The Mine detector (Polish) Mark I () was a

metal detector A metal detector is an instrument that detects the nearby presence of metal. Metal detectors are useful for finding metal objects on the surface, underground, and under water. The unit itself, consist of a control box, and an adjustable shaft, ...

for landmines developed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Initial work on the design had started in Poland but after the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

by the Germans in 1939, and then the Fall of France in mid-1940, it was not until the winter of 1941–1942 that work was completed by Polish lieutenant Józef Kosacki.

History

In the pre-war period, the Department of Artillery of Poland's Ministry of National Defence ordered the construction of a device that could be helpful in locating duds on artillery training grounds. The instrument was designed by the AVA ''Wytwórnia Radiotechniczna'', but its implementation was prevented by the German

. Following the fall of Poland and the transfer of Polish HQ to France, work restarted on the device, this time intended as a mine detector. Little is known of this stage of construction as the work was stopped by the Battle of France and the need to evacuate the Polish personnel to Great Britain. There in late 1941 Lieutenant Józef Kosacki devised a final version, based partially on the earlier designs. His invention was not patented; he gave it as a gift to the British Army. He was given a letter of thanks from the King for this act. His design was accepted and 500 mine detectors were immediately sent to El Alamein where they doubled the speed of the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was an Allied field army formation of the British Army during the Second World War, fighting in the North African and Italian campaigns. Units came from Australia, British India, Canada, Czechoslovakia, Free French Forces ...

. During the war more than 100,000 of this type were produced, together with several hundred thousands of further developments of the mine detector (Mk. II, Mk. III and Mk IV). The detector was used later during the

Allied invasion of Sicily The Allied invasion of Sicily, also known as Operation Husky, was a major campaign of World War II in which the Allied forces invaded the island of Sicily in July 1943 and took it from the Axis powers ( Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany). It b ...

, the

Allied invasion of Italy The Allied invasion of Italy was the Allied amphibious landing on mainland Italy that took place from 3 September 1943, during the Italian campaign of World War II. The operation was undertaken by General Sir Harold Alexander's 15th Army ...

and the Invasion of Normandy. This type of detector was used by the British Army until 1995. An attempt was made to mount a version of the mine detector on a vehicle so that sappers would be less vulnerable. To this end "Lulu" (on a

Sherman tank } The M4 Sherman, officially Medium Tank, M4, was the most widely used medium tank by the United States and Western Allies in World War II. The M4 Sherman proved to be reliable, relatively cheap to produce, and available in great numbers. It w ...

) and subsequently "Bantu" (on a Staghound armoured car) were developed. The detector mechanism was in non-metallic rollers on arms held away from the vehicle. When the roller passed over a mine or a similar piece of metal, the roller it was under was indicated in the vehicle. Prototypes were built but never tried in combat.Fletcher, ''The Universal Tank'' 1993 HMSO 0 11 290534 X pp 94–95.

Design

Notes

References

*"The History of Landmines" by Mike Croll published in Great Britain in 1998 by Leo Cooper, Pen & Sword Books Ltd. *''The Polish Contribution to The Ultimate Allied Victory in The Second World War'' Tadeusz Modelski, Worthing, England 1986, Page 221 * Time Magazine/Canadian Edition, March 8, 1999, page 18 *Mieczysław Borchólski "Z saperami generała Maczka", MON 1990, {{Refend

External links

Polish mine detector (Time Magazine/Canadian Edition), March 8, 1999 page 18

World War II military equipment of Poland Mine warfare countermeasures Science and technology in Poland World War II military equipment of the United Kingdom Polish inventions Metal detecting Military equipment of Poland Military equipment of World War II Military equipment introduced from 1940 to 1944

History

Design

See also

Notes

References

External links