Anti-personnel mines & booby traps used by VC & NVA

Anti personnel mines & booby traps used by the Viet Cong & NVA

EXPLOSIVE ANTI-PERSONNEL DEVICES

Mines and explosive booby traps employed by the enemy against friendly personnel are limited in type and quantity only by the availability of explosive materials and the imagination of the enemy. Anything that can be made to explode and cause injury can be rigged as an antipersonnel mine or booby trap.

Antipersonnel mines and explosive booby traps are very successfully employed by the VC/NVA. Part of this success is because Marines are not familiar with the physical description of explosive devices normally employed by the VC/NVA, and thus fail to recognize them prior to accidental detonation.

The following illustrations represent some of the devices employed by the VC/NVA in SVN.

The mud ball mine consists of a hand grenade encased in sun-baked mud or clay. The safety pin (pull ring) is removed and mud is molded around the grenade. After the mud dries it holds the lever of the grenade in the safe position. The mud ball is placed on trails or anywhere troops may walk. Stepping on the ball breaks the dried mud apart and releases the lever detonating the grenade. The U.S. M26 and M33 hand grenades have been the most commonly used grenades for this purpose although other lever-type grenades may be used.

The tin can mine is constructed from sheet metal or any discarded metal container (C-ration, beer, or soft drink can). The firing device for the explosive is an improvised fuse with zero delay action. A hand grenade fuse may be used by removal of the delay element. The mine functions by a tripwire attached to the pull ring. Pressure on the tripwire pulls the pull ring, activating the mine in the same manner as a hand grenade.

This mine, made of cast iron, resembles a stick hand grenade with a very short handle. The word "MIN" is often found cast into the body. The handle houses a pull-friction igniter. A tug on a tripwire attached to the friction igniter will activate the fuse.

Almost identical to the CHICOM No. 4 Dual-Purpose Mine, this device also has a double-acting fuse. Like the No.4, a pressure of 300 pounds on the pressure spider or a pull of 10 pounds on an attach tripwire will detonate the mine. Slightly larger than the No.4. this mine contains 5 pounds of explosive and has an overall weight of 12 pounds. It is made of metal and coated with creosote for waterproofing.

The bounding mine is improvised from expended U.S. M2 bounding mine or M48 trip flare cases. A wooden cylinder slightly smaller in diameter than the mine case is hollowed out so that a standard grenade can fit inside. The wooden cylinder (with enclosed grenade) is then fitted into the mine case and the grenade's safety pin is extracted. When the mine is detonated, the cylinder and grenade are propelled upward. As the wooden cylinder and grenade separate, the handle flies off the grenade, activating the fuse.

This mine is fabricated of cartridge cases or pieces of pipe of various sizes. It is loaded with a charge of black powder, a primer, and a variety of fragments for missile effect. When the victim steps on the mine, the igniter detonates the black powder charge and propels the fragments upward.

Four simple and easily obtainable components make up this mine; a bamboo tube, a nail, a piece of wood, and any small arms ammunition or M79 round. The piece of wood is used as a base. The bamboo tube is placed upright on the wooden base and a nail is driven up through the wood to penetrate the bottom of the bamboo. The cartridge is then wedged into the bamboo so that the primer is touching the point of the nail. Partially buried along a trail or path, the pressure of a man's foot stepping on the nose of the cartridge forces the primer onto the nail, firing the cartridge.

Commonly referred to as a "CHICOM or VC claymore," this mine has characteristics similar to the U.S. M18 Claymore Mine. Fused electrically, it is a command-detonating device designed for employment from ambush or defensive positions. It has a range of 150 to 200 meters and is effective against personnel and thin-skinned vehicles.

Chinese Communist copies of the Soviet POMZ-2 mine are now being employed by the VC/NVA. Weighing only 4.4 pounds, it is easily carried and can be emplaced quickly. Fused for detonation by tripwire (tension release or pressure release), it can also be rigged electrically for command detonation.