Original Item: Only One Available. This is an original German WWII Stock-Mine 43, or Sto.Mi.43, concrete anti-personnel stake mine mounted on a wooden display base. Designed as a simple, economical weapon that used concrete and embedded metal fragments rather than a conventional steel mine body, the Stock-Mine 43 is a distinctive example of the increasingly improvised German mine warfare equipment produced during the later years of WWII. This example retains its original concrete mine body with traces of wartime paint and is displayed with an original ZZ 35 fuze. The original wooden stake is no longer present, and the mine has instead been mounted vertically on a wooden base, creating an excellent representation of how the weapon would have appeared when positioned above ground.

This example is completely inert and contains no explosive material. Unloaded or dummy grenades, mines, artillery shell casings, and similar devices which have been rendered permanently inert in accordance with applicable BATF guidelines are not considered functional explosive weapons. This example is sold solely as an inert historical artifact and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

The Stock-Mine 43 was a German anti-personnel mine introduced during WWII and intended to be mounted above the ground on a short wooden stake. Its German designation translates literally as “stake mine,” accurately describing the simple manner in which the weapon was positioned.

Unlike the familiar flat, buried anti-personnel mines of the period, the Stock-Mine was designed to stand above ground where its fragmentation effect could be directed against personnel moving through the surrounding area. The cylindrical concrete body was fitted over a wooden stake, while the fuze protruded from the top and could be connected to a tripwire.

The use of concrete was one of the mine’s most recognizable features. Rather than relying on a thick steel casing to provide fragmentation, the concrete body incorporated numerous pieces of metal that became secondary projectiles when the explosive charge detonated. This allowed Germany to produce an effective anti-personnel weapon while conserving higher priority metals for other wartime requirements.

Internally, the concrete head originally contained a relatively small TNT bursting charge surrounded by the embedded fragmentation material. A central fuze well in the top of the mine accepted several German pull and tension type fuzes.

The Stock-Mine 43 could be used with a variety of fuzes, including the:

ZZ 35
ZZ 42
ZU ZZ 35

Depending upon the exact fuze and tripwire arrangement, the mine could be initiated when the wire was pulled or otherwise disturbed.

This example is displayed with an original ZZ 35 fuze. No markings are presently visible on the fuze that we can identify. The fuze is not actually threaded securely into the mine body and is instead more or less wedged into the fuze opening, so care should be taken when handling or moving the display.

The ZZ 35 was a compact German pull fuze widely associated with tripwire initiated mines and improvised explosive devices. When used with a Stock-Mine, a tripwire could be connected to the fuze so that movement through the defended area initiated the weapon. The elevated position of the concrete mine body increased the effectiveness of its fragments against the legs and lower body of nearby personnel.

Weapons such as the Stock-Mine 43 reflected the enormous importance of mines to German defensive tactics during the later stages of WWII. Minefields were used to channel enemy movement, protect defensive positions, slow infantry and armored advances, and increase the effectiveness of machine gun and artillery positions. Simple anti-personnel mines could be deployed in large numbers and required relatively little strategic material to manufacture.

Concrete bodied mines were particularly suited to this wartime economy. Germany increasingly experimented with substitute materials as shortages became more severe, and concrete, wood, glass, and other nontraditional materials appeared in a variety of mine designs. The Stock-Mine 43 is one of the most immediately recognizable examples of this approach.

The concrete mine body on this example remains in good overall condition. Some of the original exterior paint survives, although there is heavy wear overall as expected from age, service, and storage. The weathered concrete surface and surviving finish give the mine a particularly convincing period appearance.

The original short wooden mounting stake is absent. At some point the mine was mounted to the present wooden display base, which holds it upright and approximates its original above-ground orientation. The complete display measures approximately 13” tall.

The basic concept proved influential enough that similar concrete stake mines continued to appear after WWII. Postwar designs based upon or closely resembling the German concept included the Cuban PMFC-1, Czechoslovakian PP-Mi-Sb, and Yugoslavian PMR-2. The latter became particularly familiar through later conflicts in the Balkans, including Bosnia and Croatia.

With its original WWII concrete body, surviving paint, original ZZ 35 fuze, embedded fragmentation construction, and mounted stake-style presentation, this is a particularly evocative example of German defensive mine warfare. The missing original wooden stake, heavy exterior wear, unmarked fuze, and the fact that the fuze is only wedged rather than threaded into the body are all fully disclosed. Mounted as it is, the piece displays extremely well and would make a strong addition to a German WWII ordnance, combat engineer, mine warfare, battlefield archaeology, or defensive weapons collection.