If there is a real war, can sandbags be used as cover? Can it really block bullets?
Remember those thrilling war movies? On the battlefield filled with gunpowder, soldiers often hide behind piles of seemingly ordinary sandbags and engage in desperate battles with the enemy.
Have you ever wondered if these soft sandbags can really withstand deadly bullets?
The answer is yes. Don't look at the sandbag, it is a tried and tested defensive weapon on the battlefield, and it can even be called the "second life" of soldiers.
You may ask, why is it so helpless to do anything about sandbags when bullets can penetrate even hard steel plates?
This has to mention the wisdom of "overcoming rigidity with softness" in traditional Chinese culture. Although the texture of sand is soft, it is made up of countless tiny particles, and the hardness of individual particles is actually quite considerable, even reaching more than three times that of wooden boards.
What's more, sand is not as hard and rigid as steel plates, but has a certain fluidity and plasticity. When a high-speed bullet hits a sandbag, the sand will quickly deform, and numerous sand particles will disperse the impact of the bullet over a larger area.
It's like if you hit the surface of the water with your fist, the fist will be slowed down by the resistance of the water and eventually unable to penetrate the water. In the process of passing through the sandbag, the bullet will be constantly hindered and rubbed by the sand particles, and the kinetic energy will be gradually depleted, and finally lose its lethality.
Some people may say: since it is to protect against bullets, then why not just build a thick wall?
The reinforced concrete walls used in modern buildings do have a fairly strong defensive ability, but they are too expensive to build and slow to form. What's more, in the ever-changing battlefield, bulky walls are simply useless.
In contrast, sandbags are much more flexible, they are easy to access, and sand can be found as a filling almost anywhere. Moreover, the sandbags are light in weight and small in size, which is convenient for soldiers to carry with them, and they can quickly build fortifications anytime and anywhere.
What's more, the shape and height of the sandbags can be flexibly adjusted according to actual needs, so that soldiers can observe the enemy's situation, change the shooting angle, and even set up shooting holes to ensure their own safety while effectively counterattacking the enemy.
It can be said that sandbags are the "Variety King Kong" on the battlefield, which can adjust their "posture" at any time according to different combat environments and mission requirements, so as to provide the most effective protection for soldiers.
In fact, sandbags have a long history of being used as a defensive tool on the battlefield. As early as ancient warfare, sandbags were used to defend against enemy bows and stones.
In modern times, with the emergence and development of firearms, the position of sandbags on the battlefield has become more unshakable. From World War I to World War II, and then to the Korean War, Vietnam War, etc., sandbags have always been the most loyal companions of soldiers, silently guarding their lives.
Even today, with the highly developed science and technology, all kinds of high-precision weapons emerge one after another, but sandbags still have not withdrawn from the stage of history, but continue to play an important role on battlefields around the world.
This is because, no matter how weapons develop, the basic form and laws of war have not fundamentally changed. Soldiers still need a simple, effective, and reliable means of defense to protect themselves from the enemy, and sandbags meet these needs.
Of course, sandbags are not without their drawbacks, and the defensive capabilities of sandbags are closely related to the quality and filling density of sand. If the sandbag is not filled tightly enough, the sandbag's defensive effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
The second is that the thickness of the sandbag is limited, and if the enemy's fire is too fierce, or if special ammunition such as armor-piercing shells are used, it is difficult for the sandbag to completely resist.
In addition, when the sandbags are hit, the flying sand and dust sometimes collapse into the soldiers' faces, causing some damage to the soldiers. In order to overcome these shortcomings, people have been constantly improving and perfecting the performance of sandbags.
For example, high-strength fiber materials are used to make sandbag shells to improve their tear and puncture resistance; special energy-absorbing materials are added to the sand to enhance its absorption effect on the kinetic energy of bullets; Research and development of new sandbag masonry methods to improve the stability and impact resistance of fortifications, etc.
It is believed that with the progress of science and technology and the development of material science, sandbags, an ancient and practical defensive equipment, will radiate more powerful vitality and continue to protect the lives of soldiers on the battlefield in the future.
Reference: China's well-off network "Bullets can penetrate steel plates, why do you still use sandbags to build fortifications?" The real reason for the posture》
