The YaM-5 (anti-tank mine 5 kilograms) was a Soviet anti-tank blast mine with a wooden case. The mine was widely used during Great Patriotic War. Wood was chosen as primary material for its availability, cheapness and ease of handling; for example, in 1942, many thousand of such cases were produced at Tuymen Plywood Factory by patriotic young volunteers as an after-school activity. Various types of wood were used. The mine consists of a rectangular wooden box with a hinged lid that overlaps the front of the mine. A slot in the hinged lid's side through which an MUV pull fuse is placed. A wooden pressure bar is sometimes used on the edge of the lid above the slot. A nail is placed horizontally through the loop of the MUV fuse's striker retaining pin and two loops on the bottom of the lid's slot. A YaM-10 was also produced; it was a scaled-up version of the YaM-5. The wooden case was normally painted olive green, gray or white. The mine was frequently used with anti-handling devices. Downward pressure on the lid forced the nail downwards; withdrawing the striker retaining pin detonated the mine.
Specifications
References
TM 5-223, Foreign Mine Warfare Equipment Pamphlet No. 30-50-1, Handbook on the Soviet Army
== External links == YaM-5 box mine at ORDATA
