Original Item. Only One Available. The M2 is a United States bounding anti-personnel mine used during World War II. The mine consists of a cylindrical steel main body containing a 60 millimeter mortar shell body (originally the M49A2), linked to a tall thin fuze stand. The fuze stand held either a pin based tripwire fuze or a combination pressure tripwire fuze with a pronged pressure cap. Later fuzes were sensitive to pressure or pull and could be used with a tripwire. When the mine is triggered a black powder charge launches the mortar shell out of the main body of the mine and into the air.

Unloaded or dummy grenades, artillery shell casings, and similar devices, which are cut or drilled in an BATF-approved manner so that they cannot be used as ammunition components for destructive devices, are not considered NFA weapons. This example is in total compliance and is NOT AVAILABLE FOR EXPORT.

This is an extremely scarce example of the M2 AP Mine, the first of this variation we have ever offered. The ones we have had in the past were mostly M2A4. The mine is embossed along the base MINE ANTI-PERSONNEL-M2. The body retains a yellow paint stripe in the center, and this example retains the very scarce tin cap, which is almost always missing on these early M2s. It also retains the projectile inside, which is stamped on the side LOT-LF-1-1-43, for a date of 1943. 

The original fuze is still attached and retains its pull ring. It can be unscrewed at the middle to inspect the rest of the tube.

This is an extremely scarce M2 Anti-Personnel mine, ready for further research and display.

The US began development of the anti-personnel mines in the summer of 1940 spurred on by events in the Second World War. A French officer, Major Pierre Delalande (sometimes Paul Delalande) who had escaped the fall of France came to the US with the plans of the Modele 1939 bounding mine. The M2 series of mines were based on this design, and were first fielded in mid-1943.

The mine has not been in US service for some time, having been replaced by the M16 mine soon after the Second World War. The M2 was not considered a successful design, and was replaced with more successful German-based designs.

With the advent of the Ottawa Treaty, large stockpiles of this mine have been eliminated. As of 2006 Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, and possibly Taiwan hold stockpiles of this mine. Cyprus, Greece and Turkey are expected to have destroyed their stockpiles of the mine by March 2008.