DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY TRAINING CIRCULAR VIET CONG BOOBYTRAPS, MINES, AND MINE WARFARE TECHNIQUES HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY DECEMBER 1969 TAAO 7 1 J M C hange HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY No, 1 j W ashington, D.C., IS June 1968 VIST CONC BOOBYTRAPS, MINES AND MINE WARFARE TECHNIQUES TC 5-31, 10 May 1907, is changed as follows: Page (>, paragraph 4. Subparagraph / is super­ the mud hardens enough to hold the grenade safety seded as follows: lever in place, the wire is withdrawn, aiming the Soviet Model TM-46 Antitank Mine. The grenade; however, the grenade will not detonate Model TM-46 is the latest known Soviet antitank until its mud case is broken. The mud ball is placed mine. It may be emplaced either by hand or by on trails or anywhere troops may walk. Stepping mechanical means. A pressure of about 400 pounds on the ball breaks the dried mud and releases ti» applied to the pressure plate compresses the striker .safety lever detonating the grenade. A variation o f spring in the fuze until the striker-retaining ball this technique permits employment as a delayed escapes into a recess in the pressure cap, thus re­ bomb. The mud-encased grenade is placed in a leasing the spring-loaded striker. A version of the canteen cup or other container. When the mud TM-46, the TMN-46, has a secondary fuze well hardens enough to hold the grenade safety level in located in the bottom of the case, place, the grenate is armed and the hardened mud case prevents the grenade from detonating. Upon CHARACTERISTICS (Model TM-46) withdrawal from an area, the container is placed T y p e--............ .......................... - - - Biast where water might drain into it, under runoff from Maximum diameter......................... 12.2 in. a roof, for example. When sufficient wafer drains H eight----..................- .................- 2.9 in. into the container to make the mud pliable once Weight—. .......... - ............................ 19.2 lb Actuating force, .............................. 400 lb again, the safety lever will release, ami the grenade Case material.................................... Sheet metal will detonate. \ w'v Number of fare wells,.................. 1 P:Mje 12, paragraph 5. Subparagraphs m and » Main charge............ ........................ TNT Filler weight........ - ........................... 12.61b are added as follows; \ Fuse model..............- ....................... MV-5 nr MV-5K m. BLU-3E Bomb. The BI.U-SB botnb is a Fuse type........................ ................. Pressure U.S. Air Force air-dropped antimateriej end anti- Safety device.................................... None personnel bomb. A little larger than a man’s fist, the BLU-3B consists of a removable tail fin as­ Page 10, paragraph 5, In subparagraph g, the sembly for stabilization in Sight, a metal body last sentence is deleted and the following is added: with embedded pellets for fragmentation, and a “ The VC produce the DH-10 mine in three sizes. pressure plate with striker for impact detonation. They also produce a VC version of the U.S. M-18 The swampy terrain and jungle cover in Vietnam Claymore mine, using captured U.S. M-18 mines have caused a number o f the bomblets to fail to as a model. The combination of the DH-10 and detonate. These duds have been recovered by the VC Claymore mines gives the VC a choice of both Viet Cong and later used as antipmonnel mines. directional and area coverage weapons.” The bomblets with tail fins removed have been Page 11, paragraph 5. The first 12 lines of sub- buried, pressure plate up, in roadways and trails paragraph k are superseded as follows : as pressure-activated antipersonnel mines; they Jc. Mud Ball Mine. The mud ball mine consists of have been fastened above ground to trees or bushes a hand grenade encased in sun-baked mud or clay. and initiated with homemade firing devices acti­ The safety p>n is removed and replaced by a 10- vated by pull on tripwires strung across a path; 12-inch wirand mud is molded around the gre­ and have been modified by removing the pressure nade leaving the ends of the wire exposed. When plate, enlarging the fuze well, and inserting an TAGO 19A—J-ily 34t>-<',5 c(1—C3 1 TC M l C 1 electric blasting cap to be command-fired electri­ CHARACTERISTICS cally, either singly or in clusters. T ype,.................. ............ Antipersonnel C olor..___ ____________ ____ OD with yellow mark­ CHARACTERISTICS ings Type.__________________ Antimat eriel/antiptroonnel Maximum diameter.......... .. About 2% in. Color....................................- Yellov. with block lettering Length________________ About 3 in. Maximum diameter_______ 2}$ in. Total weight________ _______ 4 lb Length__________________ ayt in. without tins Filler___________ ___________ TNT Total weight............ ........... 2 lb Figure 20.2 is added as follows: Filler_______ _____________ 11DX Figure 20.1 is added as follows: n. U.B. Butterfly Bomb. These devices may be Page 36, paragraph 12. Subparagraphs d. 1, d.2, found m areas formerly held by enemy forces, and d.3 are .added after subparagraph d as followB: where they were dropped by friendly aircraft. The d. 1. Grenade Launrher. The grenade launcher is bombs are equipped with various kinds of fuzes. an improvised antiaircraft weapon used against They may be fuzed to detonate as they near the helicopteis. A 3-pound charge o f TNT is placed surface o f the ground, on impact, or with a time at the bottom of a funnel-shaped hole 2 feet in delay. Some are fuzed to detonate after impact diameter and 2.5 feet deep in a potential helicopter when touched or bumped. Even vibrations in the landing zone. The charge is primed and tamped ground caused by a person walking nearby may with earth to 4 inches from the smfacs. A board cause them to explode. LEAVE THESE 2 feet square to which hand grenades are attached BOMBS ALONE. DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Is placed over the hole. The grenades are held in Only Explosive Ordnance Disposal units may re­ place on the board between nails driven 3 inches move or dispose of these bombs. apart. The nails also exert pressure against the 2 TAOO 19A TC 5-31 C 1 gromde safety levers to prevent their release when into the air to a height of 120 to 150 yards where the safety pins are removed. The charge is com­ they detonate and inflict damage to the helicopter mand-detonated when a helicopter is about 100 and casualties among its crew and passengers. yards .hove the device. The grenades are thrown Figure 56.1 is added as follows: m m GRENADES BOARD FiQut" 56.1. Grenade launcher. d.2. Helicopter Trap. Another method of .em­ are placed inside the cans. Trip wires are attached ploying hand grenades against helicopters is the to the grenades from one pole to another in an helicopter trap. Bamboo poles are placed in the “X ” pattern. When a helicopter touches the trip ground with a tin can attached to the top of each wires, the grenades drop to the ground and pole. Hand grenades with safety pins remove"’ explode. T A G O 10A 3 TC 5-31 C 1 Figure 56.2 is added as follows: HAND GRENADE INSIDE TIN CAN l I k kV l A i » Figure 56.2. Helicopter trap. d.‘i. VO Boobytrap Grenade. This is a manu- The grenade detonates when the safety pin is re- factured boobytrap grenade that resembles a moved and pressure is ap; ’ ied to the safety lever, standard fragmentation hand grenade, except that Figure 50>3 is added as follows. the safety pin and the pivot pin have been reversed. REGULAR GRENADE Figure 56.3. VC Boobytrap grenade. 4 ffA G O 19A TC 5-31 C 1 Page 43, paragraph 12. Subparagraph v is of times it is wrapped around the Ixxiy and handle added as follows: provides variation in the time delay element in. Gas Tank Grenade. An explosive boobytrap before detonation. used effectively by the Viet Cong to destroy Page 44, paragraph IS. Subparagraph a.l is vehicles is the gas tank grenade. The safety lever udded after subparagraph a as follows: of a hand grenade is raped to the hand grenade a.l. Crow's Foot. The crow's foot is a four- body. The safety pin is then withdrawn, and the pronged metal device, designed so that no matter grenade dropped into the fuel tank o f a vehicle how it is placed on the ground one spike will be after removing the gas cap and the fuel filter facing up. The size of the device varies from 2 to screen. When the adhesive of the tape has de­ 12 inches. All spikes are barbed. The crow’s foot teriorated in the fuel, the safety lever releases the is used against both personnel and rubber-tired spring of the firing device which detonates the vehicles. grenade. Varying the kind of tape and the number Figure 85.1 is added as follows: Page 53, paragraph 13. Subparagraph o is ways. They are often used on prospective landing added as follows: zones to wound personnel as they jump from a o. Pimji Stakes. Punji stakes are pointed helicopter to the ground. They are sometimes used bamboo stakes, emplaced in the ground and covered as obstacles in Viet Cong defensive positions. Quite with grass, used to injure unsuspecting persons often they are emplaced on the banks of gullies who step or fall on them. The pointed ends are and streams where it is like’ y that troops might often treated with human excrement or poison so jump from one bank to the other. They are gen­ that the wounds may become infected or even cause erally used along roads at the entrances to vil­ death.