Stepping on a mine

[Troberg]

A staple in Hollywood movies is the classic "stepping on a mine, and it doesn't go off until you remove your foot".

I read a bit about mines, and as far as I can see, the mine is triggered when you step on it. Some (such as the M16, which has nothing to do with the rifle with the same designation) have a chemical delay to allow you time to step off it before it leaps into the air and blows you to smithereens, but that delay has nothing to do with stepping off it.

I know there are military people here, can someone shed some light on this?

[Jay Tea]

Anti personnel are activated by pressure which causes a firing pin to activate or an electric charge to detonate the mine - either instance does not require the pressure to be removed, just the initial application.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Troberg

A staple in Hollywood movies is the classic "stepping on a mine, and it doesn't go off until you remove your foot".

I never have seen that before. Every war movie I have ever seen has the mine blowing up right about when the person steps on it or a second or two after.

[STF]

Originally Posted by diddy

I never have seen that before. Every war movie I have ever seen has the mine blowing up right about when the person steps on it or a second or two after.

Without being able to think of anything specific I believe the old "the mine doesn't activate until the weight is removed" is somewhat common in pop culture. I'm sure I've seen it on TV or movies throughout my life, but I cannot think of a single instance of it at this point.

[Squirt]

I think there was an instance of it in "Behind Enemy Lines" with Owen Wilson. It seemed a bit daft at the time. If you wanted to make it explode after the person had moved, it would be easier to just put a timer in.

[Dreams of Thinking Machines]

Originally Posted by STF

Without being able to think of anything specific I believe the old "the mine doesn't activate until the weight is removed" is somewhat common in pop culture. I'm sure I've seen it on TV or movies throughout my life, but I cannot think of a single instance of it at this point.

There's one instance I'm aware of in the Vietnam movie Firebase Gloria. I'm sure I've seen it elsewhere, though.

[STF]

Another myth is the "Hollywood land mine" that doesn't blow up until you step off of it. When you step on a mine, it goes boom!

http://www.geekeasy.com/travel/journ...nteering.shtml

This person references the "Hollywood land mine" without giving an specifics either. It's odd that I can't think of a movie like that when I've never doubted that Hollywood has employed that tactic as it relates to land mines.

[Beachlife!]

I keep reading the title as "stepping on a Mime" to which I think, 'step on em, why not kick em too?'

Beach...or better yet get them into a fight with a clown...Life!

[unbroken]

I have a vague memory of seeing a French film a few years ago, the plot of which revolved entirely around a guy who was lying on a mine and couldn't get up because it would go off.

I can't remember the name or anything else about it though, so that's not particularly helpful.

[Majorsam]

Howdy;

I've had the pleasure of serving as a combat engineer for nearly 20 years and as part of that job involves mine & counter-mine warfare, although I do not profess to be an expert.

I've been aware of the "Step & hold" myth for many years but have never run across a mine initiator that works in that way. On the face of it, it seems like a reasonable method. The reason the M16 "bouncing betty" has a delay is so the mine can pop up before exploding, increasing dramtically the number of casualties.

I think it is possible that an early landmine might have had that kind of mechanism. By early I mean WWI through possibly WWII, or something that had been improvised. I say possible, simply because I can see if you don't have a machined fuze you could jury rig something with a spring that would work like that.

So when I get a minute I'll see if I can dig through the old mines & see if anything works like that. I'll also give the EOD guys a call and see if they've heard of that.

Best regards;

Sam

[unbroken]

With regard to films this device (no pun intended) has been used in, I think No Man's Land was the film I was thinking of. Yes, my memory is woeful.

[Beachlife!]

I do seem to recall a movie in which someone stepped on a land mine and then had to slide his knife under his boot to keep it from discharging while he stepped off.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Beachlife!

I keep reading the title as "stepping on a Mime" to which I think, 'step on em, why not kick em too?'

Even better... Why not throw them on a mine?

[geminilee]

Originally Posted by Beachlife!

I keep reading the title as "stepping on a Mime"

Thanks... now so do I.

[RobDBlackwolf]

I know that last year or the year before there was a story thread in Funky Winkerbean where Wally Winkerbean stepped on a mine in Afghanistan (a Bouncing Betty, if I recall right), and his Afghan companion had time to suit him up, get suited up, get a baseball bat and bat the bouncing part away before it detonated.
I think Wally also tried to make a last cell phone call to his wife, before stepping off the mine.

I can remember that I was seriously NFBSKd off at the Syndicates Website because it was then that they decided not to show their comics online anymore.

ETA: Funky Winkerbean Landmine Story

ETA2: I was wrong with Wally trying to call his wife, while standing on the mine, and the Afghan friend of Wally IS wondering why it didn't go off by itself. So it seems the writer actually knew what he was talking about.

[Aud 1]

This page at TV Tropes examines this myth and cites several uses of it.

[bthyb]

Originally Posted by unbroken

With regard to films this device (no pun intended) has been used in, I think No Man's Land was the film I was thinking of. Yes, my memory is woeful.

I saw this too; I couldn't think of the name either. So either your memory is not so bad, or mine is just as bad as yours.

I didn't think it was a French film, though...I thought it was Bosnian.

[unbroken]

Originally Posted by bthyb

I didn't think it was a French film, though...I thought it was Bosnian.

That's where the bad memory comes in

Though apparently a French guy shows up at the end, so I wasn't completely off.

[bthyb]

Originally Posted by unbroken

That's where the bad memory comes in

Though apparently a French guy shows up at the end, so I wasn't completely off.

Ah, but it's not a film until a French guy shows up. Until then, it's just a movie.

[Jay Tea]

George: Oh sir, just one thing. If we should happen to tread on a
mine, what do we do?

Blackadder: Well, normal procedure, Lieutenant, is to jump 200 feet
into the air and scatter yourself over a wide area.