Anti personnel traps

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Das Troll
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Anti personnel traps

Post by Das Troll » Tue Nov 26, 2019 7:29 pm

This is a post about traps, specifically traps used in Vietnam against the American troops.

One of the main ways that the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) fought back was terror and traps. In most every way the NVA were outclassed by the American army. Weapons, land, air, water, all the ways that you would think would matter. So how did we end up losing that war? guerrilla warfare and traps. They knew that Americans often couldn't help but kick things like balls or coconuts, fix crooked pictures, or buy cokes from children.

First up we will look at the classic punji pit
Punji-Booby.jpg
Punji-Booby.jpg (150.32 KiB) Viewed 5061 times
These pits were easy to make, took a very small amount of time, and could be made from the abundant bamboo that was in the area. Sharp spikes could be carved, dipped in human feces and then put in a pit that was just a few inches deep. They didn't care to kill the Americans as much as sicken and demoralize them.

This next nasty little bugger was a response to marines simply armoring up the soles of their shoes. It is a variation of a punji pit. This little trap as you can see would close around the ankle and lower calf of the marine where the boot wouldn't act as armor. Again, these spikes were often covered in feces to sicken the marines.
vietnam_war_booby_traps_05.jpg
vietnam_war_booby_traps_05.jpg (106.52 KiB) Viewed 5061 times
This one is called a tiger trap and was used as a dead fall trap that were often attached to simple trip wires. As you can see it's just a ball that is covered in nails. These again would sicken or even blind the marine if they swung down and hit him in the face. Why use explosives when you can demoralize people by using whats on hand?
Tiger-Trap-Booby.jpg
Tiger-Trap-Booby.jpg (114.72 KiB) Viewed 5061 times
There are a number of other anti personnel traps that were only limited by what the NVA had and their imagination. Heavier deadfall traps, alarm traps, shot gun traps with electronic switches, mines set under coconuts, even traps that were set up to blow when a marine straightened a crooked picture.

I am not condoning these traps so don't go out and make them. This is more of a history lesson in war time terror traps. Check out your local military surplus shop and you can often find special forces manuals on how to make these traps and others like it in great detail.

Had to do some editing. The pictures were coming up too small.

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Enigma
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by Enigma » Wed Nov 27, 2019 5:28 am

My dad would always tell me about punji pits. Imagine how much differently Vietnam would have went down if they had arduino boards at the time. Jesus, they could have motion tracking blow darts and all sorts of shit.
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huffraid
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by huffraid » Wed Dec 04, 2019 8:46 am

there is another one where you take a schedule 80 - 1 1/4" black iron pipe about three inches long, stick a 12-gague shotgun shell in the bottom, and tape a thumbtack with the tip cut off to the bottom. stuck against a hard surface, will blow a foot off if stepped on.

make a hole in the dirt with a flat rock at the bottom and gently set it in there with leaves over the top and a stick broken in half lengthwise for a flat surface or something

Das Troll
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by Das Troll » Wed Dec 04, 2019 12:39 pm

huffraid wrote:
Wed Dec 04, 2019 8:46 am
there is another one where you take a schedule 80 - 1 1/4" black iron pipe about three inches long, stick a 12-gague shotgun shell in the bottom, and tape a thumbtack with the tip cut off to the bottom. stuck against a hard surface, will blow a foot off if stepped on.

make a hole in the dirt with a flat rock at the bottom and gently set it in there with leaves over the top and a stick broken in half lengthwise for a flat surface or something
I thought about posting this one but I felt it was too... modern? Technical? You can do a version of this with a iron pipe, some nails/rocks/metal bits, an end cap with a hole, some wire, a close pin, some aluminum foil and a battery.

Base the close pin on something and cover the ends with the foil. Put a small bock of wood attached to a trip wire string, Wire up the foil to the battery and you now have a almost completed circuit.

huffraid
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by huffraid » Wed Dec 04, 2019 4:05 pm

how about nichrome wire wound around a 18650 lithium battery and when you step in the right spot, debris falls on you pinning you in lpace as this battery explodes in your face under the debris.

just need some logs and stuff and maybe a length of cordage.

you are correct, modern tech is making these old traps ALMOST obsolete, old simple tech will always be useful though but in a emergency where you would use this stuff you will have the whole world to play with. lots of destroyed consumer electronics with pretty much plug and play functionality on most modular circuitry.

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murderman143
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by murderman143 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:29 pm

spring loaded battery ventor incoming,, shit a couple capacitors and some butane couldd god a long way

Das Troll
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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by Das Troll » Thu Apr 23, 2020 2:50 am

Interesting video I just watch about a noise trap.


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Re: Anti personnel traps

Post by AngryIVer » Thu Apr 23, 2020 5:32 am

That's fucking sweet.
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