Ladies and Gentlemen,
have been thinking about this post for a couple of days now. A number of
messages have made the point that Anti-Pers mines do not win wars, and quite
right, they are won by a 19 year old baggy arse with a rifle and bayonet who
occupies the ground that airpower, artillery and all other assorted support
organisations have assisted him in capturing (apologise for being non
correct by saying him) and occupying.
However, if the enemy has laid Anti-Pers mines the effectiveness of that
soldier is dramatically reduced. They are an incrediably insidious weapon
of war, when a mine casualty occurs it slows everything down, it enhances
the fear factor in soldiers, reducing their effectiveness. The effect upon
soldiers when they walk into a mine ambush is devastating, one moment
nothing to fear then a bang, people instinctively move towards the casualty,
and further bangs. It will totally immobilise even the best trained and
motivated of troops.
A mine ambush in Phuoc Tuy, South Viet Nam, resulted in 19 wounded in less
than a minute, the resultant clearance of the wounded took a further seven
casualties. Less than two days later another incident to the same battalion
of the Royal Australian Regiment, caused 17 casualties. Virtually two rifle
companies where hors de combat, requiring a major effort over a number of
weeks to return them to duty. The men of the battalion became extremly
loath to patrol in that area, so much so that dominance of the area was
handed over to the enemy, until a new battalion was moved into the area,
they having mine casualties but, nowhere to the same extent.
The terrible thing about it was, they were mines purchased from the
Americans, for a barricade across the Province to reduce enemy movement,
laid in a very comprehensive minefield with wire barriers, covered in the
approved manner by well laid out fire positions, and the mines then removed
by the North Vietnamese, as the South Vietnamese local defence forces
assigned to prottect the defences were too lazy to do their duty, and in a
number of cases actually bribed to turn the other check.
You cannot say they are only mines, they do inhibit military operations, and
have a quite terrible effect upon the soldiers psyche.
The Ottawa Agreement has nothing to do with the rules of war. All of the
non signatories (and some of the actual signatories) still produce vast
numbers of Anti-Pers mines. In regard to civilian casualties, you will find
that in most countries that have this horrific problem, the mines laid are
done so deliberately to main civilians, Cambodia, Angola, Sudan, the Kurdish
areas of Iraq and Iran are those that come off the top of the head.
In regard to Americans laying mines in SVN disguised as dolls, utter
rubbish.
Yours,
Jock in Sydney