The S-mine was an anti-personnel mine developed by Germany in the 1930s and used extensively by German forces during World War II.

[3] The mine's performance in the Saar region affirmed its effectiveness in the eyes of the German leadership and prompted the United States and other countries to copy its design.

Nazi Germany used the S-mine heavily during the defense of its occupied territories and the German homeland during the Allied invasions of Europe and North Africa.

[5] S-mines were deployed on the beaches of Normandy in preparation for the anticipated invasion as part of a general program of heavy mining and fortification.

On the Îles-St.-Marcouf, just off Utah Beach, where Allied planners believed the Germans had established heavy gun batteries, Erwin Rommel had ordered S-mines to be "sown like grass seed.

In his book Mine Warfare on Land, Lt. Col. Sloan described the S-mine as "probably the most feared device encountered by Allied troops in the war.

No information has been discovered as to the exact fate of the remaining stockpiles of the S-mine, but it can be assumed a majority were destroyed as part of the disarmament of Germany after its surrender, although possibly some were preserved for study and reverse engineering by the Allies.

This joint operation eliminated a majority of the remaining fields of mines on the war-torn western half of the continent and was greatly assisted by the German policy of clearly marking and accurately recording the locations of minefields.

[3] However, incidents involving accidental explosions of mines in North Africa, former Warsaw Pact countries, France, and Germany still occur sporadically.

North Africa and Eastern Europe have a particularly large amount of uncleared World War II-era minefields, lost in the desert sands[clarification needed] or forgotten by authorities.

While German documentation stated that the S-mine had an effective lifespan of two to seven years once planted, the explosive charge may remain dangerous indefinitely.

It weighed approximately 4 kilograms (8.8 lb), with the weight depending on whether it was loaded with the lighter powdered or the heavier poured TNT.

The standard pressure sensor was designed to activate if depressed by a force equivalent to a weight of roughly seven kilograms (15 lb) or greater.

This ensured the mine was not detonated by wildlife or natural impact of blowing leaves, branches, or other normally occurring phenomena.

[1] The S-mine was normally triggered by a three-pronged pressure fuse, but the German army also provided a special tripwire adapter.

The most effective way to survive the mine's detonation would not be to flee but to fall to the ground lying face down as quickly as possible.

A S-mine mine launcher ("Minenabwurfvorrichtung" in German) in the form of angled tubes attached via brackets to the hull, were also used for anti-infantry defense by Wehrmacht armored vehicles.

If the discovered mine was fitted with the pressure sensor, the disarming personnel would slip a pin (such as a sewing needle) into this hole.

In 1940, Major Pierre (also cited as Paul) Delalande of the French Corps of Engineers managed to escape the German conquest of his country and reached the United States with the Mle-1939 plans.

[4] The American army was impressed by the S-mine's role in thwarting the French offensive in the German Saar region at the beginning of World War II and continued further work on bounding mines.

Other nations that have produced S-mine-inspired designs include the People's Republic of China, Sweden (called Truppmina 11), and Italy.