What is a Bangalore Torpedo?
A simple device that changed warfare
Have you heard of a Bangalore Torpedo?
It is the name given to an explosive that is placed inside a metallic tube.
To make this device, get some TNT or a similar explosive and pack it inside a steel or aluminum tube so that there is at least two pounds of explosives per foot of the tube.
The main use of the Bangalore Torpedo is in clearing razor wire or barbed wire fences and heavy undergrowth (vegetation) so that soldiers can continue moving forward.
When the tube explodes, the metal gets splintered into many bits which cut into the wire and blow it apart. One torpedo can clear out a four-foot wide opening in a fence.
The Bangalore torpedo was devised by Captain R. L. McClintock, of the Royal Engineers while attached to the Madras Sappers and Miners unit of the Indian Army at Bangalore, India, in 1912.
It is also called a “Bangalore mine”, “banger” or simply “Bangalore”.
It has since been used in almost all wars including World War I, World War II, Yom Kippur wars, Vietnam War, the Afghan war, etc to name a few.
Bangalore (Bengaluru) is now the Capital of the state of Karnataka in India.
link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangalore_torpedo
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