The POMZ-1 was an anti-personnel land mine used by the Soviet Union during World War II.
Description
It was a fragmentation mine and was mounted on a small wooden stake. The mine is operated mainly via tripwire using a special MUV-type fuse that when the wire is pulled, the firing pin is able to strike the primer thus igniting the mine. Alternatively, the mine can be fitted with a standard pressure fuse that detonates when the target applies a certain amount of force. Inside the mine was 75 grams of TNT explosive. The blast radius was around 5 meters while fragmented pieces of the mine could travel an additional 5 meters.
The mine had a diameter of 60mm and a length of 130mm. Because of the simplicity of the mine, just a metal body mounted on a stake, mass production was easily achievable. Furthermore, in combat, the mine became highly unpredictable because of the fact that the materials used to make the mine deteriorated quickly. This acted as a benefit for Soviet troops in deterring enemies. but a drawback when whole minefields had to be disabled.[1]
Variants[]
The POMZ series of mines only had two variants made. These were the POMZ-2 and POMZ-2M. The POMZ-2 was essentially an improved version of the original. It had several minor mechanical changes made but was more or less the same design. The POMZ-2M however had several larger changes. First of which was a change of weight from the POMZ-2's two kilograms to around 1.5 kilograms. Secondly, the height of the device was changed to 107mm.
History[]
The POMZ mine was first developed around early World War II in the Soviet Union. Due to its key traits, it was well liked by the men or who used it and was thus fully adopted into the Red Army. It was used throughout World War II and far into the future after the war. The most famous of these post-war users were the Viet-Cong during the Vietnam War. Easily hidden in dense brush, the POMZ was a deadly weapon employed to its full use.[2]
References[]
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