Need help. WWI german mine

[Antanas Brazdauskas]

Hi, guys. I am EOD technician from Lithuanian Armed Forces . Need help. We found AT or Apers mine in flank of WWI German positions, location Lithuania/ Latvia border ( former eastern front). There is no technical data. Mine has two acidic batteries, two boxes with the amonium expl., four switches on the top as pressure switches and some wires for connection of componets. Maybe some of You have some info about this stuff?

 

[BMG50]

What a fascinating find.

 

[Antanas Brazdauskas]

Oh, yeah... It looks amazing... But it's my headache for
last three years

 

[Yodamaster]

Welcome aboard, Antanas !

May I use your pictures to make a request on a facebook page ?
It's "the bomb", the page of the belgian EOD Tech fellowship.


Yoda

 

[Yodamaster]

What's the origin of the doc you post as last picture ? Russian, I believe ?

What was the weight of the explosive charges ? Very first idea, a sort of "battery pack" with self destroying charges.
Should it be possible of a "booby-trap" of X number of electrical mines made to protect an access ?


Yoda

 

[Ivashkin]

What's the origin of the doc you post as last picture ? Russian, I believe ?

You are right I have this article and thought it`s some project ammo, which didn`t use. But two years ago I got question and treated headache
Article bases on different after-WW1 foreign sources, but I haven`t found any of them.

Should it be possible of a "booby-trap" of X number of electrical mines made to protect an access ?

In article mine calls as A/T, but tanks hadn`t ever used on East Front and waite them from Russian side was stupid, because they didn`t have another importent ammo.
Very simillar "saucepan" found in Belaruasia and man told, that it was like spider (wires instead of legs) and on end of legs was grenade. Probably it was like some minefield with only one contactor. But it`s only rumor.

 

[stecol]

A sort of NVU-P ante-litteram ?

 

[Ivashkin]

A sort of NVU-P ante-litteram ?

No, something like devil chain, what made Belidor in France.
I think germans really waited russian tanks, but when understood that they will not come, decided to use mines on another way - controlling minefields. But some of mines used as A/T, what and found in Lithuania.

 

[stecol]

Ivan, tell me something about Belidor, please.
I don't know anything about it

 

[MINENAZ16]

Hello Antanas,

Very interesting mine (!), could you give dimensions ?
Thank you.

Regards

 

[Bellifortis]

Hi, guys. I am EOD technician from Lithuanian Armed Forces . Need help. We found AT or Apers mine in flank of WWI German positions, location Lithuania/ Latvia border ( former eastern front). There is no technical data. Mine has two acidic batteries, two boxes with the amonium expl., four switches on the top as pressure switches and some wires for connection of componets. Maybe some of You have some info about this stuff?
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Hallo,
is it right to assume that the 3 pushbutton, plastic parts are simple, old bell-ringing-push-buttons. These look like WW1 vintage, but they have been used even up to the 1950's. If this is the case, the mine would have been a quite easily (a few 100gr of pressure) set off mine, so AP not AT. Or is there any contraption to hold up the pressure board before it descends. All I can discern in the photo is the red narrow spring-steel. This I assume is just a safety device because the bell-buttons are so easily depressed. I have never seen any documentation of mines like this in german literature from WW1. In WW2 there are many similar contraptions mentioned in the literature, made in Estonia, Latvia and other eastern countries because they had not sufficient factory made models available to them. I do not know of any german landmine that used electrical ignition, while the russians used a multitude of battery operated landmines in WW2. May be the germans were introduced to this type of ignition by their lithuanian compatriots. Also in WW1 the germans had big problems with resupplying their troops, especially in outlying areas.
Greetings,
Bellifortis.

 

[Ivashkin]

Ivan, tell me something about Belidor, please.
I don't know anything about it

Itş verz simple. Some kind of controlling minefield, but from XVIII centure.
Belidor (Bernard Forest de Bélidor) made some system for defence moat around castle. On the moat bottom lays group or lines of some explosive charges (fugases) with black powder.

 

[Antanas Brazdauskas]

Hi, Yoda. Yes of course, You can use any picture with this mine