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.
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarines by detonating in the water near the target and subjecting it to a destructive hydraulic shock. Most depth charges use high explosives with a fuze set to detonate the charge, typically at a specific depth from the surface. Depth charges can be dropped by ships, patrol aircraft and helicopters.
The 8.8 cm KwK 43 was an 88 mm 71-calibre-length tank gun designed by Krupp and used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. It was mounted as the primary armament on the Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. B Tiger II. The 8.8 cm Pak 43, an anti-tank gun, was very similar in design but mounted on tank destroyers or deployed stand-alone on the field.
The T-26 tank was a Soviet light tank used during many conflicts of the Interwar period and in World War II. It was a development of the British Vickers 6-Ton tank and was one of the most successful tank designs of the 1930s until its light armour became vulnerable to newer anti-tank guns. It was produced in greater numbers than any other tank of the period, with more than 11,000 units manufactured giving it the title of the most produced tank during the interwar period. During the 1930s, the USSR developed 53 variants of the T-26, including flame-throwing tanks, combat engineer vehicles, remotely controlled tanks, self-propelled guns, artillery tractors, and armoured carriers. Twenty-three of these were series-produced, others were experimental models.
The Panzerfaust was a development family of single-shot man-portable anti-tank systems developed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The weapons were the first single-use light anti-tank weapons based on a pre-loaded disposable launch tube, a weapon configuration which is still used today.
In anti-tank warfare, an anti-tank mine is a type of land mine designed to damage or destroy vehicles including tanks and armored fighting vehicles.
The German S-mine, known by enemy Allied Forces as the "Bouncing Betty" on the Western Front and "frog-mine" on the Eastern Front, is the best-known version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. When triggered, these mines are launched into the air and then detonated at about one metre (3 ft) from the ground. The explosion projects a lethal spray of shrapnel in all directions. The S-mine was an anti-personnel mine developed by Germany in the 1930s and used extensively by German forces during World War II. It was designed to be used in open areas against unshielded infantry. Two versions were produced, designated by the year of their first production: the SMi-35 and SMi-44. There are only minor differences between the two models.
The 7.5 cm Pak 40 was a German 75 millimetre anti-tank gun of the Second World War.
The TMD-44 and TMD-B are simple rectangular Soviet wooden box cased anti-tank blast mines, they were both used during the Second World War. Both mines are similar in design, differing only in fuzing mechanism. The wooden construction of both the mines makes them unpredictable as rot and insects can eat away the wooden case, reducing activation pressure to as little as 3 kg. Both mines are found in a number of countries including Afghanistan, Angola, Chad, Cuba, Egypt, Korea, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Flachmine 17 was a German anti-tank landmine mass-produced during the First World War. Production of the mine began in 1916 after the appearance of British and French tanks, and over three million had been produced by the end of the war. The mine consisted of a simple wooden box containing a main charge with four spring percussion detonators at the top which would trigger when driven over by a heavy vehicle such as a tank. It was also possible to wire the mine for manual remote detonation.
The Panzer-Stabmine 43 was a German anti-tank mine, together with the Hohl-Sprung mine 4672 it was the first mine to combine a shaped charge warhead with a tilt-rod fuze. The mine was developed during the Second World War. The mine consisted of a wine glass shaped metal main body mounted on a wooden post, with a tilt rod holding arm projecting to one side. It used a 125 mm diameter warhead with 1.6 kg of explosive, and a combination pressure/tilt fuze.
The Panssarimiina m/36 is a Finnish anti-tank blast mine used during the Winter War, Second World War and Continuation War. The mine was the first purpose-built anti-tank mine to enter service with the Finnish Army, and was designed by Lieutenant Colonel T. Raatikainen and Lieutenant Colonel Pylkkänen. Only 5,000 were produced, as the mine proved complex to produce for a number of reasons. The fuze was complex and designed to be interchangeable with artillery fuzes, so artillery shells could be used alongside the mines, also the sheet metal case was hard to produce.
The Panssarimiina m/39 is a Finnish anti-tank blast mine used during the Winter War, Second World War and Continuation War. The mine was first developed by Major General Arvo Saloranta in October 1939, it superseded the Panssarimiina m/36 in service with the Finnish Army. It was first delivered in December 1939 while the Winter War was taking place. Though it was simpler to produce than the earlier m/36 it was still too complicated, and supply was outstripped by demand. This spawned the rapid design and development of the wooden Panssarimiina m/S-39 which could be largely produced without the use of metal working machinery.
The Panssarimiina m/44 is a Finnish anti-tank blast mine. It entered service in 1944 and was used during the Second World War and Continuation War. The mine used a wooden case, consisting of an upper box containing the main charge and a downward facing fuze, this was placed into a sturdy wooden tray, larger than the box. Enough pressure on the upper box resulted in the upper box collapsing into the lower tray and triggering the detonator.
The PMZ-40 was a circular metal-cased Soviet multi-purpose landmine used during the Second World War. It was similar in design to the earlier Finnish Panssarimiina m/36 which was used during the Winter War. The mine had a serrated lower edge that allowed it to be deployed on sheet ice. The pressure plate was held over the fuse by four sheer bolts, rotating the pressure plate allows it to rest directly on the fuse, making it sensitive enough to be used as an anti-personnel mine. The mine proved to be too dangerous to use, and was replaced by the TM-41 anti-tank mine.
The Anti-Tank Mine General Service Mark II was a British anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War.
The TMD-40 was a wooden-cased Soviet anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War. The mine consisted of a rectangular wooden box which contained a detonator assembly at each end and seven 400 gram and four 200 gram blocks of explosive. The fuse assemblies consisted of a lever device, which when pressed downward by pressure pieces attached to the lid of the mine, see-sawed upward, pulling the striker retaining pin from a pull detonator. The main charge was then triggered.
The NV-41 was a wooden-cased Soviet anti-tank blast mine used during the Second World War. The mine consists of a square wooden box with a filling plug on the bottom. The top of the box is covered by a thin pressure lid, which covers a pressure plate held up by a spring. Sufficient pressure on the lid collapses it down onto the pressure plate. Downward movement of the pressure plate moves down a pressure plunger, which in turn levers up the striker retaining lever, releasing the spring-loaded striker and allowing it to impact the stab sensitive detonator, triggering the main charge.
The L.P.Z. mine or Leichte Panzermine was a circular, metal-cased German anti-tank mine produced during the Second World War. The mine was accepted into service in 1941, and were intended for use by Paratroops. Production of the mine ended in 1942 with only 31,700 mines produced. The mines were first used during Operation Merkur, the airborne invasion of Crete and were still in use at the end of the war.
The Holzmine 42 was an anti-tank mine that was developed by Germany and used by the Wehrmacht during World War II.
