Stockmine 43 , Germany WW2

[pzgr40]

Cutaway model of a WW2 German Stockmine 43. The cilindrical mine body is 165mm long (6,2 inches), the diameter of the mine body is 70mm (2,8 inch). The mine body is made of shrapnel, held together by concrete. Total weight of the mine body is 1,9 kg (4,2 pounds). The explosive charge consists of the ‘bohrpatrone 28’, a 100 grams cylindrical stick of TNT, packed in waxed paper. In top of this Bohrpatrone a hole is drilled in which a small aluminium flanged pipe is placed, threaded on the inside. This is used to screw the fuze in. The detonator is placed in this pipe , below the fuze.
This mine is fuzed with the ZZ (Zug Zunder / Pull Fuze) 42, a bakelite fuze with a spring loaded firing pin, kept in upper position by a radial placed “butterfly pin” that keeps the firing pin fixated in the upper position. Normaly the mine is placed by pushing the stick/stake into the ground, placing the mine with the explosive charge over the stake, and inserting the fuze. A second stake is pushed in the ground some meters further. A trip wire is tied to the butterfly pin of the ZZ42 and attached to the second stake. If the tripwire is tensioned and the butterfly pin is pulled from the firing pin the mine is activated.
The mine could also be used in combination with the ZZ35 (ZugZUnder / Pull fuze 35), or the ZuZZ35 (Zug und Zerschneide Zunder / pull and tension release fuze 35). In both cases, a stake protruding over the fuze is placed beside the mine. In top of this stake, two nails are placed side by side. A trip wire is attached to the top of the pull fuze, than led between the two nails , and connected to the other stake a few meters further. If the trip wire is tensioned, the horizontal tension is redirected into vertical tension, activating the pull fuze, exploding the mine.
The Stockmine 43 was used in large numbers along the Atlantic coast as well as inland, as the stockmine 43 was easy and cheap to -localy- produce, and very effective against enemy infantry.
The mine was lethal in a radius up to 50 yards (15 meters).

Regards, DJH

 

[BMG50]

I believe there are two types, one with a flat base, the other with a taper, either green or sand in colour.

 

[sgdbdr]

Right

 

[Slick]

I am awed by the smooth cut(s) DJH was able to obtain in the mine body.
A nearly 7 year old thread of mine: http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/88468-Don-t-try-this-at-home?highlight=stockmine
related the difficulties in cutting the cement and steel mix of the mine body. I ended up having to go with the "exploded" option as my attempts at filing the cut smooth were for naught. Noted in that old thread, I never got around to finishing and show my work. This discussion allows me to put the finishing touches on that as well as highlight DJH's work. Showing the the differences between my homegrown job and a professional's touch.
Here is how my display ended up:

 

[pzgr40]

Well, you're the first one to notice. These days we have this 125mm cutting discs 1mm thick, these realy do the trick. You have to cut very carefully, 1 to 2mm deep at one time at each side without bringing in to much heat that will crumble the concrete when the steel heats up too much, either loosen the steel shrapnell in the concrete. The same problem for smootening the cut surfaces, steel is soft, concrete is hard, so the 1100mm sanding belts are blunt after a minute. It took me five grinding discs and 4 sanding belts to get this result. I can ashure you the price of used tools by far surpassed the price of the mine body. That, and the time it took me to cut and smoothen the mine body (about four hours).

I gave it a try before in 2003 but than the body broke apart. So I made one from plaster of paris to which I glued the shrappnel. I descided to give it another try a week ago when I could lay my hands on a new mine. I do however allways prefer the real thing.

 

[pzgr40]

Addition:
Here the stockmine 43 version with the ZZ35 (Zug Zunder / Pull fuze). In the top of the chamfered pole beside the mine two nails are hammered in top to prevent the tripwire from slipping of the pole when tensioned. If tensioned, the horizontal tension of the tripwire is translated to a vertical pull force on the pull puze.
The ZZ35 has a slider (light blue) on the inside of the fuze body. This slider houses the spring loaded firing pin, kept in tensioned position by tho radial pins (red) which are held in inward position by the fuze housing. The slider is kept in lower position by a spring above the slider. The tripwire is attached to a hole in top of the slider. When the tripwire is tensioned, the slider is puller upward –riding the spring- up to the moment the two red pin can move outward as they have reached a wider part in fuze housing. This will release the firing pin to activate the firing cap, igniting the mine.

 

[BMG50]

A water jet cutter would most probably do the job.

 

[pzgr40]

You' d have to cut in the length direction. I do however fear it's not going to be a succes as you cut through tough and brittle material in sandwiched layers.

 

[kiwieod]

someone here in NZ has been importing stockmines for a reasonable price so i thought i would have a go at the cutaway.it went well,i ran the hose on the cut to keep it cool,but it still took about 3 hours to cut as it heats up quite quickly,used a 1.5mm steel cutting disc.polished with 400grit wet and dry sandpaper.

 

[BMG50]

Looks like you have used fine 1mm thick slitting metal cutting discs which doesn't give out much heat as well as using water.

 

[pzgr40]

Looks like you succeeded very well Kiwieod. Congratulations! Looks very good:tinysmile_fatgrin_t
Keeping it on a stick while grinding, well thought out. I kept it in a vice with all risc of breaking.

 

[Anders]

I wrote a detailed article on the Stock mine used in Denmark by the German occupational forces. Unfortunate it is a pay per view article.
SAR - Volume V13N1

For the information I do not get as much as a nickle for the article, I got payed a onetime fee back in October 2009 when I submitted the article. Ha who is laughing now. :tinysmile_cry_t: Defiantly not me. :tinysmile_cry_t3: