WW 2 German SF Series Mine Fuze Development

[Bellifortis]

I would like to start this discussion with a question : What does SF mean or stand for ? Also my research into these is lasting already for many years, I seem to come up with only small bits of information off and on in many different publications that leave most questions unanswered. The No.s I could identify is : D.Z. SF 1 (Druck Znder) sometimes also written as To.Mi.Z. SF 1 (Topf Minen Znder). This is the all Glasfuze with 2 Ampules, one containing a clear liquid, the other a silver coloured liquid). Does anybody have any background information on its development and the chemical constitution I have never seen mentioned in EOD handbooks of any age ? Most this fuzes work by hypergolic reaction mechanisms.
E.Z. SF 3 ( Entlastungsznder ): Made from Bakelit 79 x 76mm, a rare fuze, but some, or parts of it have been on the market recently.
D.Z. SF 5 Type A also called Buck fuze :with vertical Glasampule, Type B : with horizontal Glasampule in cottonwool. May be one of the french members can shed some light on these, as I read here in other posts that the office and production facilities of Mr.Buck were in Paris.
The other fuze used in the Glassmine is the Hebelznder SM 4 ( I suspect that SM stands for Schtzen Mine) also called Schuko Igniter (I don't know why) and the Hebelznder 44 of which a nice example was just shown a few days back from a member in France.
The mine A 200 Senftopf (Mustardpot) with a chemical fuze with 1 glasampule ( for which I dont know the designation No.), probably based on the hypergolic reaction pair Potassium permanganate / H2SO4. The highest No. I ever read about is the S.Kst.Mi.Z. SF 18 (Schtzen Ksten Mine) with the fuze integrated in the glasplate, of which I never even have seen a picture and don't know if it is the same as Glasmine 43 (W). What developments stand for all the missing No.s between 1 and 18 ? Questions, questions only questions. Who has some answers ?
Greetings,
Bellifortis.

 

[sudelmuk]

Well, quite a mess of questions, I'll try to give some answers in a proper order.

There are slight, but unimportant differences in the nomenclature of SF-igniters, depending on various sources.
Anyway SF stands for sofort / instantly.

1.) To.Mi.Z. or D.Z. SF 1 (Druckznder sofort 1)
the ampoules are containing sulfuric acid (clear liquid) and a mixture of potassium nitrate & sugar (the silvery one).

2.) E.Z.S.F.M 2 (Entlastungsznder sofort Metall 2) or abbrevated EZ 44
the metal anti-lifting device with a short running (approx. 1 1/2 minutes) clockwork as a safeguard.

3.) E.Z.S.F. 3 (Entlastungsznder sofort 3)
the bakelite- version with a chemical safeguard.

4.) D.Z.S.F. 4 (Druckznder sofort Metall 4) or more common as SM 4 or Hebelznder 44
the designation Schuco is derived from the manufacturer (code gzx 44), Schreyer & Co., Spielwarenfabrik, Nrnberg). This old company produced
fine mechanical tin toys before the war until today.

5.) D.Z.S.F. 5 (Druckznder sofort 5)
Dr.Buck, Gppingen is regarded as the inventor of this igniter. Very nteresting that he had a branch in Paris; the single manufacturer I know is an
unknown company (code peg), which also made the To.Mi.Z. and glass parts for the To.Mi.itself.

6.) D.Z.S.F. 6 (Druckznder sofort 6)
the small chemical igniter with a pressure-sensitive mixture inside.

7.) D.Z.S.F. 18 (Druckznder sofort 18)
a glass fuze plate with integrated To.Mi.Z.-system for the Glasmine 43 (instead of the differently graded metal plate for use with D.Z.S.F. 4 ,5 and 6), the
ultimate metal free version (except the detonator).
I don't believe that there are much developments between the numbers 7 - 17; there might be one I've seen in the past, but first have to make a deep
search in my picture-collection.

 

[Bellifortis]

Hallo Sudelmuk,
thank you so much for your interesting answer. The reaction mechanism of SF 1 you name is wrong, there is no workable reaction with the reactants you quote. I'm a pyrotechnician by profession. There are 2 liquid reactants in the SF 1, one silvery the other clear. My own research points to developments by Dr. Staudinger. I suspect (no verification up till now), that it is Hermann Staudinger born in 1881 and died in 1965 in Freiburg, who won the Nobelprice for Chemistry in 1953 for his work on "Makromolecular Chemistry". I did not find out where he worked during the war. I read that he was no friend of the war and the Nazi regime and therefore had professional problems. That irritates me if he really could be the origion of the SF 1 development.
Greetings,
Bellifortis.

 

[Bellifortis]

I'm quite shure that there were developments between 7 and 17. The No. 14 is mentioned in a publication by Fleischer. Attached is a picture of an old US technical intelligence document about the "Eisminenznder". This shows a simple linedrawing of a "Chemical Icemine Fuze", which is titled "Bugminenznder". I have never heard about this from any other source and don't know the original report it is taken from. I expect it can be found in one of the many thousands of BIOS and CIOS reports.These were published and sold after the war in GB for 1 Shilling a piece, but I don't know if there is a complete register that one could search, I have seen them only mentioned as source in biographies for a certain items. Going through all the reports, covering any imaginable technical development would take a lifetime. Here in Germany there are a few Universities and Museums that have collections of some of these reports. Does anybody here have an idea. In the Us and GB a search would be much more easy, because all the info is in the archives there. I would also like to know when this SF series numbering system started. These are all "Ersatz" items, cheap to produce and using non strategic raw materials, which there was a big shortage of at the time. The simple linedrawing suggests that this info is taken from development work documents that were captured by one of the allied T-Sections, who may have seen only paper work of this. Any input from you ?

 

[BMG50]

Very intresting thread. The only documentation in GB would likley be the public records archive in Kew. They have a mountain of reports, its just actualy looking for the right worded coding that these documents were headed under. A simple subject say on the evaluation of S-Mines would come under a WO code for instance, not as simple as one would think. I also know that there is a mountain of documentaion not just evaluations reports but captured doctuments in the US, maybe our US forum members would be able to enlighten us.