Weapons · Germany · 1935-1945
S-mine
anti-personnel mine
The Schrapnellmine, or S-mine, was a bounding fragmentation mine triggered by a pressure prong or tripwire; a small propelling charge launched the main body roughly a meter into the air before it detonated, scattering hundreds of steel balls and fragments outward at roughly chest height. Its lethal radius of around 20 meters, with danger extending much further, made it deeply feared by advancing infantry, who nicknamed it the 'Bouncing Betty.' Germany produced close to two million of them and used them extensively in defensive minefields and beach obstacles, and its bounding design was widely copied after the war, including in the American M16 mine.
| weight | ~4.1 kg |
|---|---|
| explosive charge | 182 g TNT |
| fragments | ~360 steel balls/rods |
| lethal radius | ~20 m |
| trigger force | ~7 kg |
Eastern Front, Western Europe, Battle of the Atlantic, Mediterranean and North Africa
