Deadly traps for tanks and men
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Title (Dublin Core)
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Deadly traps for tanks and men
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Article Title and/or Image Caption (Dublin Core)
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Title: Deadly traps for tanks and men
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extracted text (Extract Text)
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METHODS of blowing up an
enemy and delaying an
army’s advance are reach-
ing new perfection in this war of
machines. Among the latest is an
adaptation of the land mine to spe-
cial destruction of the deadly tank.
These mines, fruit of the experi-
ments of demolition troops, are
easy to transport, can be laid quickly trom
a truck, and explode instantaneously when
struck by the tread of a tank.
‘The mines consist of five pounds of TNT
in a round metal container fitted with a
detonator ring which sets off a detonator
cap under the pressure of weight. One mine
can be placed on top of another, or three or
four can be laid in tiers, so that all explode
at once. Handled by squads known as tank-
obstacle crews, they are placed in strategic
spots around an area to be protected, and
then camouflaged with leaves, brush, or a
light layer of dirt.
One old form of destruction, the explosive
“booby trap,” used extensively in the last
war and the early days of the present war,
is still a favorite of retreating soldiers,
though its value lies chiefly in its nuisance
element and effect on morale. Devising new
ways of tricking enemy scouts and advance
detachments is a test of ingenuity. An in-
nocent-looking helmet, a food box, or an
abandoned truck or plane, is bait left pur-
posely in the path of an enemy and conceals
a hair-trigger infernal machine that goes
off when it is disturbed.
The mechanism is generally makeshift,
and usually effective. Clothespins, mouse
traps, old nails, simply contrived springs,
and even rubber bands supply the trigger
that closes a dry-cell battery's circuit and
sets off the destructive charge. As for the
bait, soldiers apparently have a hard time
resisting that impulse to pick up objects
lett lying around, especially if they look
like something that might contain food.
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Language (Dublin Core)
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Eng
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Date Issued (Dublin Core)
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1942-07
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pages (Bibliographic Ontology)
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74-75
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Rights (Dublin Core)
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Public domain
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Archived by (Dublin Core)
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Sami Akbiyik
Popular Science Monthly, v. 141, n. 1, 1942
