OT: Type of explosive in Saving Private Ryan??

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - OT: Type of explosive in Saving Private Ryan??

Posted: 5/1/2001 11:18:49 PM EDT

In the opening sequence, after they land on the beach, they were all laying up against a sand burm. Tom Hanks character calls for what I believe to be called mangelors(sp)? Long tube shaped thingst that made a really big explosion after the fuse was lit. What exatly are these, what is there purpose?

Posted: 5/1/2001 11:36:12 PM EDT

[#1]

Bangalore torpedoes:
Tube-shaped weapon filled with explosive (comp B) used to clear obstacles. Used from WWII through Vietnam era.

Posted: 5/2/2001 4:48:41 AM EDT

[#2]

As far as I'm aware they are still in use, we had them in 1990....
The Bangalore has fittings at each end that allow them to connect together, allowing the user to make them as long as the obstacle he needs top breach.
They are kick ass fun to use! (At least in training. I wouldn't have wanted to be on Omaha)

In the movie, IIRC, they ignited the fuse and the end of the torpedo was hanging over into their space-that would not be something you'd do twice, as the whole length of the tube is packed with HE.

Tim J

Posted: 5/2/2001 5:35:48 AM EDT

[#3]

Wow, that bring back memories! Never fired one in anger but once at 29 Stumps we slid a couple sections of bangalors under an old jeep we found in the desert along with a cratering charge and after moving back a hundred yards or so (not EVEN far enough away!) touched 'em off. Big hole in sand and a heavy downpour of jeep parts. LOL! I still remember watching that jeep axel turning end over end against the blue sky and wondering if any of my guys were gonna get dinged. Sometimes being a grunt wasn't too bad at all.

Rocketman

Posted: 5/2/2001 5:37:06 AM EDT

[#4]

Wow, that brings back memories! Never fired one in anger but once in the late 70's at 29 Stumps we slid a couple sections of bangalors under an old jeep we found in the desert along with a cratering charge. After moving back a hundred yards or so (not EVEN far enough away!) we touched 'em off. Big hole in sand and a heavy downpour of jeep parts. LOL! I can still remember watching one of the jeep axels turning end over end against the blue sky and wondering if any of my guys were gonna get dinged. Sometimes being a grunt wasn't too bad at all.

Rocketman

Posted: 5/2/2001 2:32:11 PM EDT

[#5]

bangalores are still in use today, there is also a navy version well kinda its for clearing obstacles and reefs. its a long rubber looking tube that you can fill with air or water its the mk something or other tube charge. its made of bang pretty damn sweet the old ones are black with brass fittings at the ends and the new ones are green.

Posted: 5/2/2001 3:06:02 PM EDT

[#6]

I think it was in the BIG RED one, where they show the bangalore in detail. They had a relay set up to place the charges....you went after the guy who had the lower number than you got whacked!!

Check it out its a great movie with Lee Marvin!!

Posted: 5/2/2001 3:28:16 PM EDT

[#7]

At NTC, either '89 or '90, we had some Cobat Engineers clear a wire obstacle with a Bangalore. As a bonus, they ran blocks of C-4 about 10 feet on both sides of the Bangalore, attached with det cord.
Now, THAT made a mess.

Paul

Posted: 5/2/2001 7:23:36 PM EDT

[#8]

You guys are making me homesick. Spent many years as a 12B(Combat Engineer) In the ND Guard before moving to SD. Changed to 12C(Bridge crewman) before unit reorganized as an MP company. Bangalores were fun. Used to pack u-shaped pickets(fenceposts) with c-4 when the real thing wasn't avaiable, for training. Little more awkward, but does the same thing.
[frag]

Posted: 5/2/2001 7:43:42 PM EDT

[#9]

Yep, we still use bangalores. Tons of fun too. We blew some about 2 months ago. One of the neatest things I have seen was a bangalore section detonated under a 113 that had become so mired in the mud 2 88's couldn't get it out. The bangalore broke the suction and out it came....

Posted: 5/2/2001 7:48:48 PM EDT

[#10]

ice15: check out a movie called "the big red one" shown better in that movie.

Posted: 5/3/2001 12:01:50 AM EDT

[#11]

Yes we still use the Bangalore torpedo:
http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/Bangalore_Torpedo.htm

Link to other fielded Engineer systems (also see the demolitions section):
http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/materiel_page.htm

Also, here is the DEUCE:
http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/DEUCE.htm

-----BH
Essayons!

Posted: 5/3/2001 12:26:25 AM EDT

[#12]

[url]http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/Bangalore_Torpedo.htm
[/url]

[url]http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/materiel_page.htm[/url]

[url]http://www.wood.army.mil/DCD/nolimits/ENDIV/EN_Materiel/DEUCE.htm[/url]

Posted: 5/3/2001 3:14:19 AM EDT

[#13]

Whats this called....

I've seen a tank or APC or something fire something which looked like a huge rubber hose(coiled up and when fired, it expands). It goes out to a distance of about 50 yards, back to the launcher. Then boooom.

Wouldn't stuff like that have replaced the old put it together bangalore torpedos?

Posted: 5/3/2001 7:57:14 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Whats this called....

I've seen a tank or APC or something fire something which looked like a huge rubber hose(coiled up and when fired, it expands). It goes out to a distance of about 50 yards, back to the launcher. Then boooom.

Wouldn't stuff like that have replaced the old put it together bangalore torpedos?

View Quote

It's the Mine Clearing Line Charge or MCLiC. Very good, when it works(about 1/2 to 3/4 of the time) Used for clearing vehicle lanes through Antitank minefields. Sometimes the rockets don't function. Usual malfunction is the arresting cables don't stop forward motion in time to prevent priming mechanism from being broken or pulled out, requiring charges to be primed by hand. Actually, the MCLiC and Bangalore have different missions. MCLiC being for vehicular path thru AT mines. Bangalore is used mostly for footpath thru anti-personnel mines, or more often, breaching wire obstacles. Both very good, just different missions. [rocket]

Posted: 5/4/2001 1:27:01 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Whats this called....

I've seen a tank or APC or something fire something which looked like a huge rubber hose(coiled up and when fired, it expands). It goes out to a distance of about 50 yards, back to the launcher. Then boooom.

Wouldn't stuff like that have replaced the old put it together bangalore torpedos?

View Quote

It's the Mine Clearing Line Charge or MCLiC. Very good, when it works(about 1/2 to 3/4 of the time) Used for clearing vehicle lanes through Antitank minefields. Sometimes the rockets don't function. Usual malfunction is the arresting cables don't stop forward motion in time to prevent priming mechanism from being broken or pulled out, requiring charges to be primed by hand. Actually, the MCLiC and Bangalore have different missions. MCLiC being for vehicular path thru AT mines. Bangalore is used mostly for footpath thru anti-personnel mines, or more often, breaching wire obstacles. Both very good, just different missions. [rocket]

View Quote

First time i've seen a MICLIC was at the Engineer School in Ft. Leonard Wood. The rocket broke free and landed in a small arms range. Second time was in Ft. Irwin one had a dud motor and the arresting cable on the second one did break. Awesome though when the line charge is detonated.

Army Engineers tow the MICLIC with an M113 ESV or place them on AVLBs (a tracked-vehicle) as a "double-barreled" AVLM. Marines place them in AAVs and can use them to clear lanes on a beach.

MICLIC
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m58-miclic.htm

AVLM
http://ftp.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/m60-avlm.htm

AAV MICLIC
http://ftp.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/mk154.htm

Here is the index of systems on the FAS site.
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/index.html

Plenty of information. The OICW section is quite interesting.

-----BH

MICLIC when it works.
[img]www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/land/mk155.jpg[/img]

Posted: 5/4/2001 2:15:17 AM EDT

[#16]

Does anyone know how the Bangalore torpedo got its name?

I know Bangalore is a city in India, but how it got applied to a long explosive charge, I don't know. Does anyone here know?

Posted: 5/4/2001 12:00:44 PM EDT

[#17]

Bush Hamster,

Thanks for the link. We never had the opportunity to fire a live one, but the last 2 training MCLiC's my old unit fired, the rocket did not fire on one. Long wait on the range to safe it.

The MCLiC could be towed behind a 5ton truck as well, but would have to be fired from a position of cover(Naturally)

ESSAYONS!

Posted: 5/4/2001 2:25:57 PM EDT

[#18]

BTW the Navy also uses line charges. They use two types: SABRE and DET. Both are lauched from an LCAC to clearing shallow water approaches to a beach.

The SABRE uses one rocket to deploy a line charge. The DET uses two rockets to deploy a net charge.

[img]www.exwar.org/whatsnew/asst_breach.gif[/img]

Essayons!

Posted: 5/4/2001 6:29:15 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
I think it was in the BIG RED one, where they show the bangalore in detail. They had a relay set up to place the charges....you went after the guy who had the lower number than you got whacked!!

Check it out its a great movie with Lee Marvin!!

View Quote

Stormbringer. They did use them in the Big Red One. I remember Mark Hammil character saying, " I would like to meet the bastard who invented them"! Awesome movie.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - OT: Type of explosive in Saving Private Ryan??

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