Beware the American booby trap rigger in Vietnam

Tim Kirkpatrick
Jun 25, 2018 3:55 PM PDT
1 minute read
Vietnam War photo

SUMMARY

Booby traps are terrifying weapons of choice for the troops who want to seriously wound their enemies without having to spend precious time waiting for them to show up. Placed at specific areas on the battlefield where the opposition is m…

Booby traps are terrifying weapons of choice for the troops who want to seriously wound their enemies without having to spend precious time waiting for them to show up.


Placed at specific areas on the battlefield where the opposition is most likely to travel, these easily assembled devices have the ability to take troops right out of the fight or cause a painful delayed death.

Snake pits, flag bombs, and cartridge traps are just a few of the creative inventions the Viet Cong engineered to bring harm to their American and South Vietnamese adversaries.

With mortality rates in Vietnam reaching almost 60,000, trip wires or land mines contributed to 11% of the deaths during the multi-year skirmish.

Related: These are the most terrifying Vietnam War booby traps

Although VC troops were productive in their dead trap concepts, Americans like Tom Schober were just as creative and clever.

Tom Schober cooling himself down in a Vietnamese river (Source: Wisconsin Public Television/YouTube/Screenshot)

"The VC weren't the only ones who rigged up booby traps," Schober admits, "We got pretty good at rigging up mechanical ambushes with claymores."

Sporting a 1st Cav jacket throughout his time in the war, Tom managed to use the basic materials the Army gave him to get some much-earned payback against his VC enemy.

Proud American and Vietnam veteran Tom Schober (Source: Wisconsin Public Television/YouTube/Screenshot)

"I feel kind of strongly that we all owe a debt to those who didn't make it," Schober says. "To live our lives better."

Also Read: Once upon a time, this 'little kid' was a lethal Vietnam War fighter

Check out Wisconsin Public Television's video for Schober's thrilling tale of how he would use an old battery, blasting cap, some string and a spoon to help take down the enemy.

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