and functionality
construction
The mine was 53.3 cm long and weighed 1.36 kg. At the top was a shaped charge warhead that resembled that of a bazooka : the tip of the warhead was hollow, followed by a conical steel insert, behind which the main charge was positioned. The warhead sat on a hollow wooden handle that was also filled with explosives. It was followed by the bottom piece with detonator and fuse. A strip of cloth was wrapped around the bottom piece and connected to the safety pin in the detonator. On the outside of the weapon, four spring steel ribs were mounted, which, as soon as the weapon was thrown, unfolded, unfolding four wings of fabric that stabilized the weapon’s flight path.
functionality
The launcher gripped the weapon just above the cap and held the wings in the folded position using physical strength. He removed the cap, reached out, and threw the mine. When leaving the hand, the spring steel ribs unfolded the wings. One of the wings was attached to the very tip of its spring steel rib with a retaining pin that held the fabric wrapping around the locking pin. The retaining pin that was torn out when the wings were unfolded released the length of fabric and it was unwound backwards due to the draft of the weapon when the weapon was in flight. The smooth-running safety pin was now slowed down by the fabric with its higher air resistance compared to the rest of the weapon and pulled backwards out of the fuse. The missing locking pin released two steel balls that had previously blocked the firing pin. The weapon was braked on impact, inertia caused the firing pin to snap forward and compress a steel spring, which acted as the last safety device. The bolt hit the ignition plate, which triggered the ignition charge, which guided the explosion through the handle of the weapon into the shaped charge warhead.
The sting made of cold-formed metal produced by the warhead then burned itself through up to 15 cm of RHA armored steel , provided the weapon hit the target at the correct angle .
Modifications
The anti-tank drop mine "Kurz" had no stabilizing wings, but was stabilized in flight by simple strips of fabric attached to the rear end.
literature
- Catalog of Enemy Ordonance Materiél. Office Chief of Ordonance, March 1, 1945.
- Jean-Denis GG Lepage: An Illustrated Dictionary of the Third Reich. McFarland, 2013, ISBN 978-0-7864-7372-4 .
Web links
- Anti-tank mine on lonesentry.com (English)