Question 339

The 'X' torpedo is an explosive charge placed on the end of a long, extendible tube. 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 'X' mine, bangers or simply a 'X'.It has been estimated that the modern 'X' torpedo is effective for clearing a path through wire and mines up to 15 metres long and 1 metre wide. It was first devised by Captain McClintock, of the British Indian Army unit, the Madras Sappers and Miners at Bangalore, India, in 1912. He invented it as a means of exploding booby traps and barricades left over from the Boer and Russo-Japanese Wars. The 'X' torpedo would be exploded over a mine without the sapper having to approach closer than about three metres (ten feet). 'X' torpedoes are currently manufactured by Mondial Defence Systems of Poole, UK.It was widely used by both the U.S. and Commonwealth forces, notably during D-Day. The use of a 'X' torpedo to clear a barbed wire barrier is depicted in the D-Day beach invasion scene in the films Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, and The Big Red One as well as the games Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Medal of Honor: Frontline, and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One.

The origin of the word 'X' as per an apocryphal, though popular, anecdote recounts that the 11th-century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II, while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who served him boiled beans. The grateful king named the place "benda-kaal-ur_"(literally, "town of boiled beans" in local language), which eventually evolved into 'X'. Try not googling for this question.

Answer: Bangalore. Cracked by mahesh, Pushkar, sumo_ftb and quaziluffy.