Looking for information on the German S-mines mounted on the exterior of Panzers

[WWIIBuff]

I am looking for information about the s-mines that were used on the exterior of German panzers during early WWII as anti-personnel devices. The Minenabwurfvorrichtung were basically canisters mounted to the exterior of the Tiger I, and each were used to launch an S.Mi.35. Five of them were mounted on the Tiger, 3 on the right, and 2 on the left.

Here are a few pictures I found on the web showing the Minenabwurfvorrichtung mounted on the Tiger I, and Panzer III:

 

[WWIIBuff]

This picture shows one example of an s-mine with a modified lid. Rather than fitting within the canister like the typical s-mine lids, this one is oversized and has a rubber "o" ring seal. Several examples of these have been offered on the market recently, and are being given the nomenclature S.Mi.35 Pz by the seller, stating that these modified mines were used with the Minenabwurfvorrichtung. The seller is possibly correct, but I am trying to find more information to support this.

The period photo below also shows a Minenabwurfvorrichtung that appears to have an s-mine loaded, as you can just barely see the fuze protruding from the canister.

 

[Bellifortis]

Hallo,
I have not heard of this before, but everything is possible. From a technical viewpoint, these mines would have to be ignited electrically from inside the tank. A wire leading into the top of the normal igniter-hole, would be too fragile, so I would expect a more protected ignition from the bottom. This would entail some design changes. I would like to hear more of this project.
Bellifortis.

 

[WWIIBuff]

I believe the mines could be triggered in two different ways, the first by direct contact with the pressure fuze on the exterior of the mine. Secondly, a Glühzünder 28 could be attached to the rear of the mine cup and triggered from within the tank (I read this on the internet somewhere). One of the pictures I posted shows the rear of a Minenabwurfvorrichtung canister, and it appears there is a plate mounted that would be ideal for attaching a Glühzünder 28. A hole for for threading the wires into the interior of the tank for ignition could easily be drilled into the hull.

Triggering method #1 - External pressure fuze (S.Mi.Z.35)




Triggering method #2 - Electronic Glühzünder 28 fuze attached from the rear



Both methods would enable one of the modified S.Mi.35 shown in post #1 to be used. All that would need to be done is to remove the exterior casing of the mine, and then slip the interior mine body into the Minenabwurfvorrichtung canister mounted on the tank.

 

[stecol]

have you already seen these pages ?

http://tiger1.info/EN/S-mine-for-Tiger.html
http://tiger1.info/EN/S-mine-launchers.html
http://tiger1.info/EN/S-mine-brackets.html

Regards
stecol

 

[WWIIBuff]

Thanks Stecol, I think I had initially stumbled across one of those pages, the one that mentions the Glühzünder 28 fuze, but then could not find the page again later.

There is great information about the Minenabwurfvorrichtung on those pages. The question about the method of attachment of the Glühzünder 28 fuze is cleared up, they were attached on the front, and not the rear of the tube. It also sounds like the entire S-mine would be inserted into the Minenabwurfvorrichtung tube, and not just the interior casing.

One thing the information on those pages does NOT do, is clear up whether or not the version of the S.Mi that I pictured above with the oversized lid was specifically made for the Minenabwurfvorrichtung. There is a chance that they may have been made for the Minenabwurfvorrichtung, or they may have just been a manufacturer variation, or a prototype for a weatherproof mine for the Russian winters. All 7 of the examples I have seen of that variation were made by the same manufacturer, "brd", and all produced in 1941, so the same time the Germans were fighting in Russia.

 

[stecol]

In my opinion there are a pair of problems associating this version of S-Mine with the Minenabwurfvorrichtung.

The first one is a discrepancy on the times: these mines are produced in April 1941, while their launching device entered service in June 1942.
Why produce the ammunition for a device sent to units 14 months later?

The second one is that the S-Mine's watertightness was excellent when they were buried vertically in the ground; so I don't see the need for a special version designed to operate at an angle of 50°, outdoors and continuously controlled by the crews.

Regards
stecol

 

[WWIIBuff]

Those are both very good points, and I agree. Although, regarding the date, they could have been ordered and produced towards the end of 1941 and then saw 6 to 7 months of testing, or just sat in the factory while construction of the Tigers was completed.

Regarding the watertightness, I believe the early Tiger I's were developed to be watertight, so these could have just been designed with that in mind, an example of German over-engineering that was somewhat typical of the Tiger.

Either way your observations make me wonder if these mines may have just been a prototype or "special order" for something more "waterproof". The normal s-mine watertightness may have been excellent when deployed in normal situations, but they were not designed to be completely waterproof. Perhaps these modified s-mines were ordered for use in extremely wet or marshy areas? The only problem with this theory is that, according to one of the sellers, they were not found in a wet area, but rather in a dry rocky area.

 

[stecol]

I saw S-mine's found on the banks of the Garigliano river and near the beaches of Anzio after 60-70 years: the launch tube and the upper plate were lightly rusted out externally, but everything else was perfect, including fuzes.
They will not be swampy areas, but they are not so dry.

Probably I'm wrong, but I have the idea that the seller should better document the origin of those special S-Mine's ...

 

[WWIIBuff]

That is good to know. This same seller pulled a bunch of s-mines our of swampy soil last year, and they we in excellent condition inside and out.

I would not say you are wrong, nor would I say the seller is. There are just so many possibilities that could be right, or all of them could be wrong. Unless we find some official documentation, we will probably never know. Hopefully someone with the answer stumbles on this thread some day and enlightens us.

In talking with one of the sellers, he does not believe the modification was made for waterproofing, but rather to lessen vibrations and the shaking of the mines on a moving panzer. Again this is only speculation on his part, but I can see where that might make sense, so maybe it is also a viable possibility.

 

[stecol]

You are right, without reliable documents, everyone can make only speculation.

 

[Bellifortis]

Hallo,
I just found this site on the net http://www.geocities.ws/desertfox1891/NahVtdgW/artnahvtdgw-description.html
regards,
Bellifortis.