Glasmine 43
Encyclopedia
The Glasmine 43 was an anti-personnel mine
used by the German
s during World War II
.
In order to make the mine less detectable, the entire body is made from glass
. Aside from being less detectable, the use of less metal was beneficial because it saved this valuable war resource for other uses. At first, only mechanical igniters were used; with later models, chemical igniters would be used. Even today there still are minefields of the Glasmine 43 in the "Nationalpark Eifel". In 1944 and 1945 11 million mines were produced, at the end of the war 9.7 million were still in the stocks.
Anti-personnel mine
Anti-personnel mines are a form of land mine designed for use against humans, as opposed to anti-tank mines, which are designed for use against vehicles...
used by the German
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
s during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In order to make the mine less detectable, the entire body is made from glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
. Aside from being less detectable, the use of less metal was beneficial because it saved this valuable war resource for other uses. At first, only mechanical igniters were used; with later models, chemical igniters would be used. Even today there still are minefields of the Glasmine 43 in the "Nationalpark Eifel". In 1944 and 1945 11 million mines were produced, at the end of the war 9.7 million were still in the stocks.
External links
- Description and images on LEXPEV
- Another short description on Castle Argghhh!!!