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#1
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02-12-2018, 10:37 AM
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| ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:6558 Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 33 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 9 Post(s)
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Infantry Patrol Encounter with AP Landmine.
Nothing too gory but will share anyways. An infantry patrol encounters an anti personnel landmine. Infantryman steps on mine and looses foot.  Example of a modern landmine. This model, the Italian VS-50 features plastic construction and a blast resistant trigger mechanism that prevents triggering by explosive blast. This model of mine and its Iranian clone, the YM-1 was likely encounter by the patrol.  Internals of the VS-50 landmine. The mine contains 50g of RDX explosives.  VS-50 size compared to an adult sized modern combat boot. The VS-50 measures 90mm wide and 45mm tall.  Photo of an infantry patrol in Afghanistan before landmine incident. (i)  Photo of a infantry patrol in Afghanistan before landmine incident. (ii)  Photo of the incapacitated infantryman being carried away. Despite wearing combat boots, the infantryman’s left foot was blown off.  Photo of a infantryman being carried away after stepping on a landmine. (ii) Apart from destroying the left foot. The explosion also injured the infantryman's right leg.  Close up of the infantryman's lower leg. Note how little remains of the left foot.  Close up of the injuries. Apart from destroying the left foot. (ii) The mines explosive charge was sufficient to severely injury the right leg. Note the soft tissue damage to lower right leg and the deep penetrating wound to the lower right thigh. (covered with bandage)  Example of injury likely inflicted on the infantryman’s left foot. (i)  Example of injury likely inflicted on the infantryman’s left foot un-wrapped (ii) |
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#5
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02-23-2018, 03:25 AM
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 My Rank: FIRST SERGEANT Poster Rank:406 Male Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 2,957 Mentioned: 18 Post(s) Quoted: 447 Post(s)
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Re: Infantry Patrol Encounter with AP Landmine.
Sucks that it happened. wouldn't want to lose my foot but if I did? would rather lose it somewhere low than up near the hip.
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#6
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03-02-2018, 02:29 AM
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 ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:1123 Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 576 Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Quoted: 107 Post(s)
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Re: Infantry Patrol Encounter with AP Landmine.
Nice post!  Do these really function like they do in movies? Where it isnt the pressing of the trigger that causes the blast, but the release of it? |
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#8
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03-03-2018, 11:53 AM
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| ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:6558 Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 33 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 9 Post(s)
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Re: Infantry Patrol Encounter with AP Landmine.
Most landmines trigger instantly. The VS-50 was intentionally designed trigger only after pressure is applied for longer 0.1 seconds. This prevents the mine from being triggered or cleared by explosive blast which apply a very high amount of pressure for a extremely brief time. Even if the the mine was triggered on release. It would make little difference as the infantryman was wearing thick combat boots and would unlikely have been able to feel the buried landmine underfoot. |
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#10
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03-03-2018, 11:49 PM
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| ★ Legacy Member ★ Poster Rank:6558 Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 33 Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Quoted: 9 Post(s)
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Re: Infantry Patrol Encounter with AP Landmine.
^^Yes correct, the infantryman's injury could have been much worse. The vs-50 contains 50 grams of RDX explosive which is equivalent to 75 grams of TNT. It could have caused far greater damage. He was lucky that stepped on top of it with his the forefoot/toe/ball portion of his foot.  ^^The infantryman’s legs before (left) and after the incident (right). Only the forward / mid portion (shaded in red) of the foot was blown off. A significant portion of the victim left lower leg remains.  ^^Close up the incapacitated infantryman’s feet. Comparing the victims right foot/boot with the remains of the where the left foot/boot would be. The forefoot section is clearly missing, but the rear heel section still remains attached. The VS-50 mine clearly exploded under the forefoot portion of the foot/boot shaded in red. The VS-50 mine is added for scale.  ^^Further details on the landmine injury. (Red): The forward portion of the left foot is clearly blown off. (orange): The right thigh shows deep penetrating injury caused by shrapnel released by the mine. This required immediate treatment and bandaging. (green): However, the lower portion of the heel, ankle, shin , lower leg are relatively intact. If the VS-50 , 50gram RDX charge exploded under the heel, the lower leg would receive greater injury. (yellow): The lower portion suffered some soft tissue damage from the blast. However, the injuries were not deeply penetrating. (purple:) The victims upper inner thigh and genital area escaped shrapnel injury. Shrapnel released by medium sized landmine like the VS-50 can easily cause shrapnel injury to these area’s.  ^^Diagram showing the portion of the foot/leg that was directly in the blast of the mine. The infantryman was “lucky” that the mine exploded under the forefoot as much of the blast’s energy was dissipated into the surroundings once the forward part of his boot and foot was destroyed. If the mine exploded under the heel, the effect would have been different. Note the remains of the tendons that used to move the toes. If the landmine exploded under the heel, that is what would have happened.  ^^Diagram depicting injury pattern if mine exploded under the infantryman’s heel. If the vs-50 mine exploded under the heel portion of lower leg. A significantly greater portion of the lower leg would have been directly in the path of the blast. The blast have likely travelled up long bones of the leg and strip far more bone and flesh, muscle from his lower left leg. This would be a far more complex injury that would require treatment by amputation higher up the leg. |
