Anti-tank mine
In 1918, British tanks rolled across the muddy fields of France for the first time. German forces needed a way to stop these new metal beasts without heavy artillery. They improvised by burying high-explosive shells or mortar bombs with their fuzes pointing straight up. Later, they built purpose-made devices like the Flachmine 17. This was simply a wooden box packed with explosives that could be triggered remotely or by pressure. By the end of the war, row mining techniques had become standard practice. Mines accounted for 15% of U.S. tank casualties during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive.
The Soviet Union began developing mines in the early 1920s. In 1924, engineers Yegorov and Zelinskiy produced the EZ mine. It carried a 1 kg charge capable of breaking the tracks of contemporary tanks. Meanwhile, Germany used its defeat as a spur to create modern designs. The Tellermine 29 entered service in 1929 as a disc-shaped device approximately 30 cm across. It held about 5 kg of high explosives inside an outer casing that served only as a container. A second model called the Tellermine 35 followed in 1935. Republican forces lifted mines placed by Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War and used them against the Nationalists. This act spurred the development of anti-handling devices for future mines.
Early German Tellermine variants were pressure-detonated devices that typically damaged tank treads while leaving crews unharmed. Tracks represented only about 20% of a tank's width, so the area of effect was limited. During World War II, the Wehrmacht introduced a mine with a tilt-rod fuze. A thin rod stood approximately two feet up from the center of the charge and was nearly impossible to see after burial. When a tank passed over the mine, the rod pushed forward to detonate the charge directly beneath it. The blast often killed the crew and sometimes exploded onboard ammunition. Tank crews became less likely to plow through such minefields when death replaced immobilization as the primary risk.
Several advances have been made in the development of modern anti-tank mines since the mid-20th century. Engineers now use non-ferrous materials making them harder to detect by metal detectors. New methods of deployment allow these weapons to be dropped from aircraft or fired by artillery. Fuzes have become sophisticated enough to trigger by magnetic and seismic effects. Some designs ignore the first target vehicle to drive over them to attack convoys instead. Anti-handling devices prevent or discourage tampering or removal of the device itself. Most modern mine bodies are made of plastic material to avoid easy detection while featuring combinations of pressure or magnetically activated detonators.
There are several systems for dispersing mines to quickly cover wide areas without individual soldiers laying each one. Cluster bombs contain several mines each which could be a mixture of anti-personnel types. When the cluster bomb reaches a preset altitude it disperses the mines over a wide area. Some anti-tank mines are designed to be fired by artillery and arm themselves once they impact the target area. This mechanical method allows rapid coverage compared to manual placement. Artillery-fired rounds can reach targets that would take hours to clear with human labor alone.
Off-route mines are designed to be effective when detonated next to a vehicle instead of underneath it. They are useful in cases where the ground or surface is not suitable for burying or concealing a mine. These weapons normally employ a Misnay, Schardin shaped charge to fire a penetrating slug through the target armour. This self-forging projectile principle has been used for some French and Soviet off route mines. The technique earned infamy as an improvised explosive device in Israel and especially Iraq. Shaped charge off-route mines using the Munroe effect are more rarely encountered today due to standoff neutralization technologies.
The most effective countermeasure deployed against mine fields is mine clearing using either explosive methods or mechanical methods. Explosive methods involve laying explosives across a minefield either by propelling charges with rockets or dropping them from aircraft. Mechanical methods include plowing and pressure-forced detonation. A specially designed plow attached to the front end of a heavily armored tank pushes aside earth and any embedded mines. In pressure-forced detonation, a heavy spherical roller causes mines to detonate ahead of the vehicle. Another way to protect occupants involves attaching wooden planks to sides of armored vehicles to prevent magnetic attachment.
Anti-tank mines played a major role on the Eastern Front during World War II where they were used in huge quantities by Soviet troops. In the Battle of Kursk, combat engineers laid 503,663 AT mines achieving a density of 1500 mines per kilometer. This was four times greater than what was seen in the Battle of Moscow. Mobile detachments were tasked with laying more mines directly in the path of advancing enemy tanks. The Wehrmacht also relied heavily on anti-tank mines to defend the Atlantic Wall having planted six million mines in Northern France alone. On the Western front, anti-tank mines were responsible for 20-22% of Allied tank losses. Millions of these mines remain in Cambodia and southern Africa causing hundreds of deaths annually despite clearing efforts.
Up Next
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When did German forces first develop purpose-made anti-tank mines?
German forces built purpose-made devices like the Flachmine 17 by the end of World War I in 1918. These early devices were wooden boxes packed with explosives triggered remotely or by pressure.
What year did the Tellermine 29 enter service and what was its size?
The Tellermine 29 entered service in 1929 as a disc-shaped device approximately 30 cm across. It held about 5 kg of high explosives inside an outer casing that served only as a container.
How many anti-tank mines did combat engineers lay during the Battle of Kursk?
Combat engineers laid 503,663 AT mines during the Battle of Kursk on the Eastern Front. This achievement created a density of 1500 mines per kilometer which was four times greater than what was seen in the Battle of Moscow.
Why do modern anti-tank mines use non-ferrous materials?
Engineers now use non-ferrous materials making them harder to detect by metal detectors. Most modern mine bodies are made of plastic material to avoid easy detection while featuring combinations of pressure or magnetically activated detonators.
When did the Soviet Union begin developing anti-tank mines?
The Soviet Union began developing mines in the early 1920s. In 1924 engineers Yegorov and Zelinskiy produced the EZ mine with a 1 kg charge capable of breaking tank tracks.