Classic Evasion Techniques From the Vietnam War
One of the biggest challenges that our soldiers faced during the Vietnam war was from booby traps. The North Vietnamese Army were adept at playing dirty and devising sneaky, yet highly-effective ways to impale, disable, slow and trap US soldiers. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular traps that were used to throw the world’s greatest and most-equipped into total disarray.
Grenade Traps
Grenade traps were brilliant in their simplicity and deadly in their effectiveness. Stakes would be placed on either side of a creek or stream that would hold a trip wire a couple of feet above the bed. The grenade would be anchored to one side while the trip wire was attached to the partially removed safety pin. Once a soldier tripped over or walked through this wire, it would pull the pin out and the grenade would detonate, often injuring soldiers following behind.
Door Trap
Two pieces of bamboo would be joined together to form a “T” shape that would hang above a door. It would be laden with sharp spikes and a weight was attached to the top end, much like the arm of a mouse trap. The mechanism was held up by a small latch that was connected to a trip wire. A soldier would accidentally cross the trip wire and gravity would force the barbed T to fall, gouging the first person to cross the threshold.
Panji Trap
One of cheapest, easiest to set and most effective traps was the side-closing Panji. It was basically a thin board that contained a number of spikes or long nails. It would rest atop a hole in the ground before being covered with forest-debris. It blended in well with the surrounding terrain, and many unwary soldiers would accidentally step onto the trap. Their weight would cause the trap to buckle in the middle, causing the spikes on either side to penetrate the lower leg and impale the soldier. Getting free would often involve the help of a couple of other soldiers, and many platoons or patrols would be attacked by the North Vietnamese army during the commotion.
Spike Board
This trap resembled a sea saw with two wooden paddles attached to a long plank. It acted like a mouse trap in some ways. One of the paddles would be filled with very long and sharp spikes and the other paddle was flat. The board was placed over a large hole. When a soldier would step on the flat paddle, it would cause him to fall into the hole while the other side with the spikes sprung up. The results were often catastrophic as the spikes would be driven into the chest, neck and even face of the victim. Some traps were also mechanized with a spring action release system that would launch the spike paddle into the soldier with a tremendous amount of force.
Bamboo Whip
This was another common trap that was very easy to set. Spikes would be attached to the end of a bamboo tree. Sometimes they would be attached to a board that was attached to the tree as well. The tree would be bent back, latched to a simple trigger mechanism and activated by a trip wire. Once the wire was tripped, the tree would whip back into the vertical position with blazing-fast speed. Anyone in the line of fire risked being impaled, seriously injured or killed on the spot.
Cartridge Trap
A small hole was dug in the ground that would house a canister or bamboo shell. A peg, nail or tack would be driven up through the bottom. A round would be placed inside of the container and rest atop the peg. The trap would be covered and camouflaged. A soldier would step on the round, cause it to depress into the improvised firing pin, and the round would explode. This was a simple and highly-effective way to create a makeshift land mine.
These are just a few examples of dozens of common traps that the North Vietnamese army used against our troops during the war. Their effectiveness was due to their simplicity and ability to stop groups of soldiers in their tracks. The enemy would often launch an attack while our troops were bogged down or trying to rescue their fellow soldiers. This just goes to show how some of the most effective ways to secure a perimeter and cause chaos comes from the simplest of designs.
