Push mine
The shock mine was a Japanese suicide weapon during World War II that was used against American tanks towards the end of the war . After that, the weapon was also used by the Vietnamese in the Indochina War.
history
Similar to the German adhesive hollow charge , the shock mine was used by individual soldiers in close combat against tanks. In contrast to the detention charge, which was equipped with a time fuse and thus offered the soldier the opportunity to take adequate cover, the shock mine triggered immediately and destroyed the tank, but also killed the attacker. Towards the end of the war, many Japanese soldiers were senselessly burned to death in such kamikaze missions, since the tanks of the American armed forces' landing companies always operated in conjunction with strong Marine Corps forces. Pure tank battles, as happened on the Eastern or Western Fronts of Europe , were rather rare. The infantry bore the brunt of the fighting in the Pacific. It was often able to protect its tanks before the attackers got anywhere near them.
construction
The shock mine consisted of a conical shaped charge . This was built into a long steel container and provided with a long wooden handle. Three feet, which ensured the ground clearance required for shaped charges, were attached to the base plate. The tip of the charge was provided with a hole that contained the detonator. This consisted of a firing pin , a shear pin and a locking pin. The latter rested in a metal cuff.
Application and effect
First the locking pin was removed. The attacker then approached the enemy tank. The mine was then hit against the armor plate at a right angle . The wooden handle snapped forward, breaking the shear pin, which in turn drove the firing pin into the detonator that set off the explosion. According to American reports, the mine was able to penetrate armor up to a thickness of 150 mm.
literature
- Shelford Bidwell et al. a .: Land war in the 20th century: history, technology, strategy . Edited by: Ray Bonds, Gondrom Verlag, Bayreuth 1978, ISBN 3-8112-0148-4 . (German translation; English original title: The encyclopedia of land warfare in the 20th century )