My Smi. 35

[Jb4046]

I imagine Brodie was thinking along the lines of the Ottawa treaty in regards to the current attitude/approach with land mines and made clear acknowledgment that it has generally been only western nations to ratify that treaty ( agreeing with your idea regarding other nations who haven’t ratified the Ottawa treaty) and you both also agree on the dangers of these uncleared landmines

I am confused as to why one side must explain anything here….

Edit on doing more research it seems most of the planet has signed the Ottawa treaty, just not key countries like Russia , China and the USA ( which seems complicated regarding reversals and what not )

In any case seems a Misunderstanding

[BrodieBartfast]

The S-Mine 35 sat in an outer 'pot', which it jumped out of when triggered. After spending 80+ years on a beach, exposed to water and salt air, the mine and the pot are likely to be seized together. Add to that the overall degradation in structural integrity, and the mine is much more likely to simply shatter if it explodes, rather than performing in its originally intended manner. Obviously it is no less dangerous for that fact, and unexploded ordnance of all types is nothing to underestimate, regardless of age and condition.

B.B.

[vegetius]

The S-Mine 35 sat in an outer 'pot', which it jumped out of when triggered. After spending 80+ years on a beach, exposed to water and salt air, the mine and the pot are likely to be seized together. Add to that the overall degradation in structural integrity, and the mine is much more likely to simply shatter if it explodes, rather than performing in its originally intended manner. Obviously it is no less dangerous for that fact, and unexploded ordnance of all types is nothing to underestimate, regardless of age and condition.

B.B.

B.B, Thanks for the description. Having dealt with no more than a couple of thousand items of UXO on beaches or more normally on dunes or sandy areas along side the beach, I'm reasonably well versed on the state that they are found there. The addition of the pot, (acting as another layer of metal) is the reason why these occasionally crop up on beaches however the fuze has normally long gone due to salt water corrosion, (even the Bakelite versions just fall apart in saline) they are also never in situ and the movement of beaches always ensure them travelling. That said the last German mine I did in France was a Shu 42 just off a coastal path in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and that was immaculate the wood looked new and the ZZ42 worked a treat. The Type C Beach mine that I wrote a paper on a few years ago is similar, considerable migration, degradation of the casing and decidedly weird changes to explosive compositions. however the additional size does seem to make them last better.
Please remember that these are not a beach mine and even when employed on beaches would probably have a utility of no more than a few years at best. Far more common are their use in hasty unrecorded mine fields that sprung up in front of advancing allies or indeed the defence of Germany as a whole during 44/45. In these cases one or a few may be encountered they are not particularly difficult to deal with from an Operators perspective but as always finding the things in the first place is the hard part. The big mine fields were well recorded and those were cleared early on post war.

Teck whats your take on A/P mines in your AOR?

"much more likely to simply shatter if it explodes". That will be unless it was the one we 'trialled' in Sennelager that had been buried in situ since the war and when the fuze was remotely pulled by hook and line not only projected but also functioned as intended. We did not find huge amounts but had a few a year often as protection for bunkers or hide sites. One interesting one was the placing of them into concrete of fortifications to provide flank or rear protection.

[Teck 147]

Teck whats your take on A/P mines in your AOR?

Seriously?
Patient, distasteful, sometimes ingenious, victim operated devices of carnage that thankfully cause more fear than physical damage.
The large proportion here were tactical fields protecting the Rhine crossings or advancing flanks although a few nuisance fields did exist. Captured Pioneers we're forced to clear the known fields after the cessation of 2 way range practices.
Those that do tend to turn up (Nationality is irrelevant) are by no means not dangerous, those that haven't completely corroded or been damaged "mechanically" (e.g. ones laid in wetland) have a nasty Habit of at least theoretically being fully functioning (theoretically due to fact some colleagues should play more Lotto and the rest of us find a small Donation preferable to becoming a victim).
Mines are due to their very Nature one of the most dreaded EOD Tasks, the newer they get the worse it is and from the development stage S-Mines were still at the top of the game 50 years after they we're first laid.
About the only thing in this Job less fun to deal with are SD-2's. But then you (R) could write a book about that feeling I'd say

[vegetius]

Seriously?
Patient, distasteful, sometimes ingenious, victim operated devices of carnage that thankfully cause more fear than physical damage.
The large proportion here were tactical fields protecting the Rhine crossings or advancing flanks although a few nuisance fields did exist. Captured Pioneers we're forced to clear the known fields after the cessation of 2 way range practices.
Those that do tend to turn up (Nationality is irrelevant) are by no means not dangerous, those that haven't completely corroded or been damaged "mechanically" (e.g. Laid in wetland) have a nasty Habit of at least theoretically being fully functioning (theoretically due to fact some colleagues should play more Lotto and the rest of us find a small Donation preferable to becoming a victim).
Mines are due to their very Nature one of the most dreaded EOD Tasks, the newer they get the worse it is and from the development stage S-Mines were still at the top of the game 50 years after they we're first laid.
About the only thing in this Job less fun to deal with are SD-2's. But then you (R) could wrote a book about that feeling I'd say

I hate SD2's! Again another bomblet and intended as an area denial weapon just like mines. I do not dread mines as a task, I do dread having to find mines as a task though. The S mine like the British Mine A/P Shrapnel Mk 1 or 2 are a bitch to kill. Too much airspace and too thick walls. I prefer High temperature thermite for AP mines generally, but with them ( s mines and Mk1+2's) a shaped charge is the only reliable way i have found, a standard donor charge even is not reliable enough and I have heard of it failing. Your finding them seems similar to what we found further to the north of you. Odd but the sandy soil seemed to act as a really good preservative and we would get some really surprising items in as new conditions. The trial in Senne was conducted by a man who should have done the Euromillions as even on that huge range area with it's massive safety trace I would not like to rely on that as a method of disposal.

[Teck 147]

I do not dread mines as a task, I do dread having to find mines as a task though. The S mine like the British Mine A/P Shrapnel Mk 1 or 2 are a bitch to kill. Too much airspace and too thick walls. I prefer High temperature thermite for AP mines generally, but with them ( s mines and Mk1+2's) a shaped charge is the only reliable way i have found, a standard donor charge even is not reliable enough and I have heard of it failing. Your finding them seems similar to what we found further to the north of you. Odd but the sandy soil seemed to act as a really good preservative and we would get some really surprising items in as new conditions.

Difference between RAOC and RE i would say. Finding them was my specialty.

Donoring them isn't a problem anymore (cost of disposal is irrelevant) 500g of Pink Power on top and she's not coming back to bother you.

Good Drainage Sand with a shortage of oxidising Minerals is a damn good preservative, not that common here as we've got a lot of potassium salts in our sands

[Martin Bull]

Going back to the original post, I missed this when it first appeared. Very nice example of a S.Mi.35. I'm pleased to have one in my collection - certainly a rather evil-looking and nasty thing.