A mine shell (from the German term Minengeschoss (German: Minengeschoß)), also known as High-Explosive, High-Capacity (HEHC) in british military nomenclature, is a military shell type characterized by thin shell walls and a correspondingly high payload of explosives. The shell type was originally developed during the mid to late 1800s against fortresses prior to rebar but got a new role during World War II against air targets as reinforced fortresses had made the original use of the type obsolete around World War I.