Bangalore torpedo is a one of its kind explosive charge developed in Bengaluru by British officer Captain R. L. McClintoc in the year 1912. It is famously known as “Bangalores” all around the world.
It is placed within one or several connected tubes. It is used by combat engineers to clear obstacles that would otherwise require them to approach directly, possibly under fire. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as a “Bangalore mine”, “banger” or simply “Bangalore”.
The Bangalore torpedo was reportedly used in the British offensive on Bardia during the Western Desert Campaign, on 3 January 1941. During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Bangalore torpedoes were used by the Israelis to clear paths through Syrian minefields. It was widely used by the U.S. Army, notably during the D-Day landings. The Bangalore torpedo was obsolete in British use at the time of D-Day, The Bangalore continues to be used today in the little-changed M1A2 version, primarily to breach wire obstacles
It is also seen in the famous Hollywood movie ‘Saving Private Ryan‘, where the famous dialogue comes – “Bring up some Bangalores!!”