A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "Bangalore mine", "banger" or simply "Bangalore" as well as a pole charge.
Catalogue of Standard Ordnance Items, Second Edition 1944 Volume III, p. 598
Per United States Army Field Manual 5-250 section 1-14, page 1-12 "b. Use. The primary use of the torpedo is clearing paths through wire obstacles and heavy undergrowth. It will clear a 3- to 4-metre wide path through wire obstacles."
Bangalore torpedoes were manufactured until 2017 by Mondial Defence Systems of Poole, UK,[3] for the UK and US armed forces. An improved version called the Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo (APBT) was developed by Chemring Energetics UK, part of the Chemring Group, in response to a British Ministry of Defence requirement issued in 2008; the APBT was chosen by the MOD following competitive performance trials and is also in use with the militaries of Australia, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.[4] They have been used during the Afghanistan War for actions such as clearing mines or razor wire.[5]
In World War I
By the time of World War I the Bangalore torpedo was primarily used for clearing barbed wire before an attack. It could be used while under fire, from a protected position in a trench. The torpedo was standardized to consist of a number of externally identical 1.5 m (5 ft) lengths of threaded pipe, one of which contained the explosive charge. The pipes would be screwed together using connecting sleeves to make a longer pipe of the required length, somewhat like a chimney brush or drain clearing rod.
A smooth nose cone would be screwed on the end to prevent snagging on the ground. It would then be pushed forward from a protected position and detonated, to clear a 1.5 m (5 ft) wide hole through barbed wire. During the 1917 Battle of Cambrai, BritishRoyal Engineers used them as diversions to distract the enemy from where the real battle was to be fought.[6]
In World War II
Four pieces of an M1A1 Bangalore torpedo: two individual pieces, and two attached together.
The Bangalore torpedo was later adopted by the U.S. Army during World War II, as the "M1A1 Bangalore torpedo". Bangalore torpedoes were packed in wooden crates that contained 10 torpedo sections, 10 connecting sleeves, and 1 nose sleeve; the total weight of a crate was 176 pounds (80 kg). Each torpedo section was 5 feet (1.5 m) long, 2.125 inches (54 mm) in diameter, and weighed 13 pounds (5.9 kg). Each end of the torpedo was filled with 4 inches (102 mm) of TNT booster, while the middle section contained an 80-20 amatol mixture; the explosive charge weighed about 9 pounds (4.1 kg). Each end of the torpedo had a recess to accommodate a standard Corps of Engineers blasting cap. Torpedo sections could be attached together via spring clip-equipped connecting sleeves, and a blunt nose sleeve was provided so that the assembled torpedoes could be pushed through obstacles or across terrain without getting stuck.
It was widely used by the U.S. Army, notably during the D-Day landings. The Bangalore torpedo was obsolete in British use at the time of D-Day, having been replaced by rocket-launched Congers and Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE) vehicles equipped with a 40-pound (18 kg) explosive charge for bunker clearing.[citation needed]
Bangalore torpedoes continue to be used today in the little-changed M1A2 and M1A3[11] versions (United States Armed Forces) and the modified Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo version (British Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force, under the L26A1 designation which is also used by Chemring),[12][13][14] primarily to breach wire obstacles. Combat engineers have also been known to construct similar field versions of the Bangalore by assembling segments of metal picket posts and filling the concave portion with plastic explosive (PE).[citation needed] The PE is then primed with detonating cord and a detonator, and pickets are taped or wired together to make a long torpedo, producing fragments (aka "shrapnel") that cut the wire when detonated. This method produces results similar to the standard-issue Bangalore, and can be assembled to the desired length by adding picket segments.
Newer Bangalore variants include the Alford Technologies Bangalore Blade and the Chemring Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo (APBT), with both of these having been developed in the United Kingdom. The Bangalore Blade is made from lightweight aluminium and is configured as a linear explosively formed projectile (EFP) array capable of cutting wire obstacles which earlier Bangalore variants were incapable of breaching effectively; the improvements introduced with the Bangalore Blade give the charge a cutting action as well as a blasting effect. In a test detonation conducted on the television show Future Weapons, the Bangalore Blade blasted a gap roughly five meters wide in concertina wire, and created a trench deep enough to detonate most nearby anti-personnel mines. Alford Technologies' web page for the Bangalore Blade cites additional trial detonations involving two identical triple-razor wire entanglements erected between steel pickets; a Bangalore torpedo conforming to the original design cleared a three metre path, while the Bangalore Blade cleared a ten metre path.[15] The Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo also uses an aluminium body and is filled with two kilograms of DPX1 high density pressed explosive; a unique and patented design feature is incorporated which, in combination with the DPX1 explosive, provides enhanced blast and fragmentation effects which in turn provide an enhanced cutting capability against both simple and complex wire entanglements. The APBT is capable of cutting through up to six millimetres of steel plating. Up to eight APBTs can be combined with one another, with the resulting assembly capable of defeating obstacles that are up to eight metres in length; the quick-turn thread used for this purpose has been designed for ease of assembly when contaminated with sand, soil, or mud whilst being strong enough to ensure reliable deployment of connected charges without inadvertent decoupling.[16] The APBT also has an improved Insensitive Munition signature compared to preceding in-service designs.[17]
Other recent path-clearing devices
The U.S. anti-personnel obstacle breaching system (APOBS) is being brought into service as a replacement to the Bangalore for path-clearing due to their ease of use, effectiveness, and flexibility – they can clear a path several times longer than the Bangalore torpedo.[citation needed]
^Note; later Lieutenant-Colonel R. L. McClintock, Dunmore, Carrigans. C.M.G., D.S.O., R.E.
^Duffy, Michael. "Bangalore Torpedo". www.firstworldwar.com. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
^"Bangalore Torpedo – 8x1m Tube Set". Mondial Defence Systems, Poole, UK. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
^Chemring Energetics UK (2018). "CEUK Demolition Stores Capability Brochure" (PDF). Retrieved 20 January 2020.
^Troops hone artillery skills to cut Afghan deaths
^Wilfrid Miles, Official History of the Great War, Military operations, France and Belgium 1917, Volume III, The Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books (1948), pp.96
^History of the Second World War, the Mediterranean and Middle East vol 1 Publisher HSMO 1954
^Historical Vignette 062 - How Army Engineers Cleared Viet Cong Tunnels
^Alexander, Steven (July 2013). "Chapter Twenty-Four". An American Soldier in Vietnam. ISBN9781628380507.
^Rabinovich, Abraham. The Yom Kippur War. Schoken Books (2005), p. 309
bangalore, torpedo, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, october. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Bangalore torpedo news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2007 Learn how and when to remove this template message A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly possibly under fire It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a Bangalore mine banger or simply Bangalore as well as a pole charge Bangalore torpedoTypeExplosive chargePlace of originBangalore Karnataka IndiaService historyIn service1914 presentUsed byBritish ArmyCanadian ArmyFinnish Defense ForcesIndian ArmyIsrael Defense ForcesNorth Vietnamese ArmyPakistani ArmyPeoples Liberation Army China Philippine ArmyPhilippine ConstabularyPhilippine Marine CorpsUnited States ArmyWarsWorld War IWorld War IIKorean WarVietnam WarYom Kippur WarAfghanistan WarProduction historyDesignerCaptain R L McClintockDesigned1912ProducedFebruary 1943 November 1944 M1A1 No builtApproximately 3 255 000 torpedo sections M1A1 VariantsM1 Bangalore Torpedo series Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo L26A1 Bangalore Torpedo Demolition Charge Bangalore BladeSpecificationsMass13 lb 5 9 kg per torpedo section M1A1 Lengthup to 15 m 49 ft in 1 5 m 4 9 ft sections general 5 ft 1 5 m M1A1 Diameter2 125 in 54 0 mm M1A1 FillingTNT 80 20 TNT and ammonium nitrate M1A1 C4 modern production Filling weight9 lb 4 1 kg per torpedo section M1A1 DetonationmechanismDetonatorReferencesCatalogue of Standard Ordnance Items Second Edition 1944 Volume III p 598Per United States Army Field Manual 5 250 section 1 14 page 1 12 b Use The primary use of the torpedo is clearing paths through wire obstacles and heavy undergrowth It will clear a 3 to 4 metre wide path through wire obstacles Contents 1 Overview 2 In World War I 3 In World War II 4 Post World War II development 5 Other recent path clearing devices 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksOverview Edit Madras Sappers and Miners with Bangalore torpedoes 1916 The Bangalore torpedo was devised by Captain R L McClintock 1 of the Royal Engineers while attached to the Madras Sappers and Miners unit of the Indian Army at Bangalore India in 1912 He invented it as a means of blowing up booby traps and barricades left over from the Second Boer War and the Russo Japanese War 2 The Bangalore torpedo could be exploded over a mine without a sapper having to approach closer than about 3 m 10 ft Bangalore torpedoes were manufactured until 2017 by Mondial Defence Systems of Poole UK 3 for the UK and US armed forces An improved version called the Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo APBT was developed by Chemring Energetics UK part of the Chemring Group in response to a British Ministry of Defence requirement issued in 2008 the APBT was chosen by the MOD following competitive performance trials and is also in use with the militaries of Australia the Netherlands and New Zealand 4 They have been used during the Afghanistan War for actions such as clearing mines or razor wire 5 In World War I EditBy the time of World War I the Bangalore torpedo was primarily used for clearing barbed wire before an attack It could be used while under fire from a protected position in a trench The torpedo was standardized to consist of a number of externally identical 1 5 m 5 ft lengths of threaded pipe one of which contained the explosive charge The pipes would be screwed together using connecting sleeves to make a longer pipe of the required length somewhat like a chimney brush or drain clearing rod A smooth nose cone would be screwed on the end to prevent snagging on the ground It would then be pushed forward from a protected position and detonated to clear a 1 5 m 5 ft wide hole through barbed wire During the 1917 Battle of Cambrai British Royal Engineers used them as diversions to distract the enemy from where the real battle was to be fought 6 In World War II Edit Four pieces of an M1A1 Bangalore torpedo two individual pieces and two attached together The Bangalore torpedo was reportedly used in the British offensive on Bardia during the Western Desert Campaign on 3 January 1941 7 The Bangalore torpedo was later adopted by the U S Army during World War II as the M1A1 Bangalore torpedo Bangalore torpedoes were packed in wooden crates that contained 10 torpedo sections 10 connecting sleeves and 1 nose sleeve the total weight of a crate was 176 pounds 80 kg Each torpedo section was 5 feet 1 5 m long 2 125 inches 54 mm in diameter and weighed 13 pounds 5 9 kg Each end of the torpedo was filled with 4 inches 102 mm of TNT booster while the middle section contained an 80 20 amatol mixture the explosive charge weighed about 9 pounds 4 1 kg Each end of the torpedo had a recess to accommodate a standard Corps of Engineers blasting cap Torpedo sections could be attached together via spring clip equipped connecting sleeves and a blunt nose sleeve was provided so that the assembled torpedoes could be pushed through obstacles or across terrain without getting stuck It was widely used by the U S Army notably during the D Day landings The Bangalore torpedo was obsolete in British use at the time of D Day having been replaced by rocket launched Congers and Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers AVRE vehicles equipped with a 40 pound 18 kg explosive charge for bunker clearing citation needed Post World War II development Edit 82nd Airborne combat engineers Fort Bragg 2011 23 Engineer Regiment soldier preparing L26A1 Bangalore Torpedo Demolition Charge The U S Army and the People s Army of Vietnam used the Bangalore torpedo during the Vietnam War 8 9 During the Yom Kippur War in 1973 Bangalore torpedoes were used by the Israelis to clear paths through Syrian minefields 10 Bangalore torpedoes continue to be used today in the little changed M1A2 and M1A3 11 versions United States Armed Forces and the modified Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo version British Armed Forces and Australian Defence Force under the L26A1 designation which is also used by Chemring 12 13 14 primarily to breach wire obstacles Combat engineers have also been known to construct similar field versions of the Bangalore by assembling segments of metal picket posts and filling the concave portion with plastic explosive PE citation needed The PE is then primed with detonating cord and a detonator and pickets are taped or wired together to make a long torpedo producing fragments aka shrapnel that cut the wire when detonated This method produces results similar to the standard issue Bangalore and can be assembled to the desired length by adding picket segments Newer Bangalore variants include the Alford Technologies Bangalore Blade and the Chemring Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo APBT with both of these having been developed in the United Kingdom The Bangalore Blade is made from lightweight aluminium and is configured as a linear explosively formed projectile EFP array capable of cutting wire obstacles which earlier Bangalore variants were incapable of breaching effectively the improvements introduced with the Bangalore Blade give the charge a cutting action as well as a blasting effect In a test detonation conducted on the television show Future Weapons the Bangalore Blade blasted a gap roughly five meters wide in concertina wire and created a trench deep enough to detonate most nearby anti personnel mines Alford Technologies web page for the Bangalore Blade cites additional trial detonations involving two identical triple razor wire entanglements erected between steel pickets a Bangalore torpedo conforming to the original design cleared a three metre path while the Bangalore Blade cleared a ten metre path 15 The Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo also uses an aluminium body and is filled with two kilograms of DPX1 high density pressed explosive a unique and patented design feature is incorporated which in combination with the DPX1 explosive provides enhanced blast and fragmentation effects which in turn provide an enhanced cutting capability against both simple and complex wire entanglements The APBT is capable of cutting through up to six millimetres of steel plating Up to eight APBTs can be combined with one another with the resulting assembly capable of defeating obstacles that are up to eight metres in length the quick turn thread used for this purpose has been designed for ease of assembly when contaminated with sand soil or mud whilst being strong enough to ensure reliable deployment of connected charges without inadvertent decoupling 16 The APBT also has an improved Insensitive Munition signature compared to preceding in service designs 17 Other recent path clearing devices EditThe U S anti personnel obstacle breaching system APOBS is being brought into service as a replacement to the Bangalore for path clearing due to their ease of use effectiveness and flexibility they can clear a path several times longer than the Bangalore torpedo citation needed See also EditCanadian pipe mine Mine clearing line chargeReferences Edit Note later Lieutenant Colonel R L McClintock Dunmore Carrigans C M G D S O R E Duffy Michael Bangalore Torpedo www firstworldwar com Retrieved 26 July 2013 Bangalore Torpedo 8x1m Tube Set Mondial Defence Systems Poole UK Retrieved 2013 05 11 Chemring Energetics UK 2018 CEUK Demolition Stores Capability Brochure PDF Retrieved 20 January 2020 Troops hone artillery skills to cut Afghan deaths Wilfrid Miles Official History of the Great War Military operations France and Belgium 1917 Volume III The Imperial War Museum Department of Printed Books 1948 pp 96 History of the Second World War the Mediterranean and Middle East vol 1 Publisher HSMO 1954 Historical Vignette 062 How Army Engineers Cleared Viet Cong Tunnels Alexander Steven July 2013 Chapter Twenty Four An American Soldier in Vietnam ISBN 9781628380507 Rabinovich Abraham The Yom Kippur War Schoken Books 2005 p 309 Priming A Torpedo Defense gov 15 June 2018 Ministry of Defence United Kingdom 2012 DIN Digest October 2012 PDF Retrieved 12 August 2018 Royal Australian Engineers 2016 Australian Sapper 2016 PDF Retrieved 20 January 2020 Chemring Energetics UK 2011 Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo PDF Retrieved 20 January 2020 Alford Technologies Bangalore Blade Retrieved 20 January 2020 Chemring Energetics UK 2016 AP Bangalore Torpedo PDF Retrieved 20 January 2020 Chemring Energetics UK 2010 Bangalore Torpedo Replacement PDF Retrieved 1 July 2020 External links EditBangalore Torpedoes February 1944 Popular Science World War II article Future Weapons Bangalore Blade video Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bangalore torpedo amp oldid 1131653573, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
