GB2219846A - Penetrating wire entanglements - Google Patents

Abstract

A sectional cylinder is of large enough internal diameter to allow the passage of a man, the sections when assembled being fitted with a detachable pointed nose cone thus allowing the cylinder to be fed through a wire entanglement without noticeably snagging and/or distorting the wire. The individual cylinder sections may be used in or for shields, trench revetment, amphibious devices, containers, aircraft construction, stretchers and coffins.

Description

CPDNR.CLAN-DESTINE PENETRATION DEVICE Fu-LII ROLe.

History; Whilst serving in the Royal Engineers I thought of a system whereby any number of men could penetrate an enemy or indeed our own wire entanglements without; a/ Cutting a path through the wire.

b/ Without themselves orvtheir equipment being snagged by the wire.

The basic concept is a sectional cylinder with a large enough internal diameter to allow the passage of a man. These sections when assembled would be fitted with a detachable pointed nose cone thus allowing the cylinder to be fed through a wire entanglement without snagging and or distorting the wire to such an extent it would be noticeable by an enemy patrol after a breach had been made.

The cylinder sections when dismantled would be clipped to a soldiers back pack or bergen and in turn could afford some protection against shrapnel and perhaps small arms fire. (A back shield) Unfortunately the colouring and texture may not be ideal to screen or deflect some of the first effects of a nuclear blasts heat but any protection is better than none! The CPDdR could also be adapted and used for the following; li Trench revetment; Not only could the sections/panels be used as a revetment they could be formed into a cylinder/ pipe with which a soldier could shaft into soft ground, gravel or sand which would continually fall in on such workings. This concept could be also be used for personel protection or sapping.

The pannels when laid across the top of a battle trench could carry overhead coveriprotection.

2/ Amphibious; Sections of CPD when formed into containers could be used for river crossings, floats or indeed rafts and canoes. The seems of any such craft would not necessarly need to be watertight as the cylinders could be filled with inflated ballons tor simmilar) to achieve the required buoyancy. it used as a canoe the seems could be taped with a good quaiity and waterproof tape.

contd.

3/ Containers; Airborne equipment drops (food & ordinance) plus water, fuel and etc. Any such fluid could be easily transported inside CPD cylinders in the same way as wine is held inside a "wine boxg.

4/ Aircraft; The sections could be asembled together to form wing sections for microlite aircraft or hang gliders. indeed the same silenced engine that could propel a waterborne craft could also be used to propel a microlite or powered hang glider.

5/ Riot shields; Although the sections will be opaque they at least will serve many other purposes unlike the present riot shields. The clipping arrangement could be such that it could accept a hand hold facility.

6/ Stretchers; Clipping facilities could also be formed along the edge to allow carrying straps to be fitted so that poles could be slid through them. The carrying poles themselves could be formed out of the same type of light weight (alluminium?) tubing and or section that would be used in the CPD's other roles.

7/ Coffins; Enough said.

The above uses are all completely ancillary to the main use and would depend entirely on the sections construction and make up.

The material would be a slightly flexible plastic armour and have a matt finish with an integral camouflage pattern.

The jointing clips must be simple strong and of a flush design to prevent snagging of equipment or damage to any equipment carried within a CPD cylinder.

Tests would have to be carried out to determine if the exact size of the CPDKR panels and especially to find out if the CPD cyinders were to be made up from 2 or 3 sections. ie 2 halfs or 3 thirds. The lenth would have to be such that a soldiers mobility would not be impeded when wearing/ carrying CPD section/sections. 1 would think that a CPD when worn as a back shield should not reach below the soldiers buttocks.

The internal diameter of a CPD cylinder would also have to be worked out to accecpt the passage of an average sized man. However I would not envisage that any soldier passing through a CPD cylinder would be wearing his kit but rather push it in front of him or pull it through after he has passed through it.

Claims (19)

1. A barbed wire entanglement penetration device suitable for use in allowing personnel to penetrate a barbed wire entanglement barrier, which device comprises a sectional tubular body of lightweight portable construction with a detachable smooth pointed nose cone at one end of said tubular body for insertion into and through a barbed wire entanglement, in use of the device, so as to force apart the barbed wire and allow the tubular body to pass through the entanglement, said body being formed and arranged so as to define a conduit for the passage of personnel through the wire while screened from the wire, whereby personnel can pass through the barbed wire entanglement substantially without risk of injury therefrom.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubular body comprises a plurality of longitudinally extending wall sections joined together in side by side disposition.

3. A wire penetration device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said body sections are of generally 'C'-shaped section.

4. A wire penetration device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said tubular body comprises a plurality of wall sections joined together in end-to-end disposition.

5. A device as devised in any one of claims 1 to 4 which includes releasable catch means formed and arranged for securing said nose cone to the tubular body.

6. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 which includes releasable catch means formed and arranged for securing said wall sections together.

7. A device as claimed in claim 5 or claim 6 wherein said catch means are of flush-fitting type.

8. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said device is made of a plastics armour material of limited flexilibity.

9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the tubular body is formed and arranged so as to withstand the impact of shrapnel or small arms fire.

10. A device as claimed in any of claims 2, 3 and 4 to 9 when dependent on claim 2 wherein at least one of said wall sections includes handle means on a concave side for allowing the wall section to be used as a shield.

11. A wire penetration device as claimed in any of claims 2, 3, 4 to 9 when dependent on claim 2 and 10, wherein at least one of said wall sections includes loop means for receiving two or more rods to allow the wall section to be used as a stretcher.

12. A wire penetration device as claimed in any of claims 2, 3, 4 to 9 when dependent on claim 2, 10 and 11 wherein said device includes buoyancy means to allow said device to float on water.

13. A wire penetration device as claimed in claim 12 wherein said buoyancy means comprise inflatable sacks.

14. A kit of parts for use in a barbed wire entanglement penetration device according to claim 1 and which comprises a plurality of cylindrical or part cylindrical wall sections and a nose cone, provided with releasable clips means for securing said wall sections together so as to form said tubular body and for connecting said nose cone to said one end of the tubular body.

15. A method of passing through a wire entanglement of predetermined depth between opposite sides of the entanglement, without substantially distorting the wire, which method comprising the steps of providing a wire penetration device having a tubular body of predetermined length not less than the depth of the wire entanglement, and a smooth pointed nose cone, detachably connected to one end thereof, pushing the nose cone of the device through the wire entanglement until the tubular body extends from one side to the other of said wire entanglement, crawling through the tubular body portion up to the nose cone, detaching the nose cone from the tubular body, and crawling out of the nose cone engaging end of the tubular body.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 which includes the preliminary step of assembling the penetration device from a kit of parts according to claim 14.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16 which includes the step of withdrawing the tubular body from the wire entanglement after passage of personnel therethrough has been completed.

18. A barbed wire entanglement penetration device substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A method of passing through a wire entanglement substantially as hereinbefore described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.