Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to?

Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to? - Countryside road and closed entrance to army cemetery with metal bars on gloomy day

In Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller had the idea of using sticky bombs to hit a tank's tracks and disable it.

But in this scene:

The soldier carried the sticky bomb, and instead of crouching immediately after approaching the tank to stick it in the track, he remained standing and it looks like he was going to stick it on the tank's armor instead. He blew up before he had a chance to.

They were briefed and they know that it was meant for the tracks so why did he do this? Wouldn't it be easier to just throw it and run away since it would stick anyway? In a later scene, two soldier just threw the bombs on the tracks, it stuck and disabled the tank.



Best Answer

You are right. Good point.

But you have to consider that they are in action. And many times soldiers forget a part of instruction given to them due to chaos or nervousness (also happens in exams).

If you observe that soldier lit the fuse and kept standing. When he began to run towards the tank fuse was burnt almost halfway through.

So my guess is that he forgot the instructions in nervousness.




Pictures about "Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to?"

Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to? - From below of diverse lost travelers with backpacks exploring woodland and searching way in cellphone
Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to? - Old railway carriages with graffiti on surface under cloudy sky
Why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to? - Side view of crop anonymous person in bright yellow wear using tape dispenser near bridge in town



Were sticky bombs used in ww2?

The sticky bombs used during World War II were originally produced by the United Kingdom. These hand grenades were designed as a solution to the shortage of anti-tank guns, which was evident after the Dunkirk evacuation.

What is a sticky bomb in Saving Private Ryan?

A Sticky Bomb is an improvised bomb seen in Saving Private Ryan.

What makes sticky bombs sticky?

The Sticky Bomb is a type of explosive used in Call of Duty 2. "Sticky Bomb" is a term used for an field-expedient anti-tank mine made by filling a sock with some form of explosive, attaching a fuse, then sealing the sock and covering it with axle grease to make it "sticky".

How much is a sticky bomb?

Can be bought from Ammu-Nation for $600 each, after reaching Rank 19.



sticky bombs will eventually detonate themselves




More answers regarding why did this soldier not use a sticky bomb the way it was meant to?

Answer 2

I never noticed this before, but now that I watched it I think he had a hard time getting near to the tank tracks, which are the only place on the outside of the tank that is vulnerable, and just lost track of how fast the fuse was burning.

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Erik Mclean, Kamaji Ogino, Chris F, Kowal Tyler