Re: Mines in arctic warfare?

[Lauri Gardner <lauri_gardner@xxxxxxxxx>]

Finland uses mines as a first line of defence so I
might be able to answer some of the questions, also
just looking out I think I've got the weather problem
sorted out too.

> 
> I have some questions about the use of
> anti-personnel mines (like
> Claymores) in arctic warfare.
> How are they affected by snow, humidity, and
> temperature?

Temperature, snow and humidity are not a factor for
the mines functionality. 

However, if the mine casing is cracked, water can seep
into the mine casing which will cause problems with a
detonation. The detonator may also stick if there has
been a rise in temperature and then a sudden drop
(snow melting and then refreezing). However this is
genrally not a problem considering that a man weighing
80kg will still set it off.

Another factor is this, a mine for snow operations
whould be placed 30cm under the snow if it deeper, or
on the ground if not. The snow should not be packed.

With high temperatures causing snow to melt mines will
be seen, and depending on how windy and how cold and
moisture laden the air is(the less moisture the colder
it is), mines will uncover themselves. 


> Can the mines be protected from the climate?

Yes. All good mines are.
We still get problems with cows walking over 50 year
old mines (with rain, the explosive used actually
becomes less coarse, causing more of an explosion).

> Which is the most sensitive part of the mine
> relative to the cold
> environment?

The detonator switch. There are also all sorts of
detonators out there, like the pull detonator which
does not have any of the problems of a switch
detonator.

As a side comment, there are several hundred different
types of mines out there with a variety of different
methods in which they are triggered and multiple ways
they will explode (everything from the .50 bullet with
a nail on under the cartridge to WWII "Bouncing
Betties" which jump spraying an area). I won't even
talk about airborne or artillery fired mines.

Claymores are their own problem. They can either be
detonated with a trip wire, but any soldier knows that
the best way on using a claymore is command detonated.
Command detonation can be done either via radio or by
a line. Line detonation is far safer (either using a
pull or electrical detonator). In a cold environment,
the battery should be kept warm with body warmth since
batteries discharge in cold environments very quickly.

--
Lauri Gardner

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