A.T. Mine E.P. Mark II
The Anti-Tank Mine Egyptian Pattern Mark II was a British Anti-tank mine of World War II.[1][2][3]
| A.T. Mine E.P. Mark II | |
|---|---|
| Type | Anti-tank mine |
| Place of origin | UK |
| Service history | |
| Used by | UK |
| Wars | World War II |
| Specifications | |
| Height | 4 in (100 mm) |
| Diameter | 10 in (250 mm) |
| Filling | TNT |
| Filling weight | 4.5 lb (2.0 kg) |
They were produced near Cairo for use in extensive minefields in the North Africa campaign.
Design
The mine is a circular shape 4 inches(100mm) high and 10 inches(250mm) in diameter.[1] It has a cover which is always on the mine in active use which is shaped like a mushroom.[1] [4]This cover is attached to the mine to secure it in place by four hooked straps on the mine cover which attach to a wire on the bottom of the mine to hold the cover in place.[4]The mine has its fuze well in the centre.[4]
The side of the mine houses a channel close to the bottom that gives access to the mine centre fuze well.[4]A small metal tab can be used to close off the channel making the mine safe for example for transport or storage.[4]
The mine is detonated when a vehicle comes on top of it by the pressure of the vehicle on top of the mine forcing a plunger in the mine to go down through a shear pin and then after that against an ampoule cartridge.[4] [1]The plunger then with its downward momentum crushes the cartridge intiating a chemical reaction which activates the mine.[4][1]
Arming this mine is a process in which you must insert the ampoule cartridge in the detonater and then seal it inside then take out the steel rod and insert the detonater then bend the metal tab.[4]Mines are disarmed through extracting the detonater from the mine without force. Mine should be safely destroyed instead of disarmed.[4]
Service
This mine being of Egyptian origin means it saw extensive service by United Kingdom and Commonwealth defensive positions during the North African campaign.[5]
References
- "British Mines of the Second World War". www.wwiiequipment.com. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
- "OP 1665 - British Ordnance; Part6 - Land Mines and Fuzes; Chapter 2 - Anti-Tank Mines and Fuzes: A./T. Mine E.P. Mk II (Obsolete)". michaelhiske.de. Retrieved 2021-01-03.
- "Reference of Egyptian pattern mines in a written document by a minelayer published by the BBC".
- "A/Tk Mine EP Mk2". www.lexpev.nl. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
- Said, Mohamed Kadry (2003), Brauch, Hans Günter; Liotta, Peter H.; Marquina, Antonio; Rogers, Paul F. (eds.), "Landmines from External Powers in World War II at El-Alamein in Egypt", Security and Environment in the Mediterranean: Conceptualising Security and Environmental Conflicts, Hexagon Series on Human and Environmental Security and Peace, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 513–522, doi:10.1007/978-3-642-55854-2_32, ISBN 978-3-642-55854-2, retrieved 2021-01-03