Bangalore torpedo | |
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Type | Explosive charge |
Place of origin | British India |
Service history | |
In service | 1914–present |
Used by | |
Wars | |
Production history | |
Designer | Captain R. L. McClintock |
Designed | 1912 |
Produced | February 1943 – November 1944 (M1A1) |
No. built | Approximately 3,255,000 torpedo sections (M1A1) |
Variants | M1 Bangalore Torpedo series, Advanced Performance Bangalore Torpedo (L26A1 Bangalore Torpedo Demolition Charge), Bangalore Blade |
Specifications | |
Mass | 13 lb (5.9 kg) per torpedo section (M1A1) |
Length | up to 15 m (49 ft) in 1.5 m (4.9 ft) sections (general), 5 ft (1.5 m) (M1A1) |
Diameter | 2.125 in (54.0 mm) (M1A1) |
Filling | TNT, 80–20 TNT and ammonium nitrate (M1A1), C4 (modern production) |
Filling weight | 9 lb (4.1 kg) per torpedo section (M1A1) |
Detonation mechanism | Detonator |
References | Catalogue of Standard Ordnance Items, Second Edition 1944, Volume III, p. 598 |
A Bangalore torpedo is an explosive charge placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a "Bangalore mine", "banger" or simply "Bangalore" as well as a pole charge.
Per United States Army Field Manual 5-250 section 1–14, page 1–12 "b. Use. The primary use of the torpedo is clearing paths through wire obstacles and heavy undergrowth. It will clear a 3- to 4-metre wide path through wire obstacles."