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Placed along
the East German border were two types of anti-personnel mines: blast and
directional shrapnel. Blast mines are relatively small and can be held in the
palm of a hand, yet contain enough explosive to blow off a foot or leg. These
types of mines were buried in the border minefields. Directional mines, on the other
hand, hurl shrapnel in a specific direction or arc like the American-made
Claymore Mine. These mines were attached to the border
fence and were commonly referred to as "fence mines".
Once in
place, the East German government ensured the minefields were
modernized with the latest mine technology available although upgrading the
minefields was time consuming, expensive, and
dangerous. Below is a
list of the types of mines employed throughout the years along the Iron Curtain. |
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POMZ-2. The POMZ-2 was developed during WWII and has been extensively copied by other countries. These mines appeared on the east German border during 1961 and were eventually replaced by more modern landmines. These mines were placed in the ground by its handle and then rigged with a tripwire aboveground. On detonation the mine would propel lethal fragmentation to a radius between 10 and 25 meters. The actual hazard radius for these mines averages out at 75 meters. These mines are frequently used in clusters (a.k.a. daisy chains) arranged in a zigzag pattern connected by tripwires. | |
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PMD-6. The Soviet-made PMD-6 was the initial mine placed along the border in the early 1960’s. It was made of wood and was about the size of small jewelry or shoe box and was commonly referred to as the “shoe box mine.” When a person stepped on the mine the body weight broke a pin causing the lid to collapse onto a detonator. The mine was easily mass produced but because of its wooden shell it was prone to rot away once buried. | |
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PMN-6.
The PMN-6 began to replace the box mines during the late 1960’s and 1970’s.
Made of plastic, it had a longer shelf life once it was placed in the minefields. |
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PMP-71. This was another land mine that was used to modernize the minefields. Made of a hard plastic it began to appear in the minefields during the 1970's and was still in service in some areas until the minefields were cleared in 1985. | |
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PPM-2.
This was the last land mine to be placed in service along the Iron Curtain. Made
of a softer, more pliable plastic than it’s predecessors, the PPM-2 began
appearing in the late 1970’s and was last installed in 1983. |
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SM-70.
This infamous fence mine first appeared along the border during the
early 1970’s. It attached to the posts of the border fence and when triggered
released 110 pieces of cube-shaped shrapnel that would severely wound or kill
anyone caught within its 25 meter range. The
mine was detonated by a series of tripwires that ran along the fence. If a
person attempted to climb the fence the mine would detonate. |
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NS-501.
This was an improved version of
the SM-70. It was essentially the same fence mine with a metal housing added to
protect the firing components from weather and tampering. |
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| 1 Peter Wyden, Wall - The Inside Story of Divided Berlin (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1989) p.435. | ||
