RE: Mines, detection of

John, I did mention that these methods were used with no fear of enemy
intervention.  I posted it more for interest sake, capice?  ;-)  You
mentioned VTOLs for mine detection, what about some rules on specialized
vehicles (flail tank and the like)?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: jatkins6@ix.netcom.com [SMTP:jatkins6@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent: Sunday, May 24, 1998 10:29 PM
> To:	FTGZG-L@bolton.ac.uk
> Subject:	RE: Mines, detection of
> 
> You wrote: 
> 
> >Around dusk they'd fly over a suspected or known minefield in a
> >helicopter.	Scanning the ground with an IR scope, certain mines
> would
> >show up due too the difference in temperatures between the mines and 
> the >cooling ground around them.
> 
> That 'some' makes me nervous.  :)  But then again I'm a nervous kinda 
> guy.	SGLI is all well and good in theory, but I don't want my next o'
> 
> kin to find out how good it is in practice, capice?[1]  I think I 
> permitted mine detectors in VTOLs, flying low and slow.  If not I 
> should have.
> 
> >Sheep herds would be used.  Bad for sheep, but better a dead sheep 
> than >a dead person.	They would literally drive a sheep herd over a 
> field and >see if anything was tripped.
> 
> Good method, but has the major disadvantage that if your enemy has a 
> large-caliber machine gun overwatching the minefield (as he should). .
> 
> . Not really practical in combat, I'd say.
> 
> >The coolest thing about these methods is the mix of low tech and high
> >tech.
> 
> When it all comes down, there is still no substitute for a sapper with
> 
> a stick, probing carefully once every inch.
> 
> [1]SGLI, Serviceman's Group Life Insurance, the only life insurance 
> policy that specifically covers acts of war.
> 
> John M. Atkinson