Anti personnel traps
Posted: 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
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.
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?
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.
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
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.
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?
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.