A diagram of an M2A4 Mine.
The M2 Mine was an anti-personnel bounding mine that was used by the United States during World War II.
Description[]
It was mainly made out of steel and it was based on the Mle 1939 Mine. It also had about 154 grams of TNT in it and the steel body of the mine contained a sixty milliemtre mortar shell with no tail.[1] The total weight of the mine was 2.95 kilograms and the height was 24.4 centimetres.
The explosive range of the mine was about 100 metres and the height that the mine detonates once it has been launched into the air was two to three metres. When buried, the mine's main body was placed slightly underground while the prongs were placed above ground.
Like many other mines, the M2 has a safety pin placed at the top of the mine so that when placed, the mine won't detonate. It also could be modified so that it would detonate via tripwire and one of the only ways to disable the mine was by putting a pin where the safety pin used to be.[2]
Variants[]
The M2 Mine had six variants which each had minor difference including more powerful charges and new colors. The M2A1 Mine was simplified so it could be mass-produced and it had several modifications to the main body of the mine. The M2A2 Mine had hardly any differences and the M2A3 mine had a bigger charge along with a slightly different color scheme for the base. The M2A4 also had minor changes.
History[]
The M2 Mine was first used in 1942 and was inspired by designs by Pierre Delalande. It was not very successful and it was quickly replaced after World War II by the M16 Mine. The M16 Mine was based heavily off of the German SMi-35 Mine or Bouncing Betty. Although it was obsolete, some countries still had M2 Mines all the way up to 2006, when they were destroyed.
References[]
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