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The
cubic-shaped mine bomb had the same appearance and the same structure as the
cubic “Macedonia”
hand grenade, but with size and weight considerably greater. Actually it was
not a true hand grenade, but a charge in a housing.
It was not easy to throw, owing to its shape and weight, but could be used as
anti-personnel mine.
The
construction was simple. The body was built in cast iron and its sides were 112 mm long. It had internal incision to aid the fragmentation. The
thickness of the wall was 4
mm. In the upper part of the body there was an opening
for the fuze, that was the same fuze N° 8 used in
the “Odrin” hand grenade. The charge consisted of 750 g of Balkanit or Bombit. The bombs were stored in wooden boxes holding 12 bombs
and 12 fuzes each. In peace they were not charged, but were filled by the
troops like the “Odrin” hand grenades.
The
mine bombs could be used both separately and joining the charges of 4, 6 or 9
bomb. In the first case the grenade
was supplied with a delay or blasting fuze of the necessary length. The
contact mine was a wooden box made by boards 30 mm thick, divided in two
partitions, with four holes for the fuzes of the bombs. The bombs, with the fuzes
connected to the lower part through the holes, were
lodged in the upper part of the box. The lower part of the box was filled up
with 1 kg
of black powder or smokeless powder, with an electrical fuze inserted. The
ignition of the powder caused its explosion, which was expanded by the
propagation of the fire to the fuzes of the bombs.
Before the placement the contact
mine was tarred on all sides to keep the
moisture from penetrating into the charge. Contact mines should be placed on
a way where the enemy might move on the earth’s surface or in a pit. The undermining could be achieved both by a
self-acting fuze and an electrical dynamo.
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