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A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets, ranging from combatants to vehicles and tanks, as they pass over or near it.
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The Protocol on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Mines, Booby-Traps and Other Devices is a United Nations treaty that restricts the use of land mines, remotely delivered mines, and booby traps. It is Protocol II to the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
Operation Cochise Green was a security and pacification operation during the Vietnam War conducted by the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bình Định Province from 30 March 1968 to 31 January 1969.
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Ukraine globally ranks as one of the states with the highest civilian casualties from landmines and unexploded ordnances, and the highest for anti-vehicle mine incidents. As of April 2023, it is estimated that approximately 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory are contaminated by landmines. Many types of landmines have been found in use in Ukraine, including novel variants. Though landmines have been in use since 2014 in Ukraine during the War in Donbas (2014–2022), their use was relatively sporadic until the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to Human Rights Watch, both Russian and Ukrainian government forces have utilized antipersonnel and anti-vehicle mines.
References
- ↑ Landmine Monitor Report - Page 514 1999 - "Use - Mines were used in all phases of the war in Vietnam, including by the French forces in the 1950s.7" [footnote] "7. International Committee of the Red Cross. Landmines, Friend or Foe? Geneva, March 1996"
- ↑ John L. Plaster SOG: the secret wars of America's commandos in Vietnam 1997 "Mining a back trail was easy using the M-14 "toe popper," a mine that was the diameter of a soda can but only one-third as long ... Designed to injure one foot — hence its nickname — the toe popper was compact and carried by the dozen."
- ↑ The Rotarian - Feb 2011 - Page 34 Vol. 189, No. 8 "The M14 blast-type anti-personnel mine used by the United States during the Vietnam War was known as the "toe-popper." Earlier examples of the toe-popper were the Soviet-made PMK-40 and the British-made "ointment box."
- ↑ Marvin G. Jensen Strike swiftly!: the 70th Tank Battalion from North Africa to Normandy to Germany 1997 "(Shermans with drums protruding in front with heavy chains that "flailed" the ground, exploding mines close to the surface.) Also there were "ointment box" mines, so called because that was what they resembled."
- ↑ Lawson, Don (1981). The United States in the Vietnam war . Crowell. p. 58. ISBN 978-0-690-04104-0. "Dap loi were made from empty .50 caliber machine gun shells that were filled with new powder and chunks of scrap ... They included carefully concealed land mines, grenades triggered by hidden trip wires placed alongside jungle trails or on.."
- ↑ vnmilitaryhistory.net "Thí dụ, chế tạo đạp lôi từ đạn súng trường, súng máy; cải tiến pháo thu được của địch để làm mìn, v.v… Đạp lôi - vũ khí lợi hại của chiến tranh nhân dân." đạp lôi (photo)
- ↑ "Mìn muỗi ngòi nụ xùy. 24. Mìn lá kiểu Bến Tre"
- ↑ What Can You Do to Help Our World?: Dreams Turned Into Reality - Page 35 Barbara Wolf, Margaret Anderson - 2012 "At first, the foundation's concentration was on Vietnam because land mines in the Vietnam War resulted in 20% amputee casualties within the Vietnam population. Returning American veterans appealed to Dr. Burgess to help the victims."
- ↑ Landmines: A Deadly Legacy - Page 18 Physicians for Human Rights (U.S.) - 1993 - 510 pages - Full view Vietnamese forces, which used several dozen types of improvised or simply manufactured mines, proved that advanced technology was not needed to deploy landmines with deadly effectiveness. In 1965, one year for which detailed statistics are available, 65–70% of US Marine Corps casualties were caused by mines and booby-traps....
- ↑ Congressional Record - Page 20595 Congress -""Fact is, anti-personnel land mines were the leading cause of our casualties in Vietnam," Muller said, "and they are the leading cause of casualties for our peacekeepers through NATO and the UN," not to mention the peril they now pose "
- ↑ Landmine Monitor Report - Page 726 2003 Total US humanitarian mine action funding to Vietnam was $3.638 million in US fiscal year 2002. ... in April 2002 for assistance in clearing mines and UXO along the route of the Ho Chi Minh Highway.90 International NGOs working in mine ..."
