Minefields under Snow?

[Paul AU]

I’m wondering what impact snowfall had on minefield effectiveness.

AP especially - how much snow, if any, would reduce their effectiveness?

I'm guessing not much, but I wonder. Historical references?

[John D Salt]

Originally posted by Paul AU:

I’m wondering what impact snowfall had on minefield effectiveness.

AP especially - how much snow, if any, would reduce their effectiveness?

I'm guessing not much, but I wonder. Historical references?

The 1951 Basic Arctic Manual (FM31-70 or CATP 9-1) says that "TNT, Tetrytol amminium nitrate, composition "C", shaped charges and bangalore torpedoes are affected very little by cold" (para 158). The advice on anti-tank mines (para 159) says that care must be taken to ensure that they are mounted on a solid base, and "not buried too deeply otherwise the top layer may accept the weight and not detonate the mine". It also advises that "Additional charges will help overcome the smothering effect of deep snow", so this seems to have been a factor, and the use of carboard packing is recommended to prevent fuzes from being rendered ineffective by penetrating mositure that re-freezes. Finally, it is advised that mines must be painted white, as the covering of snow may blow away.

As to anti-personnel mines (para 160), the same precautions about solid basing and avoiding freezing moisture are mentioned. For tripped munitions -- white trip-wires are needed -- the point is made that trip-wires can be hidden in snow, and a nice trick in forested areas is to mount the mines themselves on trees.

Two kinds of mine that are used only in arctic conditions are track-mines, which must be extra sensitive to rpessure because they are intended to be set off by men on skis or snowshoes, and ice-mines, which are the only kind of mine where sympathetic detonation of multiple mines is intended (so that the enemy crossing the ice reprise the scene for "Alksandr Neskiy").

So, in short, your first guess was pretty much right.

All the best,

John.

[John Kettler]

Paul AU,

This series has much that will be of interest to you.

http://www.emilitarymanuals.com/ww22.htm

This may be even groggier.

http://tinyurl.com/3cgggv

This suggests there are technical issues with mines which are still very much with us.

http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA107047

This one's terrific. I have it around here somewhere.

http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA270031

Regards,

John Kettler

[Paul AU]

Well thank you... more than I expected.

"Not buried too deeply otherwise the top layer may accept the weight and not detonate the mine.. the smothering effect of deep snow" … this is what I was wondering about. What if a mine-defended unit woke up one morning with 12 inches of snow over their main defence? (Or, drifted-over, over a few days).

Still not sure what the answer to that would be, and I have never read of any such circumstances.

But there may be something to it.

[Guest Mike]

12" probably wouldn't do much, although men on skis or snowshoes might get past it - if it was an AT field then tanks would amost certainly crush down to the mines anyway.

24" and you might have trouble even with heavy vehicles.

[TylerF]

But wouldn't 24'' of snow be just as bad to the tanks as mines?

I don;t think many tanks could just glide over 2 feet of snow without some chance of getting stuck.

[Guest Mike]

I dare say you're correct for many, but think T34's, light tanks, universal carriers, half tracks and hte like that my still operate on top of it.

It's all just guesswork on my part tho.