Mines traps and surprises edition of the Moscow USSR. Booby traps - deadly mental acuity
The experience of the Great Patriotic War is replete with examples of successful actions of small sabotage groups and partisan detachments against large military formations. For example, in 1942, in the Leningrad region there was a raid reconnaissance and sabotage group of only 22 people, consisting of several experienced demolition miners and student athletes from the Lezgaft Institute. The group inflicted such damage on the Germans (23 trains that were blown up) that its destruction was entrusted to two SS battalions. The SS men were supported by tanks, aircraft and artillery.
For several months the Germans tried in vain to encircle and destroy the reconnaissance group, which was nicknamed “Black Death”. The scouts themselves successfully attacked their pursuers, destroying 18 tanks, 2 aircraft, 143 trucks and 84 cars. A small sabotage group practically destroyed one of the two SS battalions pursuing it.
The ability of demolition miners to make exploding surprises from improvised means helped the scouts to resist the enemy prepared for counterinsurgency operations. By setting up ambushes and evading raids, the partisans lured the Germans into deadly traps. They used seemingly completely harmless things, successfully mining roads and paths, equipment and weapons, seemingly using absolutely inappropriate means for this.
In Chechnya, not only military intelligence officers, but also units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB also often had to act in small groups against superior enemy forces. The “special forces surprises” described below will help scouts in such a situation break away from their pursuers. These booby traps are easy to manufacture and use standard ammunition and equipment.
Fig 1. Anti-personnel mine from a hand grenade
The heroes of many action films blew up the enemy by attaching a trip wire to the safety pin of a fragmentation grenade. This method caused a fair smile from those who have at least once thrown a live grenade and know how tightly the pin sits and with what effort it is pulled out. The proposed product can be successfully installed in the enemy's path as a fragmentation mine activated by a tripwire.
Required materials:
hand fragmentation grenade with UZRGM fuse;
a cylindrical container with a diameter slightly larger than the size of a grenade (a glass, a mug, a can of dry rations, a pot, etc.)
strong thin wire or fishing line.
The dimensions of the container must be such that when the safety pin is pulled from a grenade located in this container, the walls of the container do not allow the grenade fuse to operate.
Manufacturing process:
securely tie the container to a tree, branch or other similar stopper;
tie the end of the tripwire to the grenade so that it does not interfere with the fuse firing;
insert the grenade into the container;
stretch the tripwire in the enemy's path at a small height with a slight slack and tie the second end of the tripwire to a peg (If you need to mine an object, tie the tripwire to it);
disguise the device;
Carefully pull the safety pin from the grenade fuse.
This device has drawbacks: when triggered, a loud bang is heard and only after 3.8-4.2 seconds an explosion occurs. This can be avoided if the UZRGM's powder moderator and detonator are unscrewed and the MD2 detonator is screwed in instead.
Fig 2. Delayed action mine
Required materials:
hand grenade with UZRGM fuse
fuse.
Manufacturing procedure:
Tie one end of the fire cord in a knot around the grenade body so that it grabs the safety lever of the UZRGM fuse and presses it tightly to the grenade body, preventing it from triggering after pulling the pin;
the distance from the knot tied on the grenade to the end of the fire cord will determine the deceleration time.
Application:
take the grenade in your hand and, holding the safety lever with your fingers, pull out the ring;
slowly open your fingers and make sure that the fire cord securely holds the safety lever from being activated;
light the fire fuse
Such a “slow” grenade can be thrown using a regular rope much further than the usual grenade throw range (25-30 m).
Required materials:
hand grenade;
fuse;
twine, cord, etc.
Manufacturing procedure:
cut a piece of rope about 1.5 m long and tie one end of it to the grenade so that it does not interfere with the fuse (that is, without pressing the safety lever);
at the other end of the rope, tie a large knot that will act as a handle;
tie a fire cord around the grenade (see above);
Carefully, holding the safety lever with your hand, pull the safety pin out of the fuse.
Application:
ignite the fire cord;
spin the grenade over your head;
after three to four turns, when the grenade is aimed at the target, release the rope. With known experience, the throwing range can reach from 50 to 100 m.
In addition, grenades with a delay can be set so that they explode in the rear of the pursuing enemy and distract him, disorient him and instill uncertainty.
Figure 3. To increase the deceleration time and reduce the consumption of the fire cord, you can make a delayed igniter from a cigarette.
Required materials:
cigarette;
match;
thin wire or thread;
fuse.
Manufacturing procedure:
make an oblique cut of the fire cord;
make an igniter as shown in Fig. 3 and light the cigarette. In this case, the head of the match should be located at the powder core of the fire cord.
ATTENTION. The cigarette should be in such a position that nothing interferes with its burning. Typically, a dry cigarette in windless, dry weather burns at a speed of 2.5 cm per 7-8 minutes. It is recommended to carry out a trial test to measure the burning rate before using the igniter in combat.
Photo 4. In order to detain the enemy, on the path of his advance, you can set up a trap - a crossbow from an automatic weapon on a tripwire.
This type of trap not only hits the enemy, but also creates the illusion that the pursued have stopped and gone on the defensive. The machine gun should be pointed in the direction of the likely appearance of the enemy and firmly tied to the trees in two places. It is advisable to rest the butt against a solid support (so that the weapon does not swing from recoil).
Photo 5. If you want the weapon to fire with a fan-shaped dispersion, then the machine gun should be mounted on flexible trees or bushes.
When securing the weapon, make sure that nothing interferes with the movement of the bolt frame when firing. For such traps using jammed bolt frame, you should not use the PKM machine gun due to the peculiarities of its design. This type of weapon must have a jammed trigger.
Weapon preparation:
extend the tripwire into the opponent's path;
Attach a wedge to the stretcher (a cylindrical piece of wood 2-2.5 cm long with a diameter of 1-2 cm);
attach a loaded magazine to the machine gun;
send the cartridge into the chamber;
set the translator to automatic fire;
move the bolt frame back a little and, inserting a wedge into the resulting gap, jam the bolt frame forward;
press the trigger all the way and lock it in the pressed position, tying it to the pistol grip with a strong cord;
disguise the machine gun.
ATTENTION. For AKS0 74, the length of the wedge should be 2-2.5 cm. With a shorter length, the trigger breaks off the cocking, but the firing pin does not reach the primer. For other types of weapons, the wedge length is selected experimentally, and the magazine is not connected during selection.
The range of handicraft booby traps and surprises is vast and varied.
We have chosen the simplest and easiest to make. For installation, standard elements of equipment are used and no special knowledge or skills are required. In addition, the methods described are unlikely to be used by criminals, terrorists or other criminal elements.
Alexey Orekhov
Special forces soldier training. SPC "People's Health", LLC "VIPv"
The mine is intended for use as a non-removable device for anti-tank and other mines that do not have their own similar device.
In addition, the mine can be used as a mine-trap with unloading action.
When used as an anti-removal device, the MS-3 mine is installed so that when an attempt is made to remove an anti-tank (or other) mine from the installation site, the MS-3 mine explodes, which in turn leads to the detonation of the main mine.
When used as a booby trap, the MS-3 is installed on the ground so that it is not visible (for example, in an open hole), and an object is placed on it that will certainly arouse the enemy’s interest and encourage him to pick it up (a weapon, a box, a crate, etc.) etc.) or use it (vehicle, telephone, portable ladder, etc.). In this case, personnel are damaged due to the force of the explosion (high explosive impact).
Structurally, in terms of explosive characteristics, and appearance, the MS-3 is no different from the PMN anti-personnel mine, with the exception of the protrusion in the center of the upper plane of the mine and the triggering principle. If the PMN explodes when stepping on its cover, then the MS-3, on the contrary, explodes when the load is removed from it (the mine in the firing position must be constantly loaded)
The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow, manually
The combat life of the mine is not limited. The mine is not equipped with a self-destructor. The mine cannot be removed or neutralized.
The mine has a fuse that is part of the mine design. MD-9 type fuse.
Tactical and technical characteristics of the mine
Mine type…………………………………………………………. high-explosive discharge trap
Housing…………………………………………..plastic.
Weight……………………………………….….550 gr.
Mass of explosive (TNT)…..….200 g.
Diameter……………………………………..11 cm.
Height……………………………………..……5.3 cm.
Sensitivity…………………………… less than 3 kg.
Temperature range of application…..-40 –+50 degrees.
Planting a mine is quite safe. From the moment the combat pin is pulled until the fuse is armed, depending on the ambient temperature, it takes from 3 minutes. (at +40 degrees) up to 59 hours (at -40 degrees).
Installation of MS-3 mine
When installing an anti-tank mine together with an MS-3, a recess should be made in the hole for the MS-3 in such a way that the main mine, when lowered into the hole, would press on the protrusion of the MS-3 and lay its lower plane tightly on the upper plane of the MS-3. 3. The figure shows the TM-62P3 anti-tank mine, set to non-removable using the MS-3 mine.
After completing all the steps to bring the main mine into firing position, the combat pin is removed from the MS-3 and the mines are masked. From the moment the pin is pulled out of the MS-3, its return to a safe position is impossible. After the deceleration time has expired, the MS-3 will definitely go into combat mode. If by this moment there is no load on it, then MS-3 will explode.
The minimum weight of the load must be at least 3 kg. An MS-3 explosion occurs when the load moves upward by 3-5 mm.
Mines are packed in boxes of 25 pieces. (gross weight 22 kg.) not fully equipped. MD-9 fuses are transported separately. In a combat stop, mines can be equipped with fuses and transported in a standard closure, finally equipped.
An example of combat practice. In 1982, in Afghanistan, dushmans constantly harassed one of the Soviet Army checkpoints near the Salang pass. Along a mountain path at night, they got close to the post and fired at it. There was a threat of the post being captured. Mining the trail with conventional anti-personnel mines had no effect, because The dushmans used a very simple but fail-safe method of clearing mines - before dusk they sent a flock of sheep onto the trail. The post commander used an MS-3 mine. He installed it on the path in the hole, strengthening it with two kilograms of plastic, and placed a large boulder on the mine, which the sheep avoided, but which created inconvenience for the movement of people. On the very first night, the dushmans, while trying to remove the stone, lost two people killed, another fell into the abyss and died. The non-standard mining method used by the post commander and not understood by the dushmans (they had not encountered MS-3 mines before) made it possible to achieve success on the next two nights. After this, the dushmans abandoned attempts to approach the post from this direction. Later, human intelligence reported that the dushmans suggested the use of guided mines by Soviet soldiers, but it was unclear to them how this place was being monitored and where the control cable was laid (there were no radio fuses in service with the SA at that time in Afghanistan).
From the author
It is curious that the MS-3 does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ottawa Convention, Article 2, paragraph 1 of which states: “Anti-personnel mine” means a mine that is designed to explode from the presence, proximity or direct impact of a person and at the same time incapacitates, cripples or kills one or more people. Mines designed to be detonated by the presence, proximity or direct impact of a moving vehicle rather than a person, and which are equipped with an anti-removal element, cannot be classified as anti-personnel mines solely on the basis that they are so equipped.
That's it! This is not an anti-personnel mine, but an anti-removable element. And at the same time, you don’t need to be smart in order to adapt the MS-3 specifically as an anti-personnel mine, without violating the Convention.
In the dugout, which has just been recaptured from the enemy, there is a regular telephone on the table. A soldier enters and the phone begins to ring, prompting him to pick up the receiver. On the one hand, to do this is a stereotypical unconscious reaction (conditioned reflex) of a civilized person, on the other hand, who would deny themselves the pleasure of telling the caller (the caller is clearly an enemy officer, believing that there are still his own soldiers in the dugout) something like: “ And we’re already here, hello.” The victim does not realize that in fact this is a call from the other world, where she is now being invited. There is not a telephone on the table, but a surprise mine, the wires from which are connected to the door, and the one who opened the door himself made the phone ring. Removing the tube will cause an explosion.
An open desk drawer. Papers are visible in it. The natural reaction is to open the drawer and see what the papers are. The booby trap is just waiting for this. Explosion.
There is a saucepan with the lid ajar on the stove. There's clearly something tasty about it. But once you lift the lid, the desire to eat will forever remain the soldier’s last desire. A mine hidden in a saucepan guards its prey.
It’s winter, in an unheated house the stove door is open, from where the firewood is visible. All you have to do is stick a lit match there and it will soon become warm. So warm that the fighter will never be cold again. There is a mine hidden in the stove, which is ready to explode as soon as fire reaches its target sensor.
An overturned chair lies at the door, making it difficult to pass through. But as soon as you lift it or move it away, an explosion will occur.
Deadly surprises
All these mines can be combined under the general name “booby traps” or “surprise mines.” All of them are designed to destroy enemy personnel. Their main difference from all other types of mines is that they hide inside or near ordinary, seemingly innocent objects and provoke a person to perform certain actions, push him towards them - take, enter, lift, move, open.
In general, many of them should be classified as anti-personnel mines, if not for the specifics of their use, or, as experts say, “usage tactics.” After all, there is no fundamental difference in whether an infantryman, during an attack, steps on a high-explosive anti-personnel mine buried in the ground, or, while climbing the porch of a house in a captured village, stands on a step of the stairs, under which the same high-explosive mine is hidden. In the same way, there is no difference between a tension-action fragmentation mine (the so-called famous “tripwire”) installed in a field, and the exact same one hidden behind a door, to the handle of which the end of a tension wire is attached, or installed on a staircase between floors.
We see that often the only difference is where the mine is installed and what task it performs.
In the case when a mine is installed on the battlefield (as a rule, as part of a minefield), its main task is to stop and disrupt the enemy’s attack. When the same mine is installed separately (or in small groups) and its main task is ultimately to force enemy soldiers to refuse certain actions (enter premises, use some objects, equipment, etc.), then we can talk about a mine -trap.
It should be noted that wounding or destroying an enemy soldier, strange as it may seem, is not the main purpose of anti-personnel mines and booby traps. They serve only as a means to make soldiers afraid of mines, to develop mine fear in them. It is this fear that solves the main task of mines - to stop the enemy, to force him to refuse certain actions, for example, from using premises, abandoned cars, gear, equipment, household items.
So, above we talked about conventional anti-personnel mines used in a peculiar manner. Very often, when talking about booby traps, accusing the enemy of inhumanity, treachery, and sophisticated cruelty, this is precisely the use of anti-personnel mines that is meant. For example, mining the bodies of killed or seriously wounded enemy soldiers with these mines, installing anti-personnel mines under the seat of an “abandoned” car, under a gas tank cap, under a porch step, in a filing cabinet, etc.
But strictly speaking, such mines should be called “anti-personnel mines set as traps,” especially since in essence any mine is a trap waiting for its victim.
Mimicry
Real booby traps or surprise mines include those mines that are specially designed so as not only to trap, but also to deceive the enemy. There are book mines, cigarette case mines, cigarette box mines, matchbox mines, and key mines. There are also such varieties as a mine-flashlight (explodes when you try to turn it on), a mine-fountain pen (explodes when you try to unscrew the cap), a mine-radio receiver (the simplest ones explode when you try to turn it on, the more complex ones - when you try to tune in to a certain wave).
When talking about such mines, I mean special weapons manufactured in a factory, and not homemade devices using household items (although they are usually classified as booby traps).
Many ordinary things can be used to create similar mines, which would be more accurately called “surprise mines”).
Theoretically, the existence of booby traps is possible even in children's toys, especially since so much has been written about such cruel, sophisticated treachery of the enemy (“Hitlers”, “Bolsheviks”, “American military clique”, “Israeli aggressors”, “Japanese militarists”) world press. However, in fact, not a single regular army in the world has sinned with this. And not at all because “The Red Army is the most humane army in the world” or “The German soldier fights the war like a knight,” but because it is simply impractical. It is inappropriate, if only because a soldier would probably prefer to take a pack of cigarettes from the table (a soldier is always bad with tobacco) than to pick up a children’s toy from the floor that he does not need at all. But the civilian population, and especially children, are completely uninteresting to the soldiers leading the battle.
If somewhere and sometime such things are used, then this ugly business is most likely carried out not by soldiers, but by various kinds of “fighters of national liberation” and other movements, or, more simply put, by terrorists who, not having the courage and desire to fight with armed the enemy, are trying to achieve their goals through vulgar terror against the civilian population, not realizing that this will not give real military results.
Efficiency is questionable
A lot is said and written about booby traps, but in reality they have not been used very often in wars, at least in “proper” wars, where regular armies of opposing states fight. The fact is that in a large-scale war, any weapon is used only if it gives a definite and clearly visible result and significantly influences the course and outcome of the battle.
Anti-tank and anti-personnel mines in their normal use demonstrate this result more than clearly, which is why they were used en masse in all wars of the 20th century (on average, about 140–160 million of these mines were installed during the Second World War). Anti-vehicle mines (on railways and roads) and target mines (in buildings, bridges, workshops, etc.) influenced combat operations much less noticeably and, accordingly, were used on a much smaller scale.
What noticeable result do booby traps provide that directly affects the course of battle of a regiment, division, or corps? Yes, none! But there is a significant investment of time and effort. For example, the diversion of sapper units from performing other tasks that directly affect success (for example, from laying anti-tank minefields). It is unlikely that any combined arms commander will agree to this just for the sake of knowing that somewhere out there, behind enemy lines, several rear troops may have been blown up by booby traps and that the enemy is now afraid to use the things left behind during the retreat.
This is one side of the coin. The second is that mining with booby traps is only possible in the event of an upcoming withdrawal of troops, when the area is left to the enemy. It is impossible to use booby traps either during an offensive or during a stable defense. Consequently, sappers can begin mining with surprise mines only when their troops have already retreated and the enemy has not yet occupied the area.
I must say that being in a neutral zone, risking every minute of falling into the hands of the enemy, is not the most pleasant experience. After all, the fate of sappers caught doing this is usually very sad, despite all the Geneva conventions.
And the enemy usually seeks to crush the retreating forces and break into new defensive lines on their shoulders, leaving no time for preparing a new defense and setting up booby traps for the retreating enemy’s sappers.
Moreover, in the conditions of modern maneuver warfare, when the situation changes sharply and quickly, one or another area often changes hands repeatedly over the course of several hours or days. What then? Booby traps set against the enemy will begin to kill their own.
However, here is what a German officer, who survived the long-term meat grinder of the First World War, writes about soldiers’ mine creativity: “People in the trenches spent whole days turning each dugout into a death trap, and the most innocent things became hellish machines. Some dugouts flew into the air when the doors were opened. The drafting table with the books lying on it was a trap, and from each book an electrical wire ran to a charge capable of destroying a platoon. A gramophone, left on the table ready to play a record, exploded when the melody ended. Scattered piles of cans of beef stew turned into diabolical missiles of doom... Indeed, I never thought that British Tommy had such diabolical ingenuity.”
Service revenge
From this passage it is clear that many booby traps (usually improvised) are more often used outside of war tactics as a means of relieving tension, relieving depression, resentment, irritation, as a manifestation of hatred towards people on the opposite side, soldier’s revenge for dead comrades, and it's just brutal fun.
For these reasons described above, today no army in the world actually uses standard booby traps of this type.
Currently, standard mine traps (that is, officially in service and supplied by industry) are mainly represented by devices that make it possible to ensure the non-removal and non-neutralization of conventional anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, which do not have such devices in their design. Most often these are explosive devices (mines or additional fuses to conventional mines), which explode when the load is removed from them - usually an anti-tank or anti-personnel mine. Such devices, as a rule, can also be used as booby traps. For example, a Soviet MS-3 booby trap, which looks very similar to a PMN mine, can be installed in the ground level with the surface, and an object can be placed on it that will certainly attract the attention of an enemy soldier (for example, a machine gun, binoculars, zinc with cartridges, a field bag with papers, etc.). As soon as a soldier picks up this object, an explosion will inevitably follow.
In general, we can say that the military has a negative attitude towards booby traps, except perhaps for their use as devices for preventing anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. The fact is that, as already written above, your own booby traps do not give an immediate and clearly noticeable result, while the enemy’s simply fray your nerves without causing significant losses.
As an instrument of terror, booby traps cause more damage not to the one against whom they are used, but to the one who sets them, causing an increase in hatred towards such “miners.”
Of course, the variety of mines is not limited to the models already described. In the next issue of the magazine you can read about winged butterfly mines and mine helicopters.
Booby trap MS-2
In essence, this is a PMD-6 anti-personnel mine with some modifications. It consists of a wooden box-shaped body (1) with a rotating lid (2). A 200-gram TNT block (4) is placed inside the case. An MUV fuse (5) with an MD-2 fuse is inserted into the checker. A P-shaped combat pin (8) is inserted into the hole in the fuse rod. A shaped spring (6) is installed on the axis (7). When the lid is lowered, this spring constantly strives to lift it. However, this is prevented by the cargo placed on the mine. A pin (9) is threaded through the drilling in the mine cover and passes through the P-shaped combat pin. Thus, the combat pin and the mine cover are connected to each other. As soon as the load is removed from the mine-trap, under the action of a spring the cover together with the pin will rise, carrying the combat pin with it. The released spring-loaded striker will move forward and strike the fuse. The mine will explode. The Red Army used this booby trap throughout the war. Basically, it ensured the non-removability of anti-tank mines. After the war, when the famous Soviet mine PMN appeared in 1949 (see “PM” No. 1 for 2005), on its basis the MS-3 unloading action booby trap was created almost simultaneously.
MS-4 multi-purpose mine
The Soviet mine MS-4 stands apart. It should be considered multi-purpose, and using the MS-4 as a trap is only one of three tasks to be solved. The mine is equipped with two target sensors and a timer. One sensor is vibration, and the second is inertial-inclined. It is also equipped with a timer (from 15 minutes to 15 days). Using a simple three-position switch, you can set three modes of mine operation.
1. In object mine mode, the MS-4 will explode simply after the set time has elapsed. The charge of the mine is extremely small (120 g of TNT), but if it is placed in a box with explosives, it can blow up an entire building.
2. In anti-vehicle mine mode, a vibration sensor is connected to detect ground shaking under an approaching car or train. It will close the contacts of the mine's electrical network, which will lead to an explosion. In this case, the MS-4 also needs to be reinforced with a certain amount of explosives (from 1–3 kg for a car to 10 kg for a train).
3. In booby-trap mode, an inertial-inclined sensor is used - a metal ball rolling between two concave plate-shaped disks. Wires are connected to them. If the mine is tilted or moved, the ball will close the circuit. Explosion!
Universal mine
The MS-4 can be placed in a drawer. It will explode if you try to open it. It can be tied to the door. An explosion will occur as soon as they try to open the door. The mine can be lowered into the gas tank (its dimensions are small - only 15x9x3cm).
In this case, it is impossible to detect the MS-4, and an explosion is guaranteed as soon as the car starts moving. You can also put the mine in your coat pocket or handbag.
Most often, MS-4 is used as an anti-tank mine non-removal element - it is simply glued to the bottom. For example, to the Soviet TM-62. A not very qualified deminer, who knows that the TM-62 cannot be installed in a non-retrievable state, will calmly pick it up... and pay for it with his life.
How is the MS-4 mine installed if it reacts to any impact? The miner installs the MS-4, pulls the red ribbon to start the timer, closes the lid and leaves. After a specified time, the mine will be in firing position.
Is it possible to neutralize MS-4? No, it is impossible to do this. Any attempt to open the cover to remove the fuse from the mine will result in either the mine moving or tilting, and this will inevitably lead to an explosion.
Booby trap MS-3
Before the mine is installed, its spring-loaded firing pin (3) is held in place by a safety pin (1). When the MS-3 is installed under an anti-tank mine or another fairly heavy object (weighing at least 3 kg), the mine rod (4), overcoming the resistance of its spring (5), goes down, and the protrusion in the rod window is opposite the firing pin. When the safety pin is removed, the striker moves forward under the action of a spring, but hangs in a loop of thin steel wire on a soft metal plate (2). The loop begins to cut the record. This process lasts from 5 minutes to 15 hours depending on the temperature. Once the record is cut, the striker will move forward and rest against the protrusion in the stem. From this moment on, the mine is in the firing position, and the firing pin is held in place only by the protrusion of the rod. When the load is removed from the mine, the released firing pin will hit the primer of the MD-9 fuse. The mine will explode, and the explosion will detonate the anti-tank mine charge. It is almost impossible to defuse the MS-3 mine.
Booby traps
MS-3: Outside
The more modern ML-7 unloading booby trap is 6 times lighter than the MS-3, and its charge (30 g of plastic versus 200 g in the MS-3) is quite enough to perform the same tasks. It can be placed not only under heavy objects or mines, but also under very light ones: the minimum weight of an object lying on the ML-7 should be only 300 g
You can distinguish the MS-3 mine from the PMN only by the protrusion on the rubber cover. Both of these mines are designed almost identically, only the PMN is triggered when the mine cover is stepped on, and the MS-3 - on the contrary, when the load is removed from it.
MS-3: Inside
The Soviet mine MS-4 is multi-purpose; it is equipped with two target sensors (vibration and inertial-inclined) and a timer that allows time to be counted in the range from 15 minutes to 360 hours (15 days). Using a simple three-position slide switch, the mine can be set to three operation modes.
It is impossible to defuse the MS-3 mine. The stroke of the rod is only 3–5 mm, and the load required to hold it is about 3 kg. That is, it is almost impossible to slip some kind of plate between the object and the mine and try to hold the rod with it.
One of the main combat weapons of engineering troops in all armies of the world is minefields. They are constantly being improved, striving to achieve the greatest efficiency.
We widely used the MVZ during the Great Patriotic War, but starting in 1943, the Nazi troops, retreating to the west, began to use them en masse. In addition to the usual standard mining schemes, new methods of using mines, land mines, called mine traps, and surprises began to spread in both armies.
From official sources of that time it is known that a mine trap was any mine when an explosive charge installed in a certain place exploded when trying to move it. Most often they were installed as single landmines (mines) in the most unexpected places: in houses, buildings, near everyday objects, etc.
To counter the advance of enemy troops, by order of the Supreme High Command, state defensive lines, in particular anti-tank ditches, began to be built in the rear. However, their combat effectiveness was far from matching the efforts spent on construction.
Then a new solution emerged: replacing ditches with anti-tank traps. They were pits, somewhat larger in size than tanks, at the bottom of which Molotov cocktails were placed. From above, the pits were covered with light camouflage flooring. They were successfully used on the Southern and North Caucasian fronts.
In the battle near Moscow against the breakthrough German tanks in the direction of the Golitsino station, on a half-kilometer section, they built a rampart of straw, twigs, brushwood and doused it with fuel. As the enemy approached, the rampart was set on fire. As a result, the enemy turned back and suffered losses from our artillery fire. As reported, out of 40 tanks, 25 were knocked out.
During battles in populated areas, especially within narrow streets, mine “barriers” were successfully used. Several anti-tank mines, connected by cable or attached to boards and located along the houses, were deployed across the street, directly in front of the enemy, with the appearance of enemy tanks. The effect of unexpected explosions brought good results.
The experience of our engineering troops provides many other examples of constructing mine traps and surprises. They were especially often used by reconnaissance and sabotage groups and in partisan detachments. They used both homemade and technical means (special secrecy technique - TOS). There is a lot of material about this in the press, including in the memoirs of Colonels I. Starinov, B. Epov, A. Ivolgin and other veterans of the engineering troops. This article will mainly focus on the actions of military sappers.
Let us give just a few examples that are of interest even today, when bloody battles are taking place in several regions of the world, various surprises from the field of mine-explosive barriers are being used. The experience of the past has not lost its significance for current generations. If we know more, we will make fewer mistakes.
During the war, in order to protect troops from losses, the headquarters of the engineering troops of the fronts and armies published information materials (leaflets, bulletins, albums) showing techniques for laying mines.
Thus, the headquarters of the engineering troops of the Leningrad Front published a special album in 1944, which provides specific examples of the use of surprise mines by the Germans.
Most often, German sappers left tension-type surprise mines. In the territory liberated from the enemy, abandoned weapons were found: pistols, machine guns, machine guns. And often a thin wire 1-2 m long came from some minor part, which was connected to the fuse pin inserted into a camouflaged explosive charge. Any attempt to use this trophy was punishable by death.
Here are other examples.
There was a backpack filled with something on the side of the road. Having carefully examined it, the sappers found an 81-mm mortar mine with an inserted tension fuse inside. Lifting this backpack threatened to explode.
In one of the houses, ordinary firewood lay near the Russian stove. Upon examination, it turned out that a cord connected to a mine fuse was tied to one log.
And in the vacated dugout they found a land mine, the fuse of which was connected by wire to a sapper's shovel, which stood nearby at the post. They tried to take a shovel and it resulted in an explosion.
Surprise mines were very diverse: tension mines, unloading mines, pressure mines, thermal mines, etc.
The press of that time reported that in the dilapidated house of the writer Serafimovich they found a high-explosive shell hidden in the chimney of a kitchen stove.
Inside the school, there was a pile of books on a desk. Upon careful inspection, the sappers found a wire under a stack of books leading under the floor to the fuse.
Quite often, pressure-action surprise mines were installed in houses (under stairs, floorboards), which were triggered by the weight of a person.
In a house in the liberated village of Tuganitsy, several bricks were removed from under the stove, and instead of them, two T-35 mines with screwed-in fuses were planted. Zola hid the traces of the “operation”...
During the liberation of Kuban, the author of the article had to familiarize himself with a new method of installing a landmine. After the liberation of the village of Petrovskaya, a lot of equipment passed along the road through its center. Our platoon checked the road. But on the second day an emergency happened - the tank was blown up. They checked the road again, but found no mines. And yet my platoon commander, Sergeant A. Alyabyev, did not calm down. Again and again he examined every scrap, suspicious place along the road. And finally he came across the end of a wooden stake protruding from the ground, disguised by a tuft of grass. When the layer of earth was carefully removed, it turned out that at a meter depth this stake rested on the fuse of a twin German mine.
Of course, it is impossible to detect such a mine either with a probe or a mine detector. The sergeant was then awarded the medal “For Military Merit.” By the way, the Germans used similar techniques on other fronts.
During the last war, we, sappers, came across cases more than once when the Germans turned even the corpses of their soldiers left behind into traps. Children's toys were often mined in houses. (After WWII, during numerous wars and conflicts, these techniques were usually used by all types of irregular military formations).
Often, in captured stacks of artillery ammunition and engineering mines, there were supposedly carelessly set traps, which were set in order to hide carefully camouflaged ones and lull the vigilance of the sapper.
The enemy did not disdain anything. According to the headquarters of the engineering troops of the Karelian Front, in a liberated village in one of the houses they found a cat in a box covered with a lid. When the sappers entered the house, the cat meowed. An attempt to lift the lid ended in an explosion.
War is war. Military means and methods of their use, as shown by the events of recent wars, including in Afghanistan and the Caucasus, are constantly being improved. However, past experience cannot be forgotten.
Terrorist and unconventional weapons Military affairs Team of authors --
1.1. Mines, traps, explosive and incendiary devices
Will Fowler
Mines and traps are activated by the victim himself, by his careless movement. At the same time, the enemy begins to feel insecure and his mobility decreases. The international classification establishes four categories of anti-personnel mines, according to the likelihood of them causing fatal injuries (lethality). This classification also applies to traps.
Butterfly mines and others of the same class (Fig. 1.1), dispersible by aviation cassettes or artillery ammunition. This category also includes pens, flash cards, and other small household items turned into surprise mines.
Rice. 1.1.
Mines used as part of cluster munitions: top row - relatively more powerful, bottom left - less powerful. Bottom right: to avoid damage caused by such mines, the soles of safety shoes are reinforced with steel plates and layers of Kevlar fabric
Typical lesions: traumatic, lethal - rare.
Anti-personnel mines with plastic casings (Fig. 1.2).
Rice. 1.2 Many anti-personnel mines have plastic casings to make them difficult to detect by induction mine detectors. Such mines rarely kill, but cause not only injury, but also psychological trauma, especially to the civilian population. For social rehabilitation, beauty contests are held among girls who are victims of bombings in some countries. The pictures show the winners of such competitions in Cambodia and Angola
Typical lesions: thighs, genitals and buttocks; amputation of legs is likely, death is possible.
Fragmentation mines (Fig. 1.3), including improvised ones, based on artillery shells and other ammunition.
Rice. 1.3
Above: mines forming streams of fragments scattered in all directions: POMZ-2 and “jumping” PROM-1. Below is a radio-controlled land mine from a 122-mm artillery shell with an actuator based on a mobile phone
Mines that form a directed fragmentation field, such as Ml6 and Ml 8 Claymore, Russian MON (Fig. 1.4). Usually they are undermined by wires.
Rice. 1.4 Mines that form a directed fragmentation field: M18A1 Claymore and MON 50
Typical lesions: solid lethal - within a sector of 25 m in length, probable - at distances of up to 200 m. Penetrating wounds of the abdomen, chest and head are often encountered. Mining and setting traps
Traps are effective when their intended victim is forced to appear in the place where they are set. Therefore, these places are chosen:
1. narrow roads and fashion shows;
2. terrain suitable for ambushes;
3. the vicinity of checkpoints;
4. waiting rooms and exits from them;
5. abandoned shops and warehouses;
6. approaches to field fortifications;
7. runways, probable helicopter landing sites and airborne landings;
8. surroundings of non-governmental organization buildings such as clinics or food distribution centers;
9. bridges, pedestrian crossings;
10. surroundings of refugee camps;
11. water supply points;
12. warehouses of explosives and flammable substances.
Signs of mining and trapping
These include:
Signs marking the boundaries of minefields established by military personnel (Fig. 1.5);
Rice. 1.5
Signs used by military personnel to mark the boundaries of minefields in some regions of the world. Top row – in Europe (on the left – in NATO countries, on the right – in Russia). Bottom row: left – in the Middle East, right – in Southeast Asia
Damage to road surfaces and embankments, sand or soil scattered on the grass, ground subsidence, especially after rain;
Damaged or wilted vegetation, which indicates an attempt at camouflage;
Unusual signs such as stacked rocks, leaves pierced by twigs, branches broken to serve as markers, knotted grass, spray marks on tree trunks or walls;
The presence of wires stretched at ankle level;
Measures that force a change in the usual route of vehicles or pedestrians;
Boxes, wrappers, and other packaging material for ammunition;
Corpses of animals, people with signs of blast injuries, vehicles with blast damage;
Vehicles that have no visible damage but were left unattended, usable weapons, binoculars, dishes, electrical goods, food products;
Loose floorboards, signs of digging, recent bricklaying, cavities in the walls.
1.1.1. Mechanical traps
Distributed in South America and the Far East. In Europe and North America, anti-civilization or conflict groups use them to protect their base camps, especially where there are forests or bushes. Animals can trigger traps, and weathering can cause cords, saplings, or bamboo to loosen, but these devices do not have batteries that drain or wires that break.
StakesDescription
Bamboo about a meter long is sharpened by cutting at an angle and fired. Pits with stakes can form a defensive line, or be located on escape routes from an ambush, with the expectation of defeating the survivors.
Action
The victim may be hit in the leg, or if he falls, in the chest or stomach. The stakes are hidden in holes with an area of about two square meters - enough to accommodate a person if he falls into it.
Efficiency
This is a psychological, incapacitating weapon. If feces are applied to bamboo, blood poisoning and amputation are possible, but the victim is more likely to be hospitalized for several weeks.
Mortality: A. Boards with nails
Description
A board with 150 mm nails driven in (Fig. 1.6) is placed in a hole about half a meter deep. A light covering of twigs and leaves camouflages the trap into the background of vegetation.
Action
The victim steps on the trap, breaks the cover and falls into the pit. This is usually enough for the nails to pierce the leg.
Rice. 1.6 Board with nails
Efficiency
Disabling agent. If the nails are treated with feces, blood poisoning and amputation are possible, but the victim is more likely to remain in the hospital for several weeks.
Mortality: A
Traps in reservoirsDescription
Bamboo about a meter long, sharpened by cutting at an angle and burnt, is installed in the stream bed below the surface of the water in such a way that the victim, trying to wade across the water barrier, stumbles upon it.
Action
The thighs or arms are affected. The trap can also be placed under a light pedestrian bridge, which bends under the weight of the victim (a soldier in full gear).
Efficiency
The risk of blood poisoning from these incapacitating weapons is high. Its use made many bodies of water impassable for security forces.
Mortality: A
Anti-vehicle "Sting"Description
A long chain or flat metal plate with numerous spikes. Can be quickly deployed on roads and ruts to stop traffic. Often used by traffic police.
Action
The “sting” can be rolled up and stored near the road. The sentry unwinds the cord, blocking the road as the target approaches.
Efficiency
Only military vehicles or vehicles of VIPs equipped with special tires can run over the Sting without damage.
Mortality: No; only stops cars.
"Wire Around the Neck"Description
Wire, line or cord, securely secured and concealed. The height of the stretched wire can vary from 25 to 150 cm.
Action
A victim walking will fall. Anyone riding a motorcycle, horseback or in an open vehicle will be seriously injured. Using barbed wire will make the damage worse.
Mortality: If moved fast enough, neck injuries are fatal.
“Mutual bow” (Fig. 1.7)Description
Hollow bamboo 1, 0.5–0.8 m long, with a steel boom 2 inside, mounted on a board 3. The boom is driven by a thick rubber band 4, pre-tensioned. The device is buried at an angle, and the trigger mechanism is activated by a wire 5.
Action
The victim touches the wire, which launches the arrow. Wounds can be inflicted in the chest and abdomen.
Efficiency
Defeat can be fatal and has a strong moral impact, causing uncertainty and slow progress.
Mortality: DRice. 1.7
Trap scheme "Mutual bow"
“Bamboo whip” (Fig. 1.8) DescriptionA green shoot of bamboo 1, about 2.5 m long, is bent and secured, providing one end with spikes 2. A loop of wire 3 is put on the same end, which is pulled across the road.
Action
The moving victim bumps into the wire, and the loop from the bamboo stem slips and releases the whip, which inflicts damage with the thorns.
Rice. 1.8
Diagram of the Bamboo Whip trap
Efficiency
The whip is easy to camouflage in the jungle and is relatively weather-resistant. The wounds can be lethal.
Mortality: S.
“Venus Trap” (Fig. 1.9)Description
Bamboo stakes, cut at an angle and burnt, are stuck into the bottom and walls of a hole large enough to fit a person's foot.
Rice. 1.9 Scheme "Werner's Traps"
Action
The victim steps on a camouflaged pit and the stakes located at the bottom pierce the leg; and those reinforced in the walls - they pierce the ankle when trying to pull the leg out of the trap.
Efficiency
Delays the movement of patrols and reconnaissance groups, forcing them to be more careful. The poison applied to bamboo causes blood poisoning, which can lead to amputation, but is more likely to require a hospital stay of several weeks.
Mortality: A
Board with spikes (Fig. 1.10)Description
This trap consists of a camouflaged pit fixed to the edge of its axis, as well as a board about 1.75 m long. The end of the board located outside the pit is equipped with spikes.
Rice. 1.10 Trap diagram “Board with spikes”
Action
When the victim steps on the board, it rotates and the spikes on its long end hit the victim in the face or torso.
Efficiency
Can cause severe injury, but usually does not kill. Rainfall or wilting vegetation may reveal the trap.
Mortality: IN.
“Closing trap” (Fig. 1.11)Description
It consists of a camouflaged pit and a frame 1, on which two strips 2 with spikes are attached, connected to each other by ropes 3 or elastic bands.
Action
The victim steps on the pit, the ropes, under the influence of its weight, set the slats in motion, which slide along the guides, slamming the trap and causing damage with spikes.
Efficiency
Incapacitates, injuries can cause blood poisoning. Causes uncertainty among personnel and slows down progress.
Mortality: V.Rice. 1.11
Diagram of the "Closing Trap"
1.1.2. Incendiary materials
The use of incendiary agents has been noted in Europe against industrial and civilian targets. They were used by terrorist groups that did not have access to weapons and explosives. Incendiary materials are non-lethal, but require careful handling, either due to their strong acidic properties or toxicity.
StopinDescription
Twine or cloth soaked in a hot aqueous solution of potassium nitrate with granulated sugar or potassium chlorate and granulated sugar and dried. The burning rates of different samples may vary.
Action
Dry stopin is capable of igniting most incendiary compositions.
"Fire Caramel"Description
Granulated sugar and potassium or sodium chlorate are mixed in hot water, brought to the consistency of a thick syrup, and poured into molds. At room temperature the mixture hardens. May cause burns and minor injuries to those who mix the components and poisoning if ingested.
Action
Can be used to light rags, paper, hay or fuel.
KindlingDescription
White, kerosene-soaked plates, about 14 cm long, in cardboard boxes. Kindling can be purchased from hardware stores and transported without attracting police attention.
Action
Burns for five minutes without going out in the wind, even in high humidity conditions.
Mixture of sugar and sodium peroxideDescription
The substance is off-white in color.
Action
Contact with sulfuric acid may ignite rags, paper, hay and other flammable materials. Ignition occurs with virtually no delay.
A mixture of aluminum powder and sodium peroxideDescription
Gray mixture.
Action
Upon contact with sulfuric acid, it can ignite rags, paper, and hay. Ignition occurs with virtually no delay.
Grating composition of match headsDescription
Match heads separated with a knife.
Action
Large quantities may cause a fire.
Match booksDescription
The outer cover is removed, with the expectation that the book will catch fire if it rubs against a moving surface.
Action
The igniter is not very reliable, but it is also difficult to detect by forensics, since the book completely burns out.
A mixture of glycerin and potassium permanganateDescription
Thick liquid and dark burgundy crystals.
Action
A drop of glycerin falling on the permanganate causes ignition, releasing white smoke. Lights rags, paper, hay. The flame temperature increases when aluminum or magnesium powder is added. The ignition delay depends on the temperature; below 283K ignition is unreliable. A simple delay device is potassium permanganate wrapped in newspaper and placed in a saucer with glycerin. Ignition will occur when the newspaper wrapper is saturated with glycerin.
A mixture of aluminum powder and sulfurDescription
A mixture of finely dispersed aluminum and sulfur, with the addition of water and starch. The mixture is shaped and dried.
Action
Ignites with an igniter, match, or pyrotechnic device. Balls of this mixture can ignite thermite, not to mention materials such as rags, paper or straw.
Mixture of silver nitrate and magnesium powderDescription
The substance is off-white in color.
Action
Ignites from a match, ignites rags, paper, hay and fuel.
White phosphorusDescription
Yellowish lumps. To prevent spontaneous combustion and the spread of toxic fumes, white phosphorus is stored under a layer of carbon disulfide. If it comes into contact with the skin, it causes deep, long-lasting ulcers. Carbon disulfide vapor is also poisonous.
Action
Autoignition occurs when carbon disulfide evaporates from the surface of white phosphorus. A mixture with gasoline or toluene additives ignites with a delay of 20–30 minutes. At low temperatures, ignition is unreliable.
Termite DescriptionBrown-colored mixture of iron scale ( Fe3o 4) and aluminum powder.
Action
It ignites at high temperatures from a special igniter, but thermite’s combustion temperature is very high; it does not go out in the wind and cold. Thermite is safe to handle and transport, but when it burns it can cause severe burns.
The high combustion temperature of thermite allows it to melt through thin armor and hit the crew with splashes of liquid metal.
A mixture of magnesium and barium peroxide powders DescriptionThe substance is off-white or gray in color.
Action
Even thermite can ignite.
NapalmDescription
Fuel thickened with soap or washing powder to a jelly-like state (gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene). Other thickeners such as egg white, latex, wax or animal blood may be used. Napalm can be stored in an airtight container for many months. This sticky substance causes serious burns when burned. Making it is a dangerous process.
Action
Burning napalm (temperature exceeds 1000 degrees, Fig. 1.12) spreads over the surface of the target. The addition of white phosphorus leads to self-ignition of the already extinguished mixture. In hot weather, gasoline can evaporate from napalm made from it.
Rice. 1.12
On the left is a series of napalm incendiary bombs going off. Right - This napalm bomb's equipment contains encapsulated white phosphorus. Alloy of paraffin or wax with sawdust
Description
Melted paraffin, beeswax or candle wax poured into a mold with sawdust.
Action
Ignites with a match or other igniters. It burns slowly but then burns vigorously. In forensic examinations, obtaining evidence of use is difficult due to complete burnout.
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