Vietnam War Booby Traps cover

Description

During the Vietnam War, the Viet Cong were frequently unable to hold their own in stand-up fights against US and allied forces who were superior in strength, firepower, mobility, and logistics. They relied instead on traditional guerrilla warfare tactics including small-scale hit- and-run attacks, ambushes, terrorist actions, and precision attacks against bases. These included one of the oldest of guerrilla weapons – the boobytrap.

Booby traps could be made in large numbers in village workshops and jungle camps using locally available materials as well as modern munitions. The VC were adept at making booby traps 'invisible' in the varied terrain of Vietnam, often emplacing them in locations and surroundings totally unexpected by their enemies. Booby traps could be incredibly simple or startlingly complex and ingenious, ranging from pointed sticks to command-detonated submerged floating river mines. Besides a wide variety of booby traps, they also used land and water mines, both contact/pressure-detonated and command-detonated. Between January 1965 and June 1970 11 percent of US troop deaths in action and 17 percent of injuries were by caused booby traps and mines.

This fascinating title explores not only the wide variety of booby traps employed by the Viet Cong, but also their various uses in halting, stalling, or locating an enemy, and the many evolutions these traps underwent in order to retain the element of surprise. Written by a Vietnam veteran with first-hand experience of such traps, this is an engaging look at one of the most frightening aspects of guerrilla warfare.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Non-Mechanical Booby Traps
Mechanical Or Non-Explosive Booby Traps
Hand Grenades As Booby Traps
Explosive Booby Traps And Mines
The Military Use Of Booby Traps
Free World Forces' Mines And Booby Traps
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Product details

Published 29 Oct 2020
Format Ebook (PDF)
Edition 1st
Extent 64
ISBN 9781472842435
Imprint Osprey Publishing
Illustrations Black & white and colour photos.
Series Elite
Short code ELI 236
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Gordon L. Rottman

Gordon L. Rottman entered the US Army in 1967, vol…

Illustrator

Alan Gilliland

Alan Gilliland, a contributor to more than 70 Ospr…

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