Special opps

[Tuney]

This is a de activated WW2 SOE switch No8 anti personnel mine MK1 I came across the other day
thought you might like to see pics

 

[Eugenio]

It's a wood bullet?

 

[Tuney]

It's a wood bullet?

No there is no bullet that’s just twisted cardboard in the end so I don’t loose the internals until I find a deactivated bullet for it

 

[Tuney]

It's a wood bullet?

The bullets are real specially made for the mine see pic. So very hard to find I think but I can hope

 

[Eugenio]

Good luck

 

[ron3350]

I am going from memory as I cannot find the reference or cartridge journal where I read about the switch ammunition.
I think there were two different primers. Brass and nickel.
Also there was an entirely wooden dummy round for training use so do not laugh at the wood query posted above.

 

[Eugenio]

I think a wood bullet is not a laugh matter, some blank cartridges (I remember now Mauser and Carl Gustav between others) use it, al they are deadly in point blank shoots. The spanish army had some deads in the 50' this way.

 

[TimG]

See here - https://sites.google.com/site/britmilammo/no-8-switch

TimG

 

[Eugenio]

Thanks.

Look the last caption: "Even if it had a wood bullet, it must have been an unpleasant device to step on!". A wooden ball is not a joke.

 

[Alan1]

Here are a couple of Switches, and the appropriate cartridges - the two on the left are service cartridges, and that on the right is a fired training version. Note the bent tip to the wood bullet. Ron 3350 is quite right, one round is fitted with a brass ICI primer, the other is nickel.
Note that the Switches were issued with a cork plug at the business end, to prevent ingress of grit or debris as the switch was installed or heeled in and before the cartridge was installed. Obviously!
Alan1.