>>63098123The only practical knowledge this would give to a sapper is that he needs to make peace with his God. Or, more likely, make plans for how he'll live as a severely crippled invalid. The most common sapper buster trap is actually the simple PMN-2 type mine, or a variant of it made at the frontline, it's an incredibly devious type of mine, especially if it's completely non-metallic. It's like the old US M14 toepopper mine, except the charge is 200 grams of RDX/TNT composition. So instead of toes, it removes one leg above the knee, and breaks the other. Often removes cock as well.
>>63098134It's not a flat desert road in Iraq. In Ukraine, mines are usually installed in treelines, in thick brush where you don't get visibility for long enough to shoot it from from a safe distance. But the same broken treelines and brush is exactly where you want to move through because if you try to go through the fields surronding the treeline you'll be instantly spotted and killed by a sniper with thermals/FPV. At least in the treeline you have a chance of not being spotted or engaged. But you also have mines.
In the case of directional mines like MON-50/Claymore the last thing you could possibly want is shooting it from closer than 200 meters. And you'd be very lucky to get 50 meters of visibility there, if that.
Also, a critical factor that you never had before is that there is almost no fog of war. The enemy has drones with night vision and thermals for observation, yes. But they also have powerful acoustic sensors. The last thing you want to do in the grey zone is make noise or in general make any kind of fuss. It's why you often see infantry in such poorly made fighting positions - you don't have time or ability to make noise for long enough to even dig a foxhole. They never use wire, don't have much sophistication in the fortifications that are in the grey zone. You have to operate on foot, quickly traverse 10-20 kilometers of grey zone before taking position.
