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Non explosive booby traps used
by the Viet Cong & NVA
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The idea of non explosive
booby traps is as old as man. From the simple earth pit lined with sharpened stakes to highly sophisticated mechanisms of triggered coils and latches, the enemy employs them all. The principle employed is simply to use anything that will catch the victim by surprise.
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| The barbed-spike plate is the basic element of all enemy
non explosive booby traps. The plate, a flat piece of wood or metal, is used as a base to fasten any number of barbed spikes. The spikes, ranging in length from several inches to several feet, are fastened securely to the base. When a man steps or falls on the spiked plate, or is struck by one,
the spikes will penetrate, producing a serious wound. |
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| This device is a simple wooden box
made of boards joined together with four corner posts. The box has a
lightweight-top but the bottom is removed. Barbed spikes are placed in the ground at the bottom pointing upward. This trap is usually set up on dirt roads and trails to take advantage of favorable camouflage. |
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| Made of bamboo which has been
sharpened, the stakes are stuck in the ground and covered with grass. When a weapon is
fired or a grenade thrown, troops seek cover and are impaled. |
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| A trap pit is a large trap box with a bamboo top. Stakes are made of sharpened bamboo or barbed spikes and used to line the box. When a man steps on the trap he will fall into the pit. The top turns on an axle; therefore, the trap does not need to be reset to work again. The pit is often prepared as a defensive obstacle and then made safe by locking it in place with a crossbeam (so it can be crossed safely by the enemy) until the desired time of use.
Note that the pit is over 2 metres
deep. |
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| A small footbridge is partially
cut in the middle. The cut is then camouflaged with coverings of mud, etc. Barbed
spikes or sharpened bamboo stakes are emplaced under the cut, using the water, mud or
foliage under the bridge as camouflage. The weight of a man on the bridge will
cause it to collapse, tumbling the victim onto the spikes. Like the spike trap
pit bridges can be prepared in this manner, braced for normal use. At the
approach of free world forces the braces are removed. |
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| This trap utilizes a bamboo tube
(usually about 3 feet long) as a launcher. A steel arrow is placed in the
tube using a block of wood as the bolt, a strip of strong rubber for power and a catch to
lock the rubber strip, the device is fired with a tripwire. When the victim trips the wire, the latch disengages, allowing the rubber strip to launch the arrow. |
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| A strip of springy bamboo from 3 to 10 feet in length is used to make a bamboo whip. A barbed-spike plate is secured to the tip of the bamboo (or several of the spikes driven through the bamboo), and the whip is drawn back and secured. A
tripwire is then latched to the whip and the wire is strung across the trail. When a man trips the wire, the bamboo is released, and
whips around, striking the victim with the spikes. |
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