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Flascheneisminezunder question

R

RegPitt

Active Member
With the Flascheneisminezunder seated in its wooden adapter and the cap screwed on the bottle, what sort of 'pressure'
detonates the charge? More pressure on the top of the cap, water pressure, ice, is the cap removed again?? None of these seem to make much sense.
Thought maybe someone can lay it out for me. Thanks,...
 
These are simple concussion detonators and work the same as the later developed US M1 Concussion detonators, but only submerged in water, which was their intended use.
Regards,
Bellifortis.
 
Thanks, but what detonates them? Concussion from what? I know they exploded sympathetically, when one blows so do the others, etc. But, does the very first bottle have to be detonated electrically with a Gluhzunder 28 to cause the first concussion?
Excuse my ignorance.
 
RegPitt, I understand your doubts, it's quite hard to imagine - but it worked well.

Scannen0044.jpg

The fuse with its percussion cap, protected by the shear wire, was triggerd simply by the enormous water pressure under a closed ice cover (precondition), caused by the initial mine (usually a double pack).
The latter was generally ignited electrically with a Glhznder 28; or for reasons of ignition reliability together with time fuse in a second pack.

MB 29-5 29.jpg This sketch might help.
 
So, someone still had to initiate the first explosion electrically (Gluhzunder28) causing the pressure to be exerted on the other mines with pressure fuses? (Flascheneisminezunder)
I just assumed somehow these mines were placed and then left alone. That didn't make sense. Thanks for your patience......
 
Of course, as every unwatched minefield -these ice-mines had been used for very special purposes- lost its intended effect sooner or later and degenerated into booby traps.
 
Seems to me that this process was a lot of work for the results. As it would only blow the ice along a small portion of river, etc. There would have had to have been miles worth of these
mine placements to have any real effect. And then there would have had to be troops stationed along the way in order to blow them.
Maybe I'm missing the big picture here....was this intended to be blown when the enemy is crossing or before?
 
These mines were developed for the war in Russia, where rivers often were the natural line of division between the belligerents. These could not easily be crossed by tanks, so the defence of one bank could be accomplished with quite a few troops. In winter, when the rivers freeze over, the ice can become thick enough to carry tanks. The lightly defended german positions could then easily be overrun. The "Flascheneisminen" were suspended in lines, when the ice was not so very thick. When an attack with tanks occured, 1 observer could fire 1 or more lines and so make the river impassable for tanks. Shure, this was only short term, when the broken iceline froze over again, it again became passable, but in that time reinforcements could be transfered to that spot (if available). These mine lines were always observer fired.
Bellifortis.
 
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