Tricky Hans-crackers ZZ 35, ZuZZ 35 (identification of finds)
During wartime digging, the German brass fuse ZZ 35 (Zug Zünder 35) and its extended version ZuZZ 35 can be considered a frequent find. However, these are two different fuses. Both were intended for an anti-personnel jumping mine (“spring”) – S-Mine 35.
The functional difference is that the ZZ 35 is a pull-action fuse (pull to fire), and the ZuZZ 35 is a combined pull/break fuse. The last one turned out to be unsuccessful; they were clearly too clever with it. ZuZZ 35 was considered structurally dangerous and sent for rework. Undoubtedly, the usual short version of the ZZ 35 is more common in fields and forests. I will not go into a detailed description of the design, everything is clearly displayed in the picture below.
As you can see, this device does not contain a detonator with an explosive, but there is an igniter primer that is triggered when the striker needle is pricked. If you have an interest in collecting such souvenirs, it is strongly recommended to get rid of it, otherwise you can get into very specific problems with the law. Don't flatter yourself with hope for a damp capsule. In the video below, such a “cracker” rumbles very cheerfully even after many decades (do not repeat this at home).
Advice: if you don’t know what you’ve found (especially if it’s during a war), then handle the item as carefully as possible—it can be explosive! A tiny detonator, even with a weak blow, can go off and deprive fingers and vision.
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