the bangalore torpedo an explosive charge made famous in two world war two movies saving private
ryan and the big red one the bangalore torpedo was 50 feet long and packed with 85 pounds of tnt
and you assembled it along the way by hand
the big red one didn't quite get it right however the bangalore torpedo is an explosive
within a metal tube that during world war ii came in 5 foot or 1.5 meter sections
these tubes could be used individually but they are designed to connect so the explosive could be
as long as 50 feet or as needed to clear obstacles usually barbed wire but sometimes minefields
the bangalore torpedo can also be referred to as the bangalore mine pole charge or simply banger
the american world war ii m1a1 bangalore weighed 14 pounds or 6.3 kilograms
each end of the torpedo was filled with a tnt booster to ensure chain detonation
the middle section of each pipe contained amatol tnt and ammonium nitrate
about nine pounds or 5.1 kilograms worth but it's the fragmentation of the 20 gauge sheet metal case
that does the work in destroying barbed wire in a corridor one man wide
along the pipe chain or pipe chains as many could be rigged to explode together for men to
rush a defensive position if you want to explode several torpedoes simultaneously use primacord
the bangalore was invented by captain r.l mcclintock of the royal engineer serving in
bangalore india in 1912. the inspiration of the invention was to blow up types of booby traps
and barricades that showed up during the second Boer war and russia japanese war
which included the new use of barbed wire by militaries the british would standardize
the bangalore during world war one a war of endless trenches and fields of barbed wire
in world war ii both the british and us army use bangalores the americans using
the m1a1 bangalore torpedo these were packed in wooden crates that contained 10 sections
just as shown in the movies bangalores were indeed used by the us army during the normandy landings
in saving private ryan the bangalore shows its strength its length allows it to be pushed at
a section of barbed wire while the user stays low and behind cover a cone was usually mounted
to one end of the pipe chain to aid in sliding along the ground and under wire
several types of detonators are easily screwed into the pipe
the well is also threaded to take the standard anti-personnel firing devices like this pull type
in the big red one the weapon is shown being used in unideal conditions under fire and in the open
the movie highlights it as the only option with no projectile explosive teams available our bazooka
teams were supposed to blow it up if all else failed we were the last resort the bangalore relay
this is technically an accurate tactical detail in the movie a bazooka team could be asked to destroy
obstacles including barbed wire when inaccessible to bangalores but they are not overly effective
even if available bangalores were likely the only method these men had to get through the obstacles
and off the beach and these devices were immensely faster than hand cutting wire
bangalores were more effective than bombarding wire from afar with artillery which was not always
effective it often just tossed it in the air and tangled it further and for those wondering
if men ever laid across wire the answer is yes but this was only effective for small sections of wire
off the beaches bangalores were widely used by the us army and soldiers were further
trained to make improvised bangalores out of spare pipe or even bamboo if in the tropics
here broken tnt is packed solidly around the standard blocks to ensure complete detonation
bangalore training included using the weapon in a number of improvised ways for example as
a pressure charge to blow up a bridge shown here our bangalore is tamped with sandbags to send
the explosive force downwards the bangalore is effective too when an elongated charge is needed
the bangalore could also be used as an improvised anti-personnel mine
they could be hung from trees or placed in bushes though this would not have
been a common occurrence and dangerous and civilian territory being liberated
but blasting gaps through wire entanglements that's the important work of the bangalore torpedo
so basic and effective is the bangalore torpedo it's still used today in variations around the
world both improved and improvised this is no surprise as barbed wire or more modern concertina
wire remains a prolific defensive tool used no different today than it was in world war one only
more rapidly deployed up to six dispensers can be pulled side by side to form a complete obstacle
up to 15 feet wide in just two minutes all right i'm johnny thanks for watching this little video
on the banger hope you have a nice day clearing barbed wire and we'll see in the next video