New anti-personnel mines of the Russian Federation. Mines-frogs: Like from underground. Fragmentation anti-personnel mines: device, methods of use

Appointment and performance characteristics anti-personnel mines (PMD-6M, PMN, PMN-2, PMN-3, PMN-4, PFM-1S (PFM-1), OZM-3)

In addition, a shock wave of a sufficiently large explosive charge deprives a person of consciousness, the high temperature of explosive gases can cause significant burns to the lower extremities.

The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow, manually or laid out by means of mechanization (trailed mine spreaders PMR-1, PMR-2, but in all cases the transfer of the mine to the combat position is carried out manually.

The service life of the mine is limited by the service life of the wooden hull. If it is destroyed by decay, the pressure cover may not squeeze the combat pin out of the fuse and the explosion will not occur. The mine is not equipped with a self-liquidator. It does not have elements of non-removability and non-decontamination, however, the very high sensitivity of the MUV series fuse makes deactivation of the mine extremely dangerous. In addition, a surprise mine can be installed under a mine, which makes it impossible to remove or defuse the mine.

The mine consists of a wooden body, a TNT 200 gram TNT block, a fuse of the MUV series with a “T”-shaped pin, and an MD-2 fuse.

PMD-6M

	anti-personnel high-explosive push-pull

Hull weight (without explosives)



Case height
Target sensor dimensions (pressure cover)
Sensitivity
	from -60 to -+60 deg.

The degree of safety of setting a mine depends on the type of fuse of the MUV series.

For example, when using fuses MUV-2, MUV-3 from the moment the safety pin is pulled out until the moment the fuse is cocked, depending on the temperature environment passes from 3 minutes (at +40 degrees) to 59 hours (at -40 degrees).

The older version of the mine under the PMD-6 index differs from the PMD-6M in that there was no leaf spring on the underside of the cover, which increases the actuation force from 1-17 kg to 6-28 kg.

At present, the PMD-6M mine is not produced, it is not listed in the supply tables of the troops, however, all its components, except for the wooden hull, are listed in the time sheets as mine-blasting property and are widely used in other mines, explosive business.

And the production of wooden hulls can be organized in a matter of days or even hours directly in the engineering battalion.

Therefore, this mine has not been removed from the armament of the army.

High-explosive pressure anti-personnel mine.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

The defeat of a person is inflicted due to the destruction of the lower part of the leg (foot) during the explosion of the mine charge at the moment the foot steps on the pressure cover of the mine.

Usually, when a mine explodes, the foot of the foot with which the enemy soldier stepped on the mine is completely torn off, and, depending on the distance, the second leg from the explosion site, it can also be significantly damaged or not be damaged at all. In addition, a shock wave of a sufficiently large explosive charge deprives a person of consciousness, the high temperature of explosive gases can cause significant burns to the lower extremities.

Death can occur from pain shock, blood loss due to untimely first aid.

The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow, manually or laid out by means of mechanization (trailed mine spreaders PMR-1, PMR-2, trailed minelayers PMZ-4), but in all cases, the transfer of the mine to the combat position is carried out manually.

The term of combat operation of the mine is not limited. The mine is not equipped with a self-liquidator. It has no elements of non-removability and non-neutralization.

The mine has a fuse, which is part of the design of the mine. Fuse type MD-9.

Tactical and technical characteristics of mines

Planting a mine is safe enough. From the moment the safety pin is pulled out to the moment the fuse is cocked, depending on the ambient temperature, it takes from 3 minutes to 3 minutes. (at +40 degrees) up to 59 hours (at -40 degrees).

In a combat stop, mines can be equipped with fuses and transported in a standard capping fully equipped.

Later, in order to reduce the time for transferring the mine to a combat position in winter conditions, a special device was developed called SVP, which was screwed in instead of a plug that closed the metal element.

When installing a mine in a hole, the cover of the SVP was unscrewed, it hung on a cord going to the grating fuse. It was necessary to pull this cord and the work of the pyrotechnic heater began. Then, in the usual manner, the safety pin was pulled out by the ring and the mine was masked. The heater raised the temperature in the area of the metal element to 30-40 degrees, as a result of which the metal element was cut within 2-3 minutes. However, the use of SVPs was allowed only at temperatures below -10 degrees, otherwise the heating could be excessive and the transfer of the mine to the combat position could occur prematurely.

This mine has become as popular in the world as soviet machine gun Kalashnikov, due to its simplicity and safety in handling, reliability and ability to maintain its fighting qualities long years. It is often known by the slang name "black widow" due to the fact that a person who stepped on this mine has very little chance of surviving.

High-explosive pressure anti-personnel mine.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow, manually or laid out by means of mechanization (trailed mine spreaders PMR-1, PMR-2, PMR-3, trailed minelayers PMZ-4), but in all cases the transfer of the mine in combat position is carried out manually.

The term of combat operation of the mine is not limited. The mine is not equipped with a self-liquidator. It does not have elements of non-removability and non-decontamination, but the design features exclude the reverse transfer of the mine from combat to a safe position. Therefore, the mine belongs to the category of non-disposable.

Tactical and technical characteristics of PMN-2

Planting a mine is safe enough. From the moment the safety pin is pulled out to the moment the fuse is cocked, it takes from 2 minutes (at +40 degrees) to 10 minutes (at -40 degrees).

The use of a mixture of TNT (40%) and RDX (60%) as a charge instead of pure TNT somewhat increases the damaging effect, bringing it closer to the PMN mine (200 g of TNT), although in general the power of the PMN-2 is about one and a half times lower than at PMN.

The advantage of the PMN-2 mine over the PMN is, first of all, that the long-range cocking mechanism works on the principle of pneumatics, and not cutting the metal element with a string. This ensures high stability of the time for transferring the mine to a combat position of 2-10 minutes, i.e. almost does not depend on the ambient temperature (the time of long-range cocking of a PMN mine at low temperatures reached 59 hours, i.e. two and a half days).

The second advantage of PMN-2 is that no preliminary steps are required when preparing a mine for use (inspection, unscrewing the plug, inserting a fuse, etc.) and there are no elements that need to be completed with a mine (fuse). This provides high security and the possibility of using a mine by low-skilled soldiers.

A slightly coarsened target sensor and its modified shape (in the idea of a black cross) exclude accidental triggering of the mine during short-term dynamic loads, somewhat reduce the sensitivity of the mine to explosive mine-clearing equipment (by about 8-12%).

None preparatory actions before using the mine is not required. To transfer the mine to a combat position, you simply need to sharply turn the safety pin clockwise or counterclockwise to cut off the locking copper wire and pull the pin out of the sleeve. From this moment, after 2-10 minutes, the mine will be transferred to the combat position. The reverse process is not possible.

Outwardly, the PMN-3 mine is very similar to the PMN-2 mine

High-explosive pressure anti-personnel mine.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

The defeat of a person is inflicted due to the destruction of the lower part of the leg (foot) during the explosion of the mine charge at the moment the foot steps on the target sensor (black cross-shaped protrusion on the upper plane) of the mine.

In addition, a shock wave of a sufficiently large explosive charge deprives a person of consciousness, the high temperature of explosive gases can cause significant burns to the lower extremities. Death can occur from pain shock, blood loss due to untimely first aid.

The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow, manually or laid out by means of mechanization (trailed mine spreaders PMR-1, PMR-2, PMR-3, trailed minelayers PMZ-4, helicopter mining system VSM), but in all cases, the transfer of the mine to the combat position is carried out manually.

The tightness of the mine allows it to be used in water-saturated and swampy soils. The installation of mines under water (coastal strip of water barriers, fords) is not allowed due to its buoyancy.

The term of combat operation of a mine, which can be preliminarily set, can be 12 hours, 1, 2, 4, 8 days, after which the mine self-destructs by detonation.

The mine is non-recoverable and non-disarmable. Neutralization is ensured by the fact that a drop in the voltage of the power source causes a mine explosion, which occurs when you try to remove the power source (battery 7-RTs 53 U), short circuit it, malfunction or when you try to violate the integrity of the electronic circuit of the mine. Non-removability is ensured by the presence of an inclined target sensor. An explosion in this case occurs when the position of the mine changes by more than 30 degrees (regardless of the position of the mine in which it was at the time of bringing it into combat position).

The mine has a fuse and a fuse, which are part of the design of the mine.

Tactical and technical characteristics of PMN-3

Planting a mine is safe enough. From the moment the safety pin is pulled out to the moment the fuse is cocked, 7-10 minutes pass.

Before using the mine, it is necessary to check the health of the current source, install it in its regular place and set the time of the mine's combat operation by unscrewing the top cover of the mine.

The long-range cocking mechanism does not work on the principle of pneumatics, as it was with the PMN-2 mine, but due to the operation of the electronic circuit. This ensures high stability of the time of bringing into combat position, regardless of external factors.

However, due to the need to set the time of combat work in advance, the PMN-3 mine lost the advantage that the PMN-2 mine had, namely, that the old mine did not require any preliminary actions in preparation for use (inspection, unscrewing the plug, inserting a fuse, etc.) and there are no elements that are required to complete the mine (fuse, power source). This provided high security and the possibility of using a mine by low-skilled soldiers.

The PMN-3 mine requires a higher qualification from the miner, however, its advantage is that subsequent demining of the area is not required and it is possible to establish operational minefields, which then do not interfere with the maneuver of their troops.

Hence the different tactics of using mines PMN-2 and PMN-3. Although outwardly they are very similar in appearance, these mines are completely different.

A slightly coarsened target sensor and its modified one exclude accidental triggering of the mine during short-term dynamic loads, somewhat reduce the sensitivity of the mine to explosive mine-clearing equipment (by about 8-12%).

High-explosive pressure anti-personnel mine.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

Usually, when a mine explodes, the foot of the foot with which the enemy soldier stepped on the mine is almost completely destroyed, and, depending on the distance, the second leg from the explosion site, it may also be damaged or not be damaged at all. Death can occur from pain shock, blood loss due to untimely first aid.

The mine can be installed both on the ground and in the ground, in the snow only manually.

The tightness of the mine allows it to be used in water-saturated and swampy soils. The installation of mines under water (coastal strip of water barriers, fords) is not allowed due to its buoyancy.

The term of combat operation of the mine is not limited.

The mine is not equipped with a self-liquidator. It does not have elements of non-removability and non-decontamination, but the design features exclude the reverse transfer of the mine from combat to a safe position. Therefore, the mine belongs to the category of non-disposable.

The mine has a fuse and a fuse, which are part of the design of the mine.

Tactical and technical characteristics of mines PMN-4

Planting a mine is safe enough. From the moment of pulling out the safety pin until the moment the fuse is cocked, from 1 minute (at +40 degrees) to 40 minutes (at -40 degrees).

The use of a mixture of TNT (40%) and RDX (60%) as a charge instead of pure TNT somewhat increases the damaging effect, although the mine has almost four times less power than the PMN and twice as much as the PNM-2.

The PMN-4 long-range cocking mechanism is hydromechanical and works on the principle of squeezing out a thick gel (liquid rubber) through calibrated holes after the safety pin is removed along with the blocking bracket. This provides a sufficiently high stability of the time for transferring the mine to a combat position of 1-40 minutes, i.e. much less dependent on ambient temperature than the PMN mine, although somewhat more than the PMN-2 mine.

When working with the PMN-4 mine (as well as with the PMN-2 mine), no preliminary actions are required when preparing it for use (inspection, unscrewing the plug, inserting a fuse, etc.) and there are no elements that need to be completed with a mine (fuse). This provides high security and the possibility of using a mine by low-skilled soldiers.

No preparatory actions are required before using the mine. To translate the mine into a combat position, you just need to pull out the safety pin and remove the locking bracket. From this moment, the process of transferring the mine to a combat position begins. The reverse process is not possible.

High-explosive anti-personnel mine of pressure action, installed by means of remote mining.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

The defeat of a person is inflicted by injuring the foot of the foot during the explosion of a mine charge at the moment the foot steps on the target sensor, which is the entire area of a semi-soft polyethylene container with a liquid explosive.

When a mine explodes, the foot with which the enemy soldier stepped on the mine receives significant injuries.

Usually, after a mine explosion, amputation of the foot is required and the soldier, becoming disabled, is completely unsuitable for military service. Death is possible due to a large loss of blood in case of untimely rendering medical care, however, the percentage of deaths is no more than 2-5% of those affected.

The so-called "mine shoes", supposedly protecting against mines of this type, are ineffective.

The anti-mine suit, quite widely known from television footage, protects the sapper quite reliably from these mines if the explosion occurred at a distance of about a meter or more from the person, for example, at the moment the mine was removed from the place with a shovel, shovel or similar tool.

When a soldier steps on the target sensor area, the liquid explosive, playing the role of hydraulic fluid, begins to be squeezed out into the area of \u200b\u200bthe fuse of the MVDM (VGM-572) type and makes it work.

The mine can be installed on the ground only by means of remote mining such as PKM-1, VSM, UMZ, UGMZ. Possible options for equipping these mines with artillery shells or missile systems salvo fire. The possibility of setting mines manually is not provided.

Mina exists in two versions PFM-1 and PFM-1C. The first version of the mine does not have a self-destruction device, the second one is equipped with a device that ensures the self-destruction of the mine by detonation after 1-40 hours from the moment of installation (the self-destruction time depends on the ambient temperature). Outwardly, these two types of mines differ only in that there is a clearly distinguishable letter “C” on the wing of the PFM-1C mine.

Mines are placed in a universal cassette made of aluminum alloy. There are four types of mine cassettes:

Cassette KSF-1. Contains 72 PFM-1 type mines. Throw range of mines up to 35 meters.

Cassette KSF-1S. Contains 64 PFM-1C type mines. Throw range of mines up to 35 meters.

Cassette KSF-1S-0.5. Contains 36 PFM-1 anti-personnel high-explosive mines and 36 PFM-1S anti-personnel high-explosive mines. Ejection range min 30-35m.

KSF-1S-0.5SK. Contains 36 PFM-1 anti-personnel high-explosive mines and 36 PFM-1S anti-personnel high-explosive mines. It differs from KSF-1S-0.5 in a stabilized range of mines and a more uniform distribution in the dispersion ellipse. Ejection range min 30-35m.

All types of cassettes are absolutely identical in appearance, characteristics and differ only in marking. Cassette diameter 14 cm, length 48 cm, cassette weight 9-9.4 kg. Mines, a powder expelling charge and an EKV-30M electrocapsule sleeve are placed inside the cassette.

At present, the production of cassettes of types KSF-1, KSF-1S-0.5 and KSF-1S-0.5SK has been discontinued and their stocks are being destroyed due to the fact that Russia, in accordance with the Geneva Protocol, has undertaken to abandon the use of mines that do not have self-destruction devices .

Cassettes are placed in the appropriate carrier (PKM-1, VSM, UMZ, UGMZ). The firing of mines occurs by an electrical impulse supplied from the control panel.

Mines are scattered in an ellipse of dispersion measuring 18-20 by 8-10 meters and distributed randomly. The mine has a wing in order to ensure uniform distribution over the area of the ellipse.

Tactical and technical characteristics of mines PFM-1C

The mine is non-recoverable and non-disarmable. Shelf life is 10 years, but according to some reports, liquid explosive VS-6D is characterized by increased aggressiveness and toxicity. In case of insufficient sealing, it penetrates to the parts of the fuse, causing the destruction of the latter, as a result of which the explosion of mines in the cassette is possible.

Specialists of CJSC NPO Ecodem (established by the Russian Ammunition Agency represented by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise GNPP Bazalt, the Federal Association Double Technologies and the Russian Ministry of Defense represented by the 15th Central Research Institute named after D.M. Karbyshev of the Russian Ministry of Defense) have developed a method for disposing of mine clusters. This is the so-called grouting method, which consists in introducing a special composition into the free volume of the cassette, in which PFM-1 mines are placed.

Filling free cavities and hardening, the composition seals danger zones leakage of liquid explosive, which is part of the charge of these mines, protects structural elements from displacement.

Anti-personnel anti-personnel fragmentation mine of circular destruction, jumping out double action.

It can be used as a tension mine, as a controlled one, or at the same time both a tension action and a controlled one.

Designed to disable enemy personnel.

The defeat of a person (or several at the same time) is inflicted by fragments of the mine body when it is detonated at a height of 40-140 cm from the earth's surface after tossing it with a powder expelling charge, which is triggered at the moment when an enemy soldier, catching his foot on a wire extension, involuntarily pulls out the combat check of the fuse , or an electric pulse will be sent from the control panel to the expelling charge igniter.

The mine is installed manually into the ground, and if it is impossible to install it into the ground, onto the ground (in this case, the mine is tied to a peg driven into the ground).

The term of combat operation of the mine is not limited. The mine is not equipped with a self-liquidator.

It does not have elements of non-removability and non-disposal, however, the very high sensitivity of the MUV fuse (if used) makes mine disposal extremely dangerous. It can be set to be non-recoverable using the MS-3 surprise mine or homemade surprise mines.

The mine consists of a cast-iron body with an explosive charge placed in it, an expelling powder charge, a moderator and a fuse. The mine is completed with a fuse of the MUV series with a "P" - shaped check, two wooden pegs and a piece of wire 6 m long on a wooden coil.

To ensure the possibility of using a mine in a controlled version, an additional electric igniter was introduced into the expelling charge, the wires from which were brought out through a special plug.

Tactical and technical characteristics of mines

	anti-personnel fragmentation bouncing circular defeat


Mass of explosive (TNT)

Case height
Target sensor length (one way)
Sensitivity
Radius of continuous damage
Detonation height
Temperature range of application	from -60 to +60 deg.

The degree of safety of setting a mine depends on the type of fuse of the MUV series. For example, when using fuses MUV-2, MUV-3, from the moment the safety pin is pulled out to the moment the fuse is armed, depending on the ambient temperature, it takes from 3 minutes (at +40 degrees) to 59 hours (at -40 degrees). ).

Currently, the OZM-3 mine is not produced, but there is a certain amount in long-term storage warehouses.

At the word “mine”, the imagination immediately draws an explosive device buried in the ground. First appearing in French, this word was originally associated with the land and meant “mine”, “undermining”, which were often used during siege wars. Fortified and defended cities during the conduct of hostilities were attacked with the help of trenches and approaches dug up to their walls with further laying of explosive charges filled with gunpowder. At first, a mine was called an underground horizontal mine near the walls of the enemy, later the explosive device itself began to be called this word. The word "sapper" also appeared in French. They called him a person who carried out undermining and undermining enemy fortifications.

History

The use in many wars of explosive mechanisms filled with submunitions has proved the 100% effectiveness of their use to eliminate fortified structures, enemy infantry and military equipment. Discoveries in the field of chemistry: the appearance of xyloidin, pyroxylin, liquid nitroglycerin, TNT and saltpeter - as well as the rich experience of warfare already available to mankind, served as a good impetus for the improvement of explosive devices.

Primitive bookmarks under enemy walls with the use of a thing of the past. Their place was taken by modern products using special capsules - detonators and electric ignition systems.

Explosive mechanisms buried in the ground have always been considered very dangerous because of their secrecy. But time has shown that their effectiveness is not one hundred percent, since the mine directly eliminated only the object that came into contact with it, and left others intact. A much better result could be achieved if the mine was above the ground. But in this case, it would be visible. This shortcoming in the mine business required an immediate solution, which was the device, called OZM-72. Let's consider it in more detail.

Mina OZM-72: performance characteristics (performance characteristics)

The device by type belongs to anti-personnel fragmentation, jumping explosive mechanisms with a circular defeat.

Steel is used to make the mine body.

The total mass is 5 kg, of which 660 g is explosive.

Diameter - 10.8 cm, case height - 17.2 cm.

The OZM-72 mine is designed for a weight of 1 to 17 kg, the temperature range of application is from -60 to +60 degrees, the radius of destruction does not exceed 30 m. The term of combat operation is not limited. The mine is not equipped with self-liquidators and does not contain elements that do not allow it to be removed or rendered harmless.

Fuzes MUV and MVE-72

As a fuse, there can be a mechanical MUV or an electromechanical MVE-72. The mechanical one is very sensitive, which makes the process of clearing mines with it very dangerous.

Design features

The elements of OZM-72 are:

Guide cup. Steel is used to make it. At the bottom of the glass there is a special chamber designed for fixing a tension cable in it, connecting the glass with the percussion mechanism. The glass contains a body with an explosive charge and fragments.
Charge. TNT is used as a charge for the OZM-72 mine, which fills the internal cavity of the clip. It is located at the top of the central sleeve.
Expelling charge. Designed to push an explosive device out of the ground to a height of 1 m. For the manufacture of an expelling charge, smoke powder collected in a fabric bag is used. The charge is contained in a special tube.
Impact mechanism. It is located at the bottom of the central sleeve.
Detonating capsule. It is placed in the nest of an additional detonator and is mounted only at the moment when the OZM-72 mine is directly installed.
Carabiners and ropes. Are intended for fastening checks of the explosive mechanism with wire extensions.
Wire extensions. Wound into coils during installation, they reach a length of up to 15 m. They are intended for arranging traps-stretch marks.
Pegs made of wood and metal. Wooden stakes are used for arranging stretch marks, and metal stakes are used for fastening mines in frozen ground and mounting a cable with carabiners. For the production of metal stakes, a duralumin corner is used.

purpose

OZM-72 is designed to completely eliminate or temporarily disable enemy infantry. The degree of damage from fragmentation elements, which are metal balls, can be different: from the elimination of one soldier to several. This became possible due to the fact that anti-personnel mines OZM-72 are hidden in the ground and are not visible from the outside. And the expelling charge in their mechanism throws up a device that explodes already above the ground at a height of 1 m with a circular defeat of up to 30 m.

How does the OZM-72 mine work?

The principle of operation of the mine is to throw out with the help of an expelling charge from a guide glass to a meter height a bursting steel shell, consisting of metal, cylindrical pieces, capable of flying apart after an explosion within a radius of up to 30 meters. The mine is triggered by contact with a pegged tripwire connected to the fuse pin.

It may be MVE-72. In this case, it is enough to touch the electrical wire connected to the check. Also, an MUV is used as a fuse, in which not electricity is used, but mechanics. To trigger a mine, the enemy should hook on a stretched wire - a stretch wire connected at one end to the fuse. The subsequent detonation produces an ejection above the ground from the charge cup, which is represented by a steel shell filled with TNT. When explosives interact, the shell forms round and cylindrical submunitions that scatter in all directions.

Bookmark stages

How is OZM-72 laid down? Installation of the explosive mechanism is carried out manually in the ground or in the snow.

The bookmarking process consists of the following steps:

arrangement of a hole with a diameter of up to 200 mm with further placement of mines in it;
installation of a detonating capsule;
installation of a metal peg at a distance of 50 cm from the mine;
fastening of a cable with carabiners to a wire extension;
installation of one wooden peg with the wire passing through it for the entire length; the end of the stretch must be attached to the top of the second peg; it is imperative that the wire between the wooden stakes sag a little - 20-30 mm is enough;
unscrewing the protective cap covering the mine igniter;
bringing the checks of the fuse into a combat state;
connection with a carabiner of a prepared wire stretching with a fuse pin;
mine camouflage.

A metal peg should be hammered into the ground in such a way that its upper part is not conspicuous. To do this, its top with a wire threaded through it should protrude above ground level by no more than 150 mm. At the same time, you need to dig it in the direction of the enemy. This is easy to determine by the special recess in the metal peg. When installing an explosive device, it should be directed towards the mine.
It is recommended that the safety pin be pulled out of the fuse only after the reliability check has been carried out to hold the combat checks.
After hooking on the combat check of the carbine, it should not be pulled out. If this happens, it means that the metal peg is driven in poorly and shifts to the side, while lowering the tension of the wire guy.
The installation of the OST-72 anti-personnel mine is easily carried out in soft soil in summer time, and in winter - into the frozen ground with further masking by snow. In the event that you have to work with too soft soil, which is typical for swampy areas, it is recommended to use boards no more than 15x15 cm. Their thickness should be 25 mm. The use of boards guarantees the reliability of the escape of the shell from the steel cup.

The modern development of military production makes it possible to take into account all the strengths and weaknesses explosive devices. Thanks to this, mines are now in service in a wide variety: from the simplest products with primitive fuses and weak explosive fillers to the most complex mechanisms with remote control, in the development of which the latest achievements of science are used.

Mina hides in the ground, and at the right moment bounces and turns out to be at the most favorable height for defeat

The period of World War II between the end of hostilities in Poland (early October 1939) and the German occupation of Denmark and Norway (April 1940) is commonly referred to as the "strange", "sit-down" or "flower" war, alluding to the fact that in this There was virtually no war at the time. To enhance the impression in modern historical journalism, they talk about friendly relations between soldiers on opposite sides of the front line. Up to the fact that on weekends they allegedly played football in no man's land, and only leaflets rained down on the enemy's heads from planes.

mustachioed mines

In fact, the war was going on, and not at all a flower one. For example, on October 14, 1939, the Germans sink the English battleship Royal Oak right in the parking lot in Scapa Flow. On December 13, the German cruiser Admiral Count Spee dies in a naval battle off La Plata. On March 28, 1940, the Allied Supreme Council decides to mine Norwegian territorial waters. The situation on the land front was not blissfully quiet either. The French occupied their fortifications on the Maginot Line, and the Germans on the Siegfried Line (West Wall). Then the French attacked and occupied several sectors on September 13 German territory between Saarbrücken and the Palatinate Forest.

During these battles, French scouts noticed the strange ability of the Germans in pitch darkness to determine the location of reconnaissance groups and send fragmentation shells there with absolute accuracy. Yes, and the guns of the Germans were some strange. There were no flashes to be seen, no sounds of shots to be heard, only a click, a pop and a burst. And every time a few French soldiers were killed or wounded by shrapnel.

The Allies had no idea that they were faced with a German novelty in the field mine weapons- anti-personnel jumping shrapnel mine of circular destruction Sprengmine 35 (S.Mi.35). The Germans did not need to track down enemy scouts and wait until they fell into the zone of artillery fire. The mines did it for them. It is enough to step on the antennae of the S.Mi.Z.35 fuse hiding in the grass or to hook your foot on a thin wire stretched to the ANZ 29 fuse screwed into a mine, as in four and a half seconds the powder charge threw a mine a meter and a half up. Exploding, she scattered a bunch of shrapnel and fragments of her hull around her. There was about four and a half kilograms of metal in the mine, with round shrapnel bullets accounting for most of the weight, and about 365 of them were placed in a mine. At least half of the soldiers who were at a distance of 15-20 meters from the mine at the time of its explosion were either injured or died.

deadly frogs

The German mine S.Mi.35 became the ancestor of a whole category of anti-personnel mines, and the category is the most effective. There are, in general, only four such categories - high-explosive pressure mines (affecting the force of the explosion), fragmentation mines, fragmentation jumping out and fragmentation mines of directional action.

An anti-personnel high-explosive pressure mine kills or injures one soldier. Fragmentation mine, placed on the ground or on a peg, hits several soldiers. Its efficiency is higher, however, half of the fragments of a mine located on the surface of the earth go uselessly into the ground. The solution to this problem lies, as they say, in plain sight - the mine must be raised above the ground. But then it loses its main advantage - stealth.

The best solution was jumping fragmentation mines, or, in soldier's jargon, "frog mines". Until the moment of operation, such a mine hides in the ground and does not give out its presence in any way (except perhaps for the antennae of the pressure fuse and the stretched wire of the tension fuse), but at the right moment it bounces and turns out to be at the most favorable height for defeat.

Actually, the very idea of a jumping mine was born during the First World War. The Kaiser army used the so-called S-mine.

Before you (on the left) is a drawing from the German instructions of those times. The S-mine was a metal can (called a projectile) filled with 500 grams of explosives. Between the walls of the can and the explosives was placed shrapnel, filled with cement mortar. A tube passed through the center of the can, to the top of which a fuse was screwed. On the wooden bottom of this jar was a fixed drummer. A long chain (about one and a half meters) was attached to the bottom of the tube, its other end was attached to the bottom of a metal cylinder with a blank bottom (the so-called mortar). A bag of gunpowder was placed at the bottom of the mortar. In addition to gunpowder, an electric igniter was also placed in the bag, the wires from which went out.

These mines were dug into the ground in front of wire fences, and the wires from them were pulled into the trench. When enemy soldiers approached, the miner closed the ends of the wires to a galvanic battery and the electric igniter ignited the powder charge, which threw the projectile up. As soon as the projectile rose to a height equal to the length of the chain, the chain pulled down the tube with the fuse. The fuse hit the drummer, an explosion occurred, and the shrapnel flew apart.

S-mines belonged to the category of so-called barrage mines. Their effectiveness was relatively low - primarily due to the fact that it is sometimes difficult to determine from the trench whether the enemy soldiers are in the affected area or not. In addition, it was difficult to bury long wires (50 meters or more) to a sufficient depth so that they would not be damaged by bursts of enemy shells or random bullets; imperfect insulation of wires often led to failures; infantrymen did not always have galvanic batteries or other current sources.

After the end of the war, the minds of military analysts, generals and weapons designers were entirely occupied by three novelties of past battles. First of all, these are aircraft, which light hand Italian General Douai was credited with the ability to almost single-handedly win future wars. Then there are the tanks that suggested a way out of the positional impasse of the world war. And finally - chemical weapon, who was credited with the ability to solve all the problems of the destruction of enemy soldiers.

They forgot about the mines. Everyone except the Germans. Deprived of the right under the Treaty of Versailles to have aircraft, tanks and chemical weapons, German generals were looking for ways to revive military power of their country, without formally violating Versailles, which strictly stipulated even the number of cannons and machine guns that a defeated empire was allowed to have. One of the ways to get around the restrictions turned out to be mines, which the Allies did not think of including in the peace treaty.

Soon after Hitler came to power, active development of an anti-personnel mine began, which in 1935 was adopted by the Wehrmacht under the name Sprengmine 35 (S.Mi.35). This designation can be translated as "Jumping mine arr. 1935".

Its design was based on the idea of S-mine, but it was a completely different type of mine. First of all, it was not controlled by wire, and the miner did not need to sit in the trench and look out for the approaching enemy infantry. S.Mi.35 itself determined the most advantageous moment of its operation. However, it would be more accurate to say that the moment of the explosion of such a mine is determined by the victim himself, stepping on the pressure-action fuse or involuntarily pulling out the combat pin of the tension-action fuse, catching on the wire.

The S.Mi.35 mine was more and more widely used by the Wehrmacht on the Eastern Front, especially starting in the late autumn of 1941, when the counterattacks of the Red Army became more and more noticeable, and the number of personnel of the German divisions noticeably decreased.

Our mines are the largest in the world

It cannot be said that in the Soviet Union they did not pay attention to the high damaging capabilities of jumping mines. By the beginning of the war, the Red Army had a jumping mine OZM-152. However, it was a very heavy and bulky device weighing over 50 kilograms and about 62 centimeters long. This mine was blown up from the electricity control panel. It was possible to install a mine with a tension fuse. However, the process of installing a mine took too much time and required a lot of work. At the same time, the OZM-152 did not have a significant advantage in hitting targets compared to the compact German mine Her power was over the top. It was difficult to expect such a dense accumulation of enemy soldiers during the battle so that the OZM-152 could show greater effectiveness than a German mine.

During the war in the USSR, a universal UVK expelling chamber was developed, which was screwed onto a projectile instead of its regular fuse. A projectile with a UVK was dug into the ground with its nose down. When an electric pulse was applied to the chamber, an explosion of a powder charge threw the projectile to a height of 30 to 90 cm, after which the projectile exploded.

In 1944, the Germans improved their mine and released it under the designation S.Mi. 44. The new model differed from its predecessor by the S.Mi universal fuse. Z.44, which could be used both as a tension and as a push. In addition, the mine projectile exploded with the help of a cable, one end of which was attached to the mine glass, and the other to the pin of the second fuse located in the projectile.

treacherous jumpers

After the end of World War II, the German jumping mine was appreciated in all countries; numerous imitations appeared. In the USSR, the OZM-3, OZM-4 mines were adopted, somewhat smaller in size and simpler in design. They did not contain shrapnel, and the target was hit by fragments of a massive cast-iron hull.

Somewhat later, in 1972, one of the most powerful mines in this class appeared - the Soviet OZM-72, which has a radius of destruction of about 30 meters. It is worth talking about this mine in more detail. Repeating in many respects the design of the German Sprengmine 35, this mine is in many ways more perfect. Shrapnel in it is placed not between two cylinders, but outside along the walls of the projectile and is held in place due to the fact that it is filled with hardened epoxy. Several fuses have been developed for this mine. Among them is the MVE-72, the distinguishing feature of which is a very thin, visually imperceptible tension wire (in contrast to the rather thick and noticeable in the previous model). This wire, about 15 meters long, does not need to be hung on pegs - it is simply unwound on the ground and lies on blades of grass. In order for the mine to explode, it is not at all necessary to pull this wire. It breaks off when only about 300-400 g of force is applied, that is, it is easier to break off than a regular sewing thread.

But the most terrible mine is the OZM-72 as part of the NVU-P explosive device. This device is an electronic unit buried in the ground and equipped with a seismic target sensor, in other words, a simple device that registers ground shaking from human steps. Five OZM-72 mines were buried in the ground around the electronic unit within a radius of 15 meters. When a person approaches, the block determines the direction of movement and the distance to the target, and at the most favorable moment issues a command to one of the mines to detonate. There is no salvation for the victim. A comrade who rushes to the aid of the wounded will be hit by the next mine. The same thing will happen if the victim tries to crawl away from the affected area. The next mine will finish him off.

Something can be done only after the last, fifth mine explodes. But this is also provided by the creators of NVU-P. Instead of the last mine, another set of NVU-P can be attached to the device. After the last mine of one set is triggered, the second set will turn on, to which, instead of the fifth mine, you can also attach a third set, and so on ad infinitum. The device does not react to the movement of tanks, cars and other equipment.

creeping enemy

In many countries of the world, dozens of samples of jumping mines have been developed: from the simplest to "intelligent", which not only can distinguish the movement of a person from the movement of an animal or machine, but are also able to distinguish their soldier from someone else's and react accordingly.

Moreover, there is information that crawling mines have been developed that keep in touch with each other, determine undamaged places in the minefield and move accordingly to the desired points. It is curious that such developments are being carried out in the countries that initiated the creation of the Ottawa Convention to ban anti-personnel mines. The creators' argument is simple - these are not mines, these are ammunition of a completely different type, and the convention does not apply to them.

Anti-personnel mines are considered inhumane means of warfare, but most states continue to actively use them. Main damaging factor of this weapon - the soldier's fear of an invisible danger - stopped the advance of entire divisions. Cheap, cheerful and effective.
Here is a selection of the most dangerous anti-personnel mines that were in service with the Soviet, and now the Russian army.

"Witch"

The fragmentation barrage mine OZM-72 was developed in the USSR in the early 70s, but is still in service. This is a very insidious and dangerous weapon belonging to the class of so-called jumping mines. Structurally, it consists of a steel "glass", an expelling charge and a warhead, in which 660 grams of TNT and 2400 submunitions. The operation of the "witch" occurs after a careless soldier touches a wire stretching with his foot. The expelling charge throws a mine from the "glass" vertically upwards. Its detonation occurs at a height of 60 to 80 centimeters. The radius of continuous destruction of OZM-72 is 25 meters. To remain unharmed after its undermining is very difficult.
Mines OZM-72
The "Witch" was baptized by fire in Afghanistan, where mountain passes and gorges were mined. OZM-72 proved to be an effective and simple, but, unfortunately, illegible weapon. On April 20, 1984, during the Panjshir operation, soldiers of the 345th parachute regiment were blown up on the Witch. A single mine instantly killed 13 and injured 14 people. Later it turned out that it was installed Soviet troops during the previous operation.

"Petal"

The anti-personnel high-explosive mine PFM-1 "Petal" is never manually installed on the ground. These small explosive devices, each weighing only 800 grams, are made of polyethylene and are scattered on the ground using remote mining equipment. In Afghanistan, they "sowed" problem areas with Soviet Su-25 attack aircraft. A brown or green silhouette 12 cm long and 6.5 cm wide can not always be seen on the ground, especially at night.

"Butterfly" high-explosive anti-personnel mine PFM-1 ("Petal")
"Petal" - a cruel mine. Guaranteed to kill a person 37 grams of explosives are not capable, the defeat is caused by injuring the lower leg. During the explosion, practically no lethal fragments are formed, with the exception of the metal parts of the mechanism in the central part of the mine. However, the foot is torn clean. A unit that has run into a minefield quickly loses its combat effectiveness. The wounded must be bandaged and taken to a safe place. It is hardly worth specifying that the demoralizing factor of the insidious "Petal" is huge.

"Monka"

The anti-personnel directional fragmentation mine MON-50 was developed in the 1960s and 1970s and still remains one of the most effective. It can be installed on the ground, in the snow, at the entrances to the premises, mounted on trees. The mine is detonated by the operator from the control panel when an enemy appears in the affected area or when the fuse tension sensor is touched. All living things in the sector along the horizon of 54 degrees and at a height of 15 centimeters to 4 meters are “mowed down” by 540 striking elements.

Anti-personnel mine MON-50
MON-50 is ideal for organizing ambushes along the route of enemy columns. Seven hundred grams of explosive and hundreds of submunitions can disable even an army truck. And in order to accurately calculate the affected sector, the miner can use a special sighting device at the top of the monk.

"Black Widow"

Push anti-personnel mine PMN is in service with engineering and sapper units Russian army since 1950, as well as a number of CIS countries and far abroad. The "Black Widow", as it was nicknamed during the Vietnam War by the US military, is a fairly powerful high-explosive mine. It is not equipped with striking elements, the target is damaged by an explosive - 200 grams of TNT. The light weight of the product (550 grams) allows the sappers to pick up these mines with a margin and quickly turn a wide area of terrain into an impenetrable "swamp" for enemy infantry.

PMN-1 anti-personnel mine produced in 1978
Detonation, as the name suggests, occurs when the mine cover is pressed. Such an explosion leads to death or to very serious injuries. This mine could be found in any country affected by armed conflict in the second half of the last century. It was the PMN that deprived Shamil Basayev, one of the leaders of the Chechen gang underground, when he and his accomplices broke out of Grozny in January 2000.

"Edema"

Adopted in 1986. The anti-personnel fragmentation mine of the tension action POM-2 "Edema", like the PFM-1, is installed on the ground by remote mining. The peculiarity of this weapon is its independent "character". After the POM-2 falls to the ground, the process of bringing it into combat position begins, which lasts about a minute. First, the locks of six spring-loaded blades are opened, which, leaning back from the body, raise it to a vertical position. Then, four anchor weights are fired from the upper part of the body in different directions, pulling thin broken wires behind them. From this moment, the mine is in a combat position, and the countdown of the combat work time begins, which can range from 4 to 100 hours. After this time, the ammunition self-destructs.

POM-2
A mine explosion occurs when any of the four wires breaks. The radius of continuous damage is up to 16 meters. POM-2 provides a circular defeat of targets. At the same time, it is impossible to remove it - "Edema" is non-removable and non-neutralizing.

MOSCOW, October 29 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots. The United Nations estimates that anti-personnel mines kill and maim 26,000 people in 75 countries every year. Any war, armed conflict or border dispute leaves behind thousands of dangerous "gifts" that remain a deadly threat decades later. Today, millions of undetected explosive devices of various configurations, shapes and combat capabilities lurk in the world. Anti-personnel mines are considered inhumane means of warfare, but most states continue to actively use them. The main damaging factor of this weapon - the soldier's fear of an invisible danger - stopped the advance of entire divisions. Cheap, cheerful and effective. RIA Novosti publishes a selection of the most dangerous anti-personnel mines in service with the Russian army.

"Witch"

"Witch" was baptized by fire in Afghanistan, where mountain passes and gorges were mined. OZM-72 proved to be an effective and simple, but, unfortunately, illegible weapon. On April 20, 1984, during the Panjshir operation, soldiers of the 345th parachute regiment were blown up on the Witch. A single mine instantly killed 13 and injured 14 people. Later it turned out that it was installed by Soviet troops during a previous operation.

"Petal"

The anti-personnel high-explosive mine PFM-1 "Petal" is never manually installed on the ground. These small explosive devices, each weighing only 80 grams, are made of polyethylene and are scattered on the ground using remote mining equipment. In Afghanistan, Soviet Su-25 attack aircraft "sowed" them on problem areas. A brown or green silhouette 12 cm long and 6.5 cm wide can not always be seen on the ground, especially at night.

"Petal" is a cruel mine. Guaranteed to kill a person 37 grams of explosives are not capable, the defeat is caused by injuring the lower leg. During the explosion, practically no lethal fragments are formed, with the exception of the metal parts of the mechanism in the central part of the mine. However, the foot is torn clean. A unit that has run into a minefield quickly loses its combat effectiveness. The wounded must be bandaged and taken to a safe place. It is hardly worth specifying that the demoralizing factor of the insidious "Petal" is huge.

"Monka"

MON-50 is ideal for organizing ambushes along the route of enemy columns. Seven hundred grams of explosive and hundreds of submunitions can disable even an army truck. And in order to accurately calculate the sector of destruction, the miner can use a special sighting device at the top of the monk.

"Black Widow"

The PMN pressure anti-personnel mine has been in service with engineering and sapper units of the Russian army since 1950, as well as a number of CIS countries and far abroad. The "Black Widow", as it was nicknamed during the Vietnam War by the US military, is a fairly powerful high-explosive mine. It is not equipped with striking elements, the target is damaged by an explosive - 200 grams of TNT. The light weight of the product (550 grams) allows the sappers to pick up these mines with a margin and quickly turn a wide area of terrain into an impenetrable "swamp" for enemy infantry.

Detonation, as the name suggests, occurs when the mine cover is pressed. Such an explosion leads to death or to very serious injuries. This mine could be found in any country affected by armed conflict in the second half of the last century. It was the PMN that deprived Shamil Basayev, one of the leaders of the Chechen gang underground, when he and his accomplices broke out of Grozny in January 2000.

"Edema"

The POM-2 "Edema" anti-personnel fragmentation mine of tension action, like the PFM-1, is installed on the ground by remote mining. The peculiarity of this weapon is its independent "character". After the POM-2 falls to the ground, the process of bringing it into combat position begins, which lasts about a minute. First, the locks of six spring-loaded blades are opened, which, leaning back from the body, raise it to a vertical position. Then, four anchor weights are fired from the upper part of the body in different directions, pulling thin broken wires behind them. From this moment, the mine is in a combat position, and the countdown of the combat work time begins, which can range from 4 to 100 hours. After this time, the ammunition self-destructs.

A mine explosion occurs when any of the four wires breaks. The radius of continuous damage is up to 16 meters. POM-2 provides a circular defeat of targets. At the same time, it is impossible to remove it - "Edema" is non-removable and non-neutralizing.