Mine clearing device PW-LWD

[blazejos]

Probably some of you notice that some Warsaw Pact tanks especially Polish T-55 and T-72 with mine clearing devices and engineering vehicles has on both sides in rear mounted boxes in jargon called coffins similar in shape. That is PW-LWD device which was constructed for making trails through mine fields.

Inside is long plastic rope with 100kg of explosives along and rocket which starts lay along minefield this long string when fired. Then is ignited an explosion and we have clear trail for tanks and infantry.

Standalone version
http://www.polska-zbrojna.pl/home/articleshow/5046

On trailer with two containers
http://www.polska-zbrojna.pl/home/ga...-Swietoszowie#

Installed on Polish T-55
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...with_KMT-4.jpg

Polish T-55


Czechoslovakian SKOT
http://www.palba.cz/forumfoto/albums...4%9Bsu_P2P.jpg

Explosion made by PW-LWD
http://cswiich.wp.mil.pl/pl/234_1296.html

PW-LWD in use by DDR Peoples army on BTR50
http://www.militaertechnik-der-nva.d...28MRF%29-l.jpg
http://www.militaertechnik-der-nva.d...28MRF%29-o.jpg

And book "Combat engineering equipment of the Warsaw Pact"
has also notice about this device
Book chapter

Here installed on PTS
http://www.polska-zbrojna.pl/home/ar...ge-dla-desantu

Using by 10BKPanc during exercises with explosion photos
http://10bkpanc.wp.mil.pl/pl/78_2871.htmlhttp://10bkpanc.wp.mil.pl/pl/78_2871.html

[Warhero]

Hmm interesting. I have not seen that picture before... And how about another NATO countries? Any similar systems exist during Cold War than Warsaw Pact or just "normal" mine-clearing tanks (as they are today)?

Warhero

[Mobhack]

Originally Posted by Warhero

Hmm interesting. I have not seen that picture before... And how about NATO? Any similar systems exist during Cold War or just "normal" mine-clearing tanks (as they are today)?

Warhero

UK post-war Viper and giant viper, and the USA MCLIC derivatives of that, since the funnies of WW2 developed by the canadians (conger).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine-clearing_line_charge

[blazejos]

In Russia there is in use UR-67 and UR-77 mounted on BTR-50

UR-67
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...icle_UR-67.jpg
http://www.cris9.armforc.ru/isv_ur67.htm

UR-77
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UR-77
http://www.cris9.armforc.ru/isv_ur77.htm

In wikipedia is mentioned that such weapon like UR-77 was used offensively during street battles not for clear mines but for simply levelling whole streets.

Short video from exercises with use of UR-77
https://www.rbth.com/multimedia/vide...-a-time_729866

[DRG]

Originally Posted by Mobhack

UK post-war Viper and giant viper, and the USA MCLIC derivatives of that, since the funnies of WW2 developed by the canadians (conger).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mine-clearing_line_charge

"..........Compressed air was then used to pump the liquid explosive - just over a ton of "822C" nitroglycerin - into the hose before it was detonated. Conger was used in Normandy where there were instances of premature detonation."

"a ton of nitroglycerin" and " premature detonation" are not something very desirable to stay healthy........

[Mobhack]

In October 1945, at IJzendijke, a small city in Holland, the Conger showed just how deadly it could be. There were four AVREs being resupplied in a depot here in a lull during action in Operation Switchback, part of the Battle of the Scheldt. Troops were unloading Jerry Cans full of the extremely unstable and volatile Nitro-Glycerine used in the Conger from two Bedford supply trucks. During the process, the Nitro detonated. The resulting, colossal explosion vaporized the supply trucks, completely destroyed the two AVREs, claimed the lives of 47 troops, wounded 37, and also resulted in the death of the civilian inhabitants of a nearby farmhouse. As a result of this, the Conger was never used again.

from http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/ww...hurchill-avre/

[Suhiir]

Apparently some people aren't familiar with line charges.

During Gulf I when we were breaching the minefields there were some Iraqi's on the other side waiting to surrender and watching (that was a strange "war"). When we fired a line charge they went over to see what it was, we tried to tell them to get the hell away from it but we didn't have a loundspeaker and no one in the area spoke Arabic. So we fired a few rounds near them to encourage them to take cover.

[jp10]

Originally Posted by Warhero

Hmm interesting. I have not seen that picture before... And how about another NATO countries? Any similar systems exist during Cold War than Warsaw Pact or just "normal" mine-clearing tanks (as they are today)?

Warhero

Most of the US Europe strategy during the Cold War was envisioned as a delaying/rear guard defence so most of the need to breach minefields/cross rivers quickly would be on the Warsaw Pact.

[Suhiir]

Originally Posted by jp10

Most of the US Europe strategy during the Cold War was envisioned as a delaying/rear guard defence so most of the need to breach minefields/cross rivers quickly would be on the Warsaw Pact.

Yeah, that's one of the reasons we borrowed equipment from Israel and South Africa during Gulf I. It wasn't really until bout 2004 the US started to get any significant combat engineering capability.