A land mine is defined as an encased charge of explosive fitted with a detonating de-vice or devices to be actuated by vehicles or personnel.

There are two common types of land mines; anti-tank and anti-personnel. Anti-tank mines, designed to immobilize track or wheeled vehicles, vary greatly in the amount of explosive they contain, the normal charge being 6 to 12 pounds. They are normally used in mine fields or as road blocks. Anti-personnel mines are used primarily to produce casu-alties to personnel, and secondarily, to give local security and warning. The explosive charge varies from 1/4 to 4 pounds. Other less common mines are classified in the gene-ral categories of improvised, dummy and practice.

Firing devices are categorized in accordnance with the method of their initiation; i.e., pressure, pull, tension-release, and pressure-release. The initiating action causes the firing device to function by chemical reaction, friction, percussion, or by closing an elec-trical circuit.

Anti-tank mines generally have their own fuze which is employed as the primary initia-ting device; however, some anti-tank mines have supplementary activator wells on the side and bottom for use in booby traps, anti-lifting, etc. Generally, the firing devices with cap attached, may be threaded directly into these wells; however, in the M6 mine, the firing device is used in conjunction with the activator M1, plastic adapter containing a tetryl detonator.

Mines can be indetified by their color and markings. Land mines are generally painted lusterless olive drab with a yellow base and black markings, while practice mines are painted blue with white markings and dummy mines are black.

All mines which can not be blown in situ should be disarmed in accordance with the following general procedure:

(a) Uncover top of mine carefully, disarming any booby-trap fuzes located.

(b) Remove earth from sides of mine to locate and disarm any booby-trap fuzes on the side.

(c) Tunnel under mine to locate and disarm any booby-trap fuzes on the bottom.

(d) Disarm the main fuze or carefully remove mine to a suitable site for demolition.