Schu-mine 42


The Schü-mine 42, also known as the Schützenmine 42, was a German anti-personnel mine used during the Second World War. It consisted of a simple wooden box with a hinged lid containing a block of cast TNT and a ZZ-42 type detonator. A slot in the lid pressed down on the striker retaining pin, sufficient pressure on the lid caused the pin to move, releasing the striker which triggered the detonator.
The mine was cheap to produce and deployed in large numbers. As an early example of a minimum metal mine, it was difficult to detect with early metal detectors - the only metal present was a small amount in the mine's detonator.
Experience has shown that the mine detector search coil must pass very close to the mine before any reaction is obtained. Detection is still more difficult when the search is made in ground containing shrapnel. Also it is hard to locate the Schü mine by observation or probing because it is relatively small.
During the Normandy Campaign the British resorted to using explosive detection dogs to find them.