The Hazards of the Job
Signalmen worked in conditions that made their trade among the most perilous on the front. To keep communication lines open, they advanced through ground that had only just been fought over—terrain still unsettled, often uncleared, and always uncertain.
Each pole hole they dug or length of cable they unrolled might conceal something lethal beneath it. Mines, tripwires, and improvised traps were as much a part of the landscape as shell holes and barbed wire.
The line between engineering and ordnance work quickly disappeared, forcing signal crews to learn, often through bitter experience, how to recognize and survive the devices left behind by retreating forces.
German Mines
German L.P.Z. Mine (Light Panzermine)
This anti-tank mine measured about 11 inches in diameter, 2.25 inches high, and weighed 9 lbs, with 5 lbs of TNT. It was painted dark gray. A centrally located safety screw was covered by a metal cap fastened to the cover by two bayonet lugs. Five igniters were bolted inside the mine. These were visible as five large nuts on the cover.
Topf Tellermine 44 Anti-Tank Mine
This mine was one of several German anti-tank devices.The mine operated under a pressure of about 330 lbs. This pressure sheared the plate along its groove, crushed the igniter, and fired the charge.
This mine could not be detected by mine detectors.
This entirely non-metallic mine measured 13 inches in diameter, 5 inches high, and weighed 20 lbs, including 12.5 lbs of explosive. It was black in color and consisted of a booster plug assembly, igniter, and a body made of paper, sawdust, and tar.
The casing was painted with a thick compound called Tarnsand, a mildly radioactive substance that allowed German mine detectors—equipped with simple Geiger counters—to locate the mines.
German "S" Mine 35
This anti-personnel mine was the most widely known and among the deadliest. It was about 6 inches high and 4 inches in diameter, usually fitted with the three-pronged "S" Mine igniter 35. The mine was buried with only the igniter prongs above ground.
When stepped on, the igniter triggered a booster charge. This propelled the mine out of its metal case about four feet into the air, where it exploded. The blast scattered 350 steel balls in all directions—deadly up to at least 100 yards.
Anti personnel mine : anti-lifting device (Entlastungzünder 44)
The Entlastungszünder 44 (E.Z. 44) was a German anti-lifting fuze used primarily to booby-trap anti-tank mines (such as the Tellermine 42) so that if the mine was lifted, the fuze would trigger the explosive, killing the individual trying to disarm an anti-tank mine. It housed a simple clockwork mechanism and a half-pound charge. It was designed to be laid under mines but could also be used as an anti-personnel mine for booby-trapping houses. Once armed, it could not be disarmed or neutralized. A common method to spot these was by holding a mirror underneath an unearthed landmine before removing it.
Booby Traps
Booby traps were already common as far back as World War I. By World War II, weapons technology had advanced to make them very difficult to detect.
Leaflets warned front-line G.I.s about common booby traps and the many ways they could be deployed.
Remote Neutralization and Disposal Procedures
Mines that could not be safely disarmed were destroyed in place from a distance. Engineers attached long cords or placed demolition charges on the casing and fired them using safety fuzes or friction igniters.
Booby-trapped or unstable mines were never handled and were blown up on site, while those kept for study had detonators removed and igniters secured.
