Mines: their effect in WW2

Goes to show how dangerous Mines were even when lifted and supposedly made safe.

Mines are, as all other munitions, just containers for various types of 'explosives'. By the very nature of the job they tend to have to be stored together in quantity. It only takes one to be heated, impacted or be in an unstable state to risk the detonation of all munitions in the locality.

You would have thought that mines, explosives and other munitions had been around long enough for the risks to be perfectly clear. Not the case as you'll see on the news with RPGs handled roughly (the warhead has a 'graze impact fuze' that isn't really all that stable) and by the photos below of how Iraqi Mine dumps were found in 2003.





It should be pointed out for anyone who has not handled military ammunition before, the balls of brown wax paper everywhere are in fact other mines still in their original primary wrapping. There are a lot of mines 'stored' or rather 'dumped' here, not just the ones visible in the foreground.

 

Sapper, were all mines laid by sappers or were there certain types of mines carried in platoon HQ vehicles, for instance, for spur of the moment roadblocks?

 

I can only really speak about what I know. To be honest I do not know what others carried. We usually had some in the three tonner. Indeed on our rapid exit from the Goodwood offensive. I was sat on anti tank mines as we drove down the road at speed. When we got back over the river and canal, I found the mines had been hit by shrapnel and the yellow explosive leaked out onto the Truck floor.

We carried the mines for large mine fields in the Bedford. Not happy bunny! as the bedfords hada noisy gear box that could be heard overlong distances . Not nice when you have to take the truck right into the leading areas..You hear then at night very clearly....

 

I can only really speak about what I know. To be honest I do not know what others carried
Fair comment and thanks for the reply. Will have to find the book quote and come back later.

I forgot to say I never realised all that stuff out in no man's land was in the job description!

 

Les are you after the info regarding a specific type of unit in 1940. I recall Infantry Bn's carrying some for road blocks and defensive positions etc. I should be able to confirm it in Philson's BEF orbat volumes.

 

In Italy we all hated the bloody mines !


Excerpt from my Wartime diaries in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars

Wednesday 11th. April 1945

Woken at 4 am to go into Lugo area with Recce party. Stood at cross roads for a couple of hours. Area lousy with mines. Late breakfast when tanks arrived.



On April llth I went with Lt. Walmsley by jeep to Lugo, the fortified town that is surrounded by water and to which access is made by many small bridges. We stopped the jeep on the outside perimeter and looked across one of these bridges at the town that we could see in front of us.


The trouble was that the bridge had obviously been hit by shell fire and was in a bit of a mess. It did, however, look as if we could get across on foot through the rubble.


With its back to us a notice board had been fixed in the centre of the bridge and Walmsley said to me: "Nip over there and see what it says."



Without any further thought I did this, and after I had reached the spot and read the notice I called across to Walmsley in what I hoped was not too shaky a voice: "It says 'Achtung Minen!'.



I had, in fact, just walked through a Jerry minefield and was now faced with the unpleasant task of trying to remember exactly where I had placed my feet on the journey in. The fact that 58 years later I am able to write about the incident means, of course, that at the time I must have been blessed with either a good memory or good luck.


Ron

 

Up on top the Vire/Vaudrey ridge.....There is nothing quote so "Exciting" as seeing the two prongs of an S mine staring you in the face..... Specially with the distraction of mortar fire coming down...One wrong move? Eternity!

Unfortunately. One did go off, as older members here will know....For 68 years I carried that steel ball around with me buried in my head. Never had it removed.
The odd thing about the metal inside of me? It sets the metal alarms off at airports. Where I have been grabbed and searched....

The 4 mines that were in regular use by the enemy, were Teller, Schu, and S mines. Later in Holland, we first came across the Regal mine "BAR mine" long rectangular.... with tragic circumstances as older members will know. We lost many friends when the lot blew while lifting under fire.....

 

Military Training Pamphlet No. 40 Mines and Booby Traps Part I Dealing with Individual Mechanisms – 1943





Mines and Booby Traps Military Training Pamphlet No.40 Part II British Mines - 1944



Laying minefields.



Mines and Booby Traps Military Training Pamphlet No.40 Part I Supplement Enemy Mine Laying - 1945

 

Les are you after the info regarding a specific type of unit in 1940. I recall Infantry Bn's carrying some for road blocks and defensive positions etc. I should be able to confirm it in Philson's BEF orbat volumes.
Precisely, Drew.
As you can probably guess I am "only" trying to draw up some realistic rules for laying mines 'in action', with the ominous rumbling of tanks round the corner, kind of thing. Minefields I can plonk down 'anywhere' like terrain!
I imagine I have all the types of foot platoons (cycle, carrier, motorised, m/c combo etc) plus all the usual support, AT, artillery & armour also German cavalry. I daresay I will have to have a proper Fallscirmjager pltn now I have got some DFS gliders! I guess only the infantry may have had their own mines to lay. The rules won't differentiate between troop types once I know the facts and can decide what generalisations to make.

 

With its back to us a notice board had been fixed in the centre of the bridge and Walmsley said to me: "Nip over there and see what it says."

Without any further thought I did this, and after I had reached the spot and read the notice I called across to Walmsley in what I hoped was not too shaky a voice: "It says 'Achtung Minen!'. Ron

Just one of hundreds of instances where you put your ar*e on the line that day, I'll wager!

 

WE made a habit of carrying some "Panel pins" in our pockets, just perfect for inserting into an S mine igniter... But be very careful... some will fire anyway.

Steady hand, no good being nervous...Your life depends on it.........BANG! Bugger!
Hello is that the Pearly Gates? You may recall. Saint Peter had a pair of pristine white wings ready for me in 1944.. I think he stored them in a cellophane packet ready to be picked up later....Much later! Very much later! I hope. For the youngest of us now is 87 years old...... And it has to be said... getting very thin on the ground now.
Sapper

 

Anti tank mines were laid so many per yardage. Spaced out to cover any intrusion by Armoured Vehicles. No matter what enemy action was taking place in laying.

The mine field were recorded very accurately and a plan retained. Usually by the Sapper officer at the end of the operation. No matter what.

Accuracy is essential we often have to pick them up later...

 

The mine field were recorded very accurately and a plan retained. Usually by the Sapper officer at the end of the operation. No matter what.
Accuracy is essential we often have to pick them up later...

So, speaking as a 'pro', how long would it have taken your lot (as opposed to infantry) to lay mines across a dirt country lane, with or without incoming? And would you say that sapper-laid mines would have a better chance of taking out that AFV that you suspect is coming out of the trees any minute?

 

I do not speak as a "Pro" Nor were they "My lot" They were a company that gave wonderful service, and paid the price...From Sword Beach to the Victory in Bremen..

"My lot" as you described them, won more gallantry medals than any other "Lot" in the Third British Infantry Division. Mines were often laid at night out in front of everyone, and silently, Not in dirt roads. ..

 

Sorry if I sounded flippant, I was just after some more information from your experiences and any knowledge of how other units went about mine laying.

 

Point taken... very seldom did we mine small area. If the Enemy armour was on its way, it would be in force, not down little lanes. some mine fields were large and required a nights work, even till dawn.

Fields were laid at night silently, not to attract the enemies attention and the Field Companies got very good at it...

 

Very seldom did we mine small area. If the Enemy armour was on its way, it would be in force, not down little lanes. some mine fields were large and required a nights work, even till dawn.
Good to know, Brian, thanks for the info

 

Cheers! What was interesting is the number of fields we laid, and then had to pick up again, as the threat had vanished and we needed access to the area...

That is where the importance of recording the field accurately.