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The German S-mine (''Schrapnellmine'', ''Springmine'' or ''Splittermine'' in German), also known as the "Bouncing Betty", is the best-known version of a class of mines known as bounding mines. When triggered, these mines launch into the air and then detonate at about . The explosion projects a lethal spray of shrapnel in all directions. The S-mine was an anti-personnel mine developed by Germany in the 1930s and used extensively by German forces during World War II. It was designed to be used in open areas against unshielded infantry. Two versions were produced, designated by the year of their first production: the SMi-35 and SMi-44. There are only minor differences between the two models.〔US War Department Technical Manual TM-E 30-451: Handbook on German Military Forces, 1945 (Ch. VIII, Sec. V.5.a-b). ((available online) )〕 The S-mine entered production in 1935 and served as a key part of the defensive strategy of the Third Reich. Until production ceased in 1945, Germany produced over 1.93 million S-mines.〔JTV. (Finnish Army 1918–1945 ), last updated 12 March 2005.〕 These mines inflicted heavy casualties and slowed, or even repelled, drives into German-held territory throughout the war. The design was lethal, successful and much imitated. The S-mine remains one of the definitive weapons of World War II. ==History== French soldiers encountered the S-mine during minor probes into the coal-rich German Saar region in September 7–11, 1939, during the Saar Offensive. The S-mine contributed to the withdrawal of these French incursions.〔Lieutenant-Colonel C.E.E. Sloan, ''Mine Warfare on Land'', Brassey’s, London, 1986.〕 The mine's performance in the Saar region affirmed its effectiveness in the eyes of the German leadership and prompted the United States and other countries to copy its design.〔Lieutenant-Colonel John Ingraham & Col. Dalton Jones. ''Technical Intelligence Bulletins'' 8(5), 2003. ((available online) )〕 After their experience, the French nicknamed the mine "the silent soldier". The Third Reich used the S-mine heavily during the defense of its occupied territories and the German homeland during the Allied invasions of Europe and North Africa. The mines were produced in large numbers and planted liberally by defending German units. For example, the German Tenth Army deployed over 23,000 of them as part of their defense preparation during the Allied invasion of Italy.〔 *Klaus H. Huebner, ''Long Walk Through War: A Combat Doctor's Diary'', Texas A&M University, College Station, 1987.〕 S-mines were deployed on the beaches of Normandy in preparation for the anticipated invasion as part of a general program of heavy mining and fortification. On the Îles-St.-Marcouf, just off Utah Beach, where the Allied planners feared the Germans had established heavy gun batteries, Rommel had ordered S-mines to be "sown like grass seed."〔Cornelius Ryan. ''The Longest Day.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994, ISBN 0-671-89091-3, p. 162–163.〕 To build the Atlantic Wall, Germans deployed millions of mines of various types, anti-personnel mines (such as the S-mine), dug hundreds of kilometers of trenches, laid barbed wire, and constructed thousands of beach obstacles.〔Stephen E. Ambrose. ''D-Day, June 6, 1944: the climactic battle of World War II''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994, ISBN 0-671-67334-3, p. 577.〕 The mines were subsequently used to defend German positions during the Battle of Normandy and in the defense of Northern France and the German border. S-mines were typically used in combination with anti-tank mines to resist the advances of both armor and infantry.〔 The Allies removed an estimated 15,000 unexploded mines from dunes by Pouppeville, after the initial invasion.〔p. 283.〕 The S-mine acquired its cynical nickname "Bouncing Betty" from American infantrymen.〔Ambrose, p. 281.〕 The S-mine had a great psychological effect on Allied forces because of its tendency to seriously maim, rather than kill, the infantryman. The German habit of laying the mines around anti-tank and anti-vehicle mines contributed to the reputation. If a vehicle was disabled by a mine, the soldiers would be trapped in it until someone came to rescue them.〔Alex Kershaw. ''The longest winter: the Battle of the Bulge and the epic story of WWII's Most Decorated Platoon.'' Cambridge, Ma. Da Capo Press 2004, ISBN 0-306-81304-1, pp. 21, 47.〕 In particular, limbs and genitalia were the most vulnerable. In his book ''Mine Warfare on Land'', Lt. Col. Sloan described the S-mine as "probably the most feared device encountered by Allied troops in the war."〔 Exact death tolls inflicted by the S-mine are not known. The Allies did not record whether a death was caused by a particular type of weapon, only whether or not the death occurred in the course of battle. Regardless, some unofficial assessments credit the S-mine with significant casualties. The 4th Division 12th Regiment at Utah Beach suffered what it termed as "light" casualties in the landing, most of which were caused by S-mines.〔Ambrose, p. 292.〕 Civilian casualties are even more a matter of speculation. S-mine production ceased after the end of World War II. No information has been discovered as to the exact fate of the remaining stockpiles of the S-mine, but it can be assumed a majority were destroyed as part of the disarmament of Germany after its surrender, although possibly some were preserved for study and reverse engineering by the Allies. Many direct imitations of the S-mine appeared in the years following World War II. During the military occupation of Germany and the postwar rebuilding of Europe, the American Army Corps of Engineers, the newly established French government, and the British Ministry of Defence engaged in one of the most prolonged and successful mine-clearing operations throughout Western Europe. France deployed a variety of personnel to undertake this task, including 49,000 German prisoners of war. This joint operation eliminated a majority of the remaining fields of mines on the war-torn western half of the continent and was greatly assisted by the German policy of clearly marking and accurately recording the locations of minefields.〔 However, incidents involving accidental explosions of mines in North Africa, the former Warsaw Pact countries, France, and Germany still occur sporadically. North Africa and Eastern Europe have a particularly large amount of uncleared World War II-era minefields, lost in the desert sands or forgotten by authorities. In Libya, for example, the Red Cross estimates that over 27% of farmland is unusable due to World War II minefields. While German documentation says the S-mine had an effective lifespan of two to seven years once planted, the explosive charge could still operate in mines to this day. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「S-mine」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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