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German Boobytraps

From: donald j haarmann - eminence grise
Date: 8/24/99
Time: 6:29:46 PM
Remote Name: 202.139.228.204

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91. German Boobytraps a. It was common practice for the Germans to boobytrap bivouac areas and houses which would make the best barracks. Boobytraps were also left in pianos, closets, iceboxes, behind pictures, under dishes and flower bowls, and under beds. Boobytraps were attached to windows, door-knobs, cabinets, shower faucets, telephones, and any other fixture or object that might seem harmless. Another favorite place for boobytraps was in latrines.

c. Another antipersonnel device invented by the Germans and called the pistol ground spike (fig. 127) was nicknamed the "castrator" by American soldiers. Device was easy to plant and hard to detect, as little ground was disturbed. Operating as a miniature mortar, the six inch hollow spike of a castrator was driven into the ground flush with the surface. The projectile consisted of a small arms cartridge which was dropped in the hollow spike, nose up. Stepping on the bullet exerted enough pressure (4 pounds minimum) to release a spring that drove a striker against the cartridge cap firing the round. Traveling upward, the bullet can penetrate foot, leg, or thigh. -- donald j haarmann - eminence grise


Last changed: December 29, 2000