Original Soviet WWII Schu-Mine - Copy of German 1942 Shoe Mine

Original Item. Only One Available. This is an excellent Soviet copy of the German Schützenmine 42, manufactured towards the end of the war. These are much more difficult to find than the German examples. This is the first example we have seen. These mines were designed with the low cost intent to defeat the early mine detectors, a crude but rather efficient way to eliminate your enemy. NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

Much like the German Schu-mine 42 (Shoe-mine), also known as the Schützenmine 42, this was a Soviet anti-personnel mine used during the Second World War. It consisted of a simple wooden box with a hinged lid containing a block of cast TNT and a detonator. A slot in the lid pressed down on the striker retaining pin, sufficient pressure on the lid caused the pin to move, releasing the striker which triggered the detonator.

The box measures roughly 7½ x 3¾ x 2½” and contains a wooden block meant to imitate the original fuse, with a fuse and retaining pin attached. The paint is roughly 60% retained on the box.

The mine was cheap to produce and deployed in large numbers. As an early example of a minimum metal mine, it was difficult to detect with early metal detectors - the only metal present was a small amount in the mine's detonator. During the Normandy Campaign the British resorted to using explosive detection dogs to find them.

The first example of a Soviet Schu-mine we’ve seen, ready for further research and display.