Schützenminen, usually abbreviated to Schü-mine, were anti-personnel mines, which were specifically targeted to (walking) infantry. They could cause a soldier terrible injuries.
The mine consisted of a simple wooden box with 200 grams of explosive (TNT) and a detonator. As there were no metal parts in this sort of mine, they could not be detected by mine detectors. The effect was sometimes increased by placing it in a pile of stones. Sometimes they were filled with scrap metal, but then it was easy to detect with a mine detector.
The explosion of a Schuh-mine made sure at least that the leg that came into contact with the mine was shattered below the knee. Often, the other leg was also so badly damaged by flying debris that it had to be partially amputated.
