Belgian AT mines

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daveh
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Belgian AT mines

#1

Post by daveh » 29 Jul 2008, 16:29

On
http://users.skynet.be/frat.royale.cha/
when describing the Battle at Bodange reference is made to mines and minefields.

Can anyone tell me more about the types of mines used, numbers and the ideas behind their use.
For example
When did the Belgians start developing AT mines?
Were they only used in association with fixed positions?
Were they only issued to engineer units and if so which?
Were they available within divisional units?

The only "details" I have seen so far are on
http://www.lexpev.nl/index.php
which lists 3 types of Belgian Anti tank mines namely

Type H
Type HA
Type BSB

The site has pics of the Type BSB but no other details. As far as I can tell this Type BSB is the type shown in Gander and Chamberlain's Small arms, artillery and special weapons of the Third Reich as the Panzerabwhermine 406(b).

The French did have AT mines available in May 1940 - http://forum.axishistory.com/posting.php?mode=post&f=85 - did these designs influence those of the belgians?

Any help much appreciated.

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phylo_roadking
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Re: Belgian AT mines

#2

Post by phylo_roadking » 29 Jul 2008, 17:03

Dave, I know the KW Line was SUPPOSED to be fronted with minefields - but I've never seen maps of any that were actually deployed. There ARE accounts in histories of the Battle of the Gembloux Gap of the French First Army defenders laying them in front of their positions - often ON TOP of the ground in front of artillery or AT positions...which would make me think that as they deployed on or BEHIND their PLANNED psoitions on the "original" line of the southern KW Line Defences, along the railway...that the BELGIAN minefields EITHER hadn't been laid at all 8O OR that they had been lifted during the three attempts in early 1940 to space the KW Line forward south of Wavre :wink: and hadn't been relaid yet?


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Prosper Vandenbroucke
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Re: Belgian AT mines

#3

Post by Prosper Vandenbroucke » 29 Jul 2008, 19:51

Hello Daveh,
I found an article in french language about the belgian AT mines.
Les mines antichars belges en 1940 / par Eric Simon
In : Bulletin d'Information du Centre Liègeois d'Histoire et d'Archéologie Militaires / édité par Centre Liègeois d'Histoire et d'Archéologie Militaire/CLHAM ; sous la rédaction de G. Spoiden. - Liège. - 29,5 x 21 cm. - Trimestriel, 2007; Tome X, Fasc. 3, p. 49-53

Maby it's possible to obtain some information or a copy of this article, if you contact the CLHAM on this website:
http://www.clham.org/
Click on the button "webmail" and send your request.
Hope it helps.
Kindly regards from Belgium.
Prosper :wink:
P.S. Sorry for my poor english, but it is my school english and that's far away :?

peter u
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Re: Belgian AT mines

#4

Post by peter u » 29 Jul 2008, 21:26

Hi Daveh,

Were they only used in association with fixed positions?
- No the were used to block roads also, a lot of minefields were made in the Ghent area.
Fixed positions were ofcourse protected by minefields, for example the important crossings on the Antwerp antitank canal were protected by minefields.
Those minefields were very troublesome for the German army and often they used Belgian POW's to clean them up.
In Brasschaat on 24 May 1940 (more then a week after the German occupation of Brasschaat) several Belgian POW's were killed by the blast of a mine when they were cleaning up mines on the Bredabaan crossing of the Antwerp antitank canal.
Mines ofcourse don't know the difference between friend or foe and atleast on T13 was destroyed by a friendly mine and civilians got wounded or killed by these mines.

Were they only issued to engineer units and if so which?
- Minefields were usually placed by the enigineer battalions.
Also infantry soldiers of ordinary line infantry regiments were sometimes trained as "vuurwerkmaker", explosive specialist; perhaps it wasn't only their task to place explosives charges for demolition work but also to place mines.

Cheers,
Peter

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peeved
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Re: Belgian AT mines

#5

Post by peeved » 29 Jul 2008, 21:28

Attached are three Belgian AT mine pics from "Kennblätter fremden Geräts" Pz Mi 405 (b) (Panzerabwehrmine 405 (b)) or Belgian type B.S.B., Pz Mi 406 (b) or Belgian type H and Str Mi 430 (b) (Straßenmine 430 (b)) Belgian name unknown. The Str Mi 430 (b) was remotely detonated with an electric or pyrotechnic fuse and thus was usable only in a constantly guarded position.
Markus
Attachments
PzMi405.jpg
PzMi405.jpg (13.74 KiB) Viewed 1649 times
PzMi406.jpg
PzMi406.jpg (15.82 KiB) Viewed 1651 times
StrMi430.jpg
StrMi430.jpg (32.19 KiB) Viewed 1647 times

daveh
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Re: Belgian AT mines

#6

Post by daveh » 31 Oct 2008, 16:04

http://www.bunkergordel.be/ has a small map showing Minefields laid by 4th Genie in the Oosterzele region of the Ghent bridgehead.(see home page 10th item down)
The text describing the fighting in the Ghent bridgehead also mentions infantry units awaiting a Genie unit to come and lay mines in front of its position. This certainly suggests any major mine laying activity was the responsibilty of engineering units.

daveh
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Location: uk

Re: Belgian AT mines

#7

Post by daveh » 07 Feb 2009, 16:37

for a fascinating article concerning Belgian anti tank mines see

Eric SIMON, Dossier "Les Mines Antichars belges" (1939-1940) at
http://sd-1.archive-host.com/membres/up ... 1940_4.pdf

posted on
http://abl1914to1940.aceboard.fr
in
section Armements: Equipements lourds et divers
post entitled Eric SIMON, Dossier "Les Mines Antichars belges" (1939-1940)

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