Bangalore Torpedo

History

The Bangalore Torpedo was a British invention prior to World War I (1914-1918), designed for combat engineers - the elements were used to detonate duds or remove obstacles around them. The system proved useful in the years following the Boer War (1899-1902), when many traps and mines were still in operation long after the last firing. The design of this technical solution fell to Captain McClintock who fought with the British Indian Army from Bangalore, India.

As a result, the explosive was dubbed the "Bangalore Torpedo" and was officially adopted in 1914 - it was used extensively in both world wars.

The system in Bangalore consists of sections of metal tubing that contain a large amount of explosives that, if detonated, will act on the mines (or minefields), hoping to detonate them before friendly forces enter dangerous terrain. The system allows combat engineering teams to stay relatively safe from explosive ordnance as long as the pipe length allows. Additionally, when fighting obstacles such as barbed wire, broken pipe sections were used to rip through the barbed wire, exposing openings in enemy defenses and allowing friendly forces to begin pouring into enemy positions. Bangalore systems typically use 5-foot lengths of pipe, up to 49 feet when fully assembled. The smooth nose cone allows the lead pipe to penetrate or pass through enemy defenses.

Then some sections carry explosives, while others remain vacant. A detonator triggered the explosion.

In practice, if one is content with wire, the only other option is for an exposed operator to cut the wire mesh with a knife. The mines required the involvement of several exposed bomb disposal companies and significantly slowed the Allied advance. Bengaluru allows this work to be done mostly from behind or under cover. Thus, cover fire and fire support could be used to distract the enemy from the engineering work - crews in Bangalore simply screwed together long enough tubes to achieve the desired range. Alternatively, the crew could use their detonated Bangalore to distract the enemy, as was the case with the British at Cambrai during the 1917 campaign.

The resulting gap in enemy defenses was about five feet wide.

Its success in World War I ensured a long and healthy life for the Bangalore concept, as it came into play again during World War II (1939-1945), when it was adopted by the Americans in Normandy Some of the beaches breached the German defense network. It was these breakthroughs that allowed the pinned Allied forces to advance from vulnerable positions on the beach and inland, eventually breaking through the German defenses and occupying part of the bridgehead.

The American adaptation was named M1A1 "Bangalore". The British went beyond the Bangalore concept with a more efficient vehicle-oriented approach.

The use of Bangalore continued into the post-war years, and the products evolved, but the basic concepts remained. A slightly modified, modernized US military version is the M1A2. The demolition solution has proven itself and, surprisingly, is still in use today (2014). It has been effectively deployed and used in clearance operations throughout the Afghan theater. Besides being used by the UK and Americans, Bangalore is also used in Canada, China, India and Pakistan.

A few field variants were also built, taking the basic concept and using whatever method was available to achieve the same result - that's how combat engineers have done for centuries.

Specification

Basics

Years in Service

1912

Origins

UK

Categories

dynamite

Manufacturers

Various; Mondial Defense Systems - UK

Carrier

Canada; China; India; Pakistan; United Kingdom; United States

Roles

Special Forces

The qualities of this weapon have proven its worth to special forces who need a versatile, reliable solution for the rigors of special operations.

Special weapons for specific characters on the battlefield.

Dimensions and Weight

Overall Length

15,000 mm

590. 55 inches

Barrel length

15,000 mm

590. 55 inches

Cured weight

119.93 lbs

54.40 kg

Attractions

Not applicable.

Action

Single use; high explosive fragments

Cartridges and Paper Feeds

Caliber*

Not applicable.

Circle/Feed

one-time

Performance

Rate of Fire

1

Number of revolutions

Changes

"Bangalore Torpedo" - Base Series Name "Banger" - Alternative Nickname M1A1 - US Military Designation M1A2 - US Military Designation; Modernized Bangalore Blade - Modernized Bangalore Concept