Weird Weapons of the Vietnam War
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the unconventional and bizarre weapons employed during the Vietnam War, highlighting the Viet Cong's resourcefulness with homemade firearms and the use of local wildlife as biological weapons. It also details the American military's innovative tactics, including the development of specialized weapons like the silent sniper rifle and the extensive use of chemical warfare with Agent Orange. The summary captures the creativity and desperation of both sides in utilizing any means necessary for warfare, from explosive lighters to 'dookie detectors' disguised as feces.
Takeaways
- 🔫 The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army were equipped with a variety of weapons, including the AK-47, provided by the Soviet Union and China.
- ⚔️ The Viet Cong were known for their resourcefulness, creating improvised weapons from materials like old pipes, door hinges, and wires.
- 🐍 The Viet Cong used local wildlife, such as vipers, as biological weapons, deploying them in pits and traps to attack enemy soldiers.
- 🕳️ The extensive network of underground tunnels was a strategic weapon for the Viet Cong, allowing them to evade detection and launch surprise attacks.
- 🏹 Punji sticks, made from sharpened bamboo, were used by the Viet Cong to create hidden traps that could severely injure enemy soldiers.
- 💣 The Viet Cong were adept at creating traps using tripwires and explosives, such as the mace and tiger traps, to ambush American forces.
- 🚬 The Viet Cong exploited American soldiers' reliance on cigarettes by sabotaging Zippo lighters to explode when used.
- 🇺🇸 The US military developed specialized weapons for the Vietnam War, including the M16 rifle and the 'silent sniper rifle', though the latter was not deployed.
- 💣 The US employed cluster bombs and 'lazy dogs', which released metal darts or nails, to inflict damage on enemy formations.
- 🔥 Napalm, an incendiary weapon, was heavily used by the US, causing devastating burns and asphyxiation to enemy troops.
- 🌳 The US conducted chemical warfare using Agent Orange, which had severe long-term health effects on humans and the environment.
Q & A
What were some of the unconventional weapons used during the Vietnam War?
-The Vietnam War saw the use of many unconventional weapons. These included the AK-47, DP 7.62 mm light machine gun, and the SKS carbine. The Viet Cong also used homemade guns made from materials like old pipes, door hinges, and wires. Additionally, they utilized biological weapons like vipers in pits and traps, and environmental features like tunnels for ambushes. The US also had its own set of unconventional weapons, such as the M16 rifle, silent sniper rifles, and the B-52 bomber.
Why were the AK-47 rifles significant in the Vietnam War?
-The AK-47 rifles were significant in the Vietnam War because they were provided by the Soviet Union to the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army. These rifles were durable and built to last, making them a reliable weapon for the Viet Cong. Despite having a lower rate of fire compared to the US's M16, the AK-47's durability and widespread use made it a notable weapon in the conflict.
How did the Viet Cong use their environment to their advantage?
-The Viet Cong used their environment in various ways to their advantage. They utilized tunnels for coordinating strikes, hiding weapons and supplies, and escaping detection. They also used local wildlife, such as vipers, in traps and pits to attack enemy forces. Additionally, they created homemade weapons from available materials and camouflaged themselves in peasant clothing to blend in with the population.
What was the purpose of the Viet Cong's use of punji sticks?
-The Viet Cong used punji sticks as a form of trap to injure American soldiers. These sharpened bamboo or metal spikes were placed in camouflaged pits. The intention was not necessarily to kill but to cause severe injuries that would slow down the soldiers and their units, potentially allowing the Viet Cong to steal more modern weapons from the injured.
How did the Viet Cong use tunnels as a weapon?
-The Viet Cong used a network of underground tunnels to carry out strikes against enemy forces, stash weapons and supplies, and evade detection. These tunnels were extensive and complex, making it difficult for US troops to pursue them. The Viet Cong's use of tunnels was so effective that the US Army had to train a special unit, known as tunnel rats, to counter this tactic.
What was the significance of the M16 rifle in the Vietnam War?
-The M16 rifle was significant as it became the primary service rifle for the US armed forces in the early 1960s. It was lighter and more compact than its predecessor, the M14, and was constructed from lightweight materials like steel, plastic, and aluminum alloys. Despite initial reliability issues, the M16 A1, an updated version, became one of the most commonly associated weapons with the Vietnam War.
How did the US use chemical warfare during the Vietnam War?
-The US conducted chemical warfare through Operation Ranch Hand, where they sprayed herbicides, including Agent Orange, over millions of acres of Vietnamese countryside. The aim was to destroy forests that provided cover for the Viet Cong and to kill crops relied upon for food. However, the toxic dioxin in Agent Orange also led to severe health issues, including cancer and birth defects, among both the Vietnamese and US service members.
What were 'people sniffers' and how were they used in the Vietnam War?
-People sniffers were mobile cloud chambers developed to detect ammonia, commonly found in human sweat. They were used to locate the presence of enemy forces by detecting their sweat. The XM2 version was carried by infantry in backpacks, while the XM3 was used on helicopters. However, these devices were bulky, noisy, and often detected the sweat of US soldiers as well, making them less effective.
What was the purpose of the 'lazy dogs' used by the US in the Vietnam War?
-Lazy dogs were a type of anti-personnel explosive device used by the US in the Vietnam War. They were filled with thousands of tiny metal darts or nails and were designed to scatter these fragments in all directions upon detonation, causing severe injuries or death to enemy combatants. They were often dropped by B-52 bombers and gained velocity from the high altitude, making them a deadly surprise for the enemy.
How did the US use deception in their weapons during the Vietnam War?
-The US used deception in their weapons by creating devices that were disguised as everyday objects. For example, they developed radio beacons shaped like feces to camouflage sensors along the Ho Chi Minh trail. These 'dookie detectors' would detect movement and relay it via radio signal, tricking the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army soldiers into not suspecting their true purpose.
Outlines
🏹 Unconventional Weapons of the Vietnam War
This paragraph delves into the unique and peculiar weapons utilized during the Vietnam War. It highlights the Viet Cong's resourcefulness in employing anything from lethal lighters to even poop as weapons. The narrative emphasizes the diverse origins of firearms, with a focus on the AK-47, provided by the Soviet Union and China, and its comparison to the US's M16. The Viet Cong's ability to craft makeshift guns from recycled materials is also underscored, illustrating their ingenuity in the face of limited resources. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the Viet Cong's use of local wildlife, specifically vipers, as biological weapons within traps to ambush American forces.
🕳️ The Art of Tunnel Warfare and Punji Sticks
This section of the script uncovers the Viet Cong's use of underground tunnels as a strategic weapon for conducting covert operations against American forces. The tunnels' complex design made it difficult for US troops to navigate, providing the Viet Cong with a significant advantage. The paragraph also introduces the punji stick, a deceptively simple yet effective weapon made from sharpened bamboo or metal, which was used to line traps and inflict severe injuries on unsuspecting soldiers. The Viet Cong's tactic of smearing these traps with plant poison, urine, and feces to cause infection is also highlighted, showcasing their ruthless approach to warfare.
🔫 Sabotaged Lighters and Flag Traps: The Viet Cong's Deceptive Tactics
The script describes the Viet Cong's innovative tactics of turning everyday items into lethal weapons, such as sabotaging Zippo lighters to explode when used by American soldiers. It also discusses the psychological impact of turning flags, a symbol of victory, into deadly traps by rigging them with grenades or landmines. The paragraph illustrates the Viet Cong's ability to exploit the enemy's trust in familiar objects, transforming them into tools of destruction and terror.
💣 The United States' Creative and Controversial Arsenal
This paragraph explores the United States' unconventional weapons used during the Vietnam War, including the CIA's 'Project Eldest Son,' which involved tampering with enemy ammunition to cause their weapons to explode. The M16 rifle, despite its initial reliability issues, is noted for its innovative design and materials. The paragraph also mentions the development of specialized weapons like the silent sniper rifle and the psychological impact of the B-52 bomber's 'Whispering Death' on the enemy.
🔥 Napalm and Cluster Bombs: The Devastating Aerial Campaign
The script details the United States' aerial warfare tactics, particularly the use of napalm, an incendiary weapon with devastating effects, and cluster bombs, which scatter smaller explosives over a wide area. The paragraph discusses the massive bombing campaigns conducted by B-52s, the sheer scale of which led to President Johnson calling for an end to the bombing. It also touches on the long-term ecological and human impact of these weapons, including the lingering threat of unexploded ordnance.
🌿 Agent Orange and People Sniffers: The Dark Side of Chemical Warfare
This section discusses the United States' use of chemical warfare, specifically the herbicide Agent Orange, which had severe health consequences for both the Vietnamese population and US service members. The paragraph also introduces 'people sniffers,' devices designed to detect human sweat as a means to locate enemy forces. However, the Viet Cong quickly learned to deceive these devices using urine, highlighting the ongoing cat-and-mouse dynamic of the conflict.
💩 The Use of Human Waste in Guerrilla Warfare
The final paragraph reveals the bizarre use of human waste in the Vietnam War, both as a means to camouflage sensors along enemy supply routes and as a deceptive tactic to trick enemy sweat detectors. The script describes the development of radio beacons shaped like feces, which were used to monitor enemy movements without detection, showcasing the lengths to which both sides were willing to go to gain an advantage in this complex and brutal conflict.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Viet Kong
💡AK-47
💡M16
💡Punji sticks
💡Tunnel warfare
💡Napalm
💡Agent Orange
💡Cluster bombs
💡B-52 Stratofortress
💡People sniffers
💡Tank traps
Highlights
The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army utilized a variety of unconventional weapons, including firearms provided by the Soviet Union and China, shaping the nature of the Vietnam War.
The AK-47, provided by the Soviets, was durable but outperformed by the US's M16 in terms of range and rate of fire.
Vietnamese forces were adept at improvising weapons from available materials, crafting homemade guns from scrap metal and other found objects.
The Viet Cong's use of the environment and local wildlife, such as venomous snakes, as weapons against American forces demonstrated their resourcefulness in guerrilla warfare.
The Viet Cong's extensive network of underground tunnels served as a strategic advantage, allowing them to evade detection and launch surprise attacks.
Punji sticks, made from sharpened bamboo, were used to create hidden traps that could severely injure or incapacitate enemy soldiers.
The Viet Cong's creative use of booby traps, such as explosive lighters and flag traps, took advantage of American soldiers' habits and behaviors.
US forces developed specialized weapons for the conflict, including a silent sniper rifle designed to eliminate targets without alerting nearby enemies.
The B-52 bomber, known as the 'Whispering Death,' was a significant force in the US aerial campaign due to its high-altitude bombing capabilities.
Napalm, an incendiary weapon, was heavily used in Vietnam for its devastating effects on both military and civilian targets.
Cluster bombs and 'Lazy Dog' flechettes were employed by the US to scatter explosives or small, sharp projectiles over a wide area.
The US military's use of herbicides, particularly Agent Orange, during Operation Ranch Hand had severe ecological and health consequences.
People sniffers, devices designed to detect human sweat, were used by US forces to locate enemy positions but had limitations and ethical concerns.
The US employed creative tactics such as using radio beacons disguised as feces to monitor enemy movement along the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Both sides of the conflict used human waste in various ways, including as a means to camouflage sensors or to cause infection in enemy wounds.
The M16's initial unreliability in the Vietnam War led to a redesign, making it one of the most recognized weapons of the conflict.
The US's Project Eldest Son aimed to sabotage Viet Cong ammunition by loading enemy bullets with high explosives, turning their weapons against them.
Transcripts
fatal Flags lethal lighters and both
sides even finding a way to use poop as
a weapon well that's just plain gross
these are some of the weirdest weapons
created and deployed during the Vietnam
war including more than a few that you
may never have even heard of starting
out let's take a look at the
unconventional arsenal of weapons that
the Viet Kong were able to get their
hands on during the conflict actually
most of the actual Firearms used by
infantry were weird in a particularly
interesting way in that they directly
linked to the why the Viet Mo was
actually being fought in the first place
you see most of the weapons equipment
and even the uniforms worn by some of
the members of the Viet Kong and the
North Vietnamese Army were provided
directly by the Soviet Union and China
this included the so-called peasants
rifle which any gun enthusiast will
immediately recognize as the infamous
AK-47 it was the ties between North
Vietnam and their allies in the Soviet
Union that not only gave them access to
weapons but also prompted the US's
involvement in the war the AK-47 was
only one of the guns provided by the
Soviets to their respective allies in
Vietnam it couldn't quite hold a candle
to the US's rifle of choice the M16 with
the AK being shorter heavier and having
a lower rate of fire of around 600
rounds per minute but the AK-47 was
durable and built to last which is why
you still see so many of them in the
hands of various Armed Forces both
military or otherwise across the world
the Infantry also had access to the DP
7.6 62 mm light machine gun the Soviet
equivalent of the US M60 machine gun and
a semi-automatic SKS carbine similar to
the americanmade M1 carbine but in
addition to the arms provided by China
and the Soviet Union the Vietnamese
communist forces also knew how to get
creative when it came to Firepower a lot
of these more standard issue weapons
were provided to the North Vietnamese
army or the People's Army of Vietnam
along with the military issued uniforms
meanwhile the Viet Kong being an
Insurgency Force fought in peasant
clothing so they could easily blend in
with the population of South Vietnam and
Ambush American forces while the Viet
Kong usually armed themselves with
stolen arms from the US soldiers they
also had a penchant for creating their
own crudely made imitation guns out of
whatever they could find by using any
materials that they could scrouge
together the Vietcong could craft
knockoff versions of American-made guns
like the Thompson machine gun or the
aforementioned M1 carbine rifle they
gathered old pipes door hinges lock
mechanisms wires any scraps of copper
steel or brass they could find Nails
aluminum salvage straight from down
aircraft and even ordinance and bullet
casings that were already spent any
broken guns could be repaired repurposed
or even rechambered in a different
caliber with all these improvised
weapons being constructed using simple
hand tools in camouflaged Huts hidden in
the jungle it's hard to deny the Viet
Kong's Ingenuity in making guns out of
literal scraps even if these weapons
might not have been up to scratch when
it came to continuous Battlefield field
use the homemade guns included a number
of single-shot pistols and rifles made
from water pipes that could potentially
fall apart after only firing a few
rounds but these cruder weapons only
needed to be functional enough to kill a
single person allowing a Viet Kong troop
to steal a more modern weapon dropped by
an enemy combatant when you're an
Insurgency Force trying to fend off a
highly organized military you'll take
every Advantage you can get the Viet
Kong proved themselves to be Masters at
doing exactly that able to use their
environment not just to conceal and
camouflage themselves from American
forces but even using the local Wildlife
As Weapons that's right the United
States Army might have had their ah1
cobra attack helicopter but the Viet
Kong had vipers and yes we mean literal
vipers we're not sure if the bamboo
vipers or venomous pit vipers
technically classify as unwitting
soldiers for the Viet Kong but we're
counting them as Weapons here biological
weapons to be precise vipers like these
were deployed in pits and traps left
behind in tunnels by the Viet concealed
in stocks of bamboo once knocked over a
very angry and highly venomous snake
would come slithering out likely none
too pleased about being confined in a
two if they weren't already set on
attacking whoever was unlucky enough to
find them then feeling threatened by the
size of an American Soldier would in all
likelihood prompt the snake to become
aggressive and start biting pit vipers
were also hidden in bags belonging to
Viet Kong soldiers in order to attack
anyone who searched through their
belongings other times the snakes were
tied to to tree branches and left to
dangle at face height as cruel as that
sounds to the poor scaly soldiers that
was the intention because after a few
days without food or freedom of movement
one of those vipers would be angry
enough to lash out and bite anything
within range including the faces and
eyeballs of US troops on patrol Through
the Jungle these vipers quickly earned
the nickname of three-step snakes given
that an American Soldier could make it
around three Paces after being bitten
before the side effects kicked in bamboo
viper V isn't particularly toxic however
it can cause severe pain and even
swelling of the area or a limb that's
bitten as well as nausea and vomiting in
addition their venom is also hemotoxic
meaning it can disrupt the blood's
natural clotting process destroying red
blood cells and causing severe damage to
organ tissue these are all things that a
US Soldier fighting in Vietnam would
rather live without but speaking of the
tunnels we just mentioned those were yet
another key weapon the Viet Kong used
against the forces of the US and South
Vietnamese you might not think of a hole
in the ground as a weapon but believe us
by the end of this video you'll want to
watch your step anytime you're in a
wooded area the Viet Kong insurgents
were able to use a network of
underground tunnels to coordinate and
Carry Out strikes against enemy forces
as well as stashing weapons and supplies
and escaping detection from any pursuing
Americans these tunnels were cramped
with little space for maneuvering so
much so that US troops couldn't easily
pursue Vietcong forces down them
especially with their heavy bulky pack
and pouches of spare ammo that they were
Laden with the Viet Kong used tunnels
that could stretch for thousands of feet
concealing Chambers at different levels
right beneath the Americans noses or
more accurately right beneath their feet
one of their tunnel networks located in
chuchi was directly below a spot where
the US had established one of its major
army bases the issues posed by the Viet
Kong using the tunnels became so great
that the US Army had to establish and
train a volunteer unit known as the
tunnel rats to some to head into the
underground Labyrinth and seek out the
enemy soldiers traversing through the
darkness with the risk of every step
potentially being their last snakes and
enemy soldiers sneaking around in
tunnels weren't the only weapons beneath
the surface of Vietnam perhaps the most
iconic of all the Strategies employed by
the Viet Kong were the puni sticks these
weren't just simple easy to make
improvised weapons but ruthlessly
effective at injuring American soldiers
so much so that 2% of all the US troops
deployed in Vietnam received wounds from
punji sticks mostly made of bamboo that
was sharpened into a spike although
occasionally metal spikes were used puni
sticks of varying length and width were
used to line the walls of camouflaged
pits as well as protruding upwards from
the bottom of those deadly drops the
idea was an unsuspecting enemy soldier
would step on what he thought was ground
beneath fallen leaves only to Plum it
into a jagged pit and impale himself on
a painful puni stick leaving the killing
of someone up to gravity and some spiky
sticks doesn't seem like the best way to
ensure your enemy incurs heavy
casualties but what's both weird and
interesting about puni sticks is they
weren't intended to kill only caused
severe injuries many soldiers unlucky
enough to fall into the pit of those
sharpened sticks would be skewered
through the leg slowing down them and
their whole unit as efforts were made to
rescue the injured those who felt prey
to the puni sticks could consider
themselves lucky if they were only
wounded by a sharp point the Viet Kong
were also known to smear those deadly
traps with plant poison and even urine
and feces in order to cause an infection
in enemy soldiers wounds and that wasn't
even the only way that poop was used as
a weapon during the Vietnam war but more
on that later puni sticks weren't the
only way the Viet Kong deployed the main
weapon at their disposal Vietnam itself
one of the worst examples of this faced
by US troops was simply referred to as
the mace and no it isn't a medieval
style flail or a can of pepper spray the
mace was a large ball of metal or wooden
spikes that would come swinging down
from the trees when American soldiers
accidentally activated a hidden trip
wire the mace would then either impale
any troops in its path as it swung
toward them or shatter bones upon direct
impact traps were some of the most
widely used weapons by the Viet Kong
given that their insurgents were
underere equipped to take on the
Americans in an allout display of brute
military force similar to the mace where
the tiger traps which unlike the snake
pits didn't involve conscripting any
local Wildlife into fighting alongside
them although admittedly the mental
image of someone riding an actual tiger
into battle while wielding an AK-47 is
pretty cool tiger traps consisted of
boards that were studded with a series
of spikes and barbed wire and then
weighted with bricks when a trip wire
was activated those traps would Dro
downward impaling whoever stood directly
below and if you were unlucky enough to
survive you'd had some pretty nasty
Stripes left from all the tiger trap's
barbed wire but much like the mace the
bamboo whip might sound like another
improvised hand handheld weapon but it
was yet another tripwire released trap
deployed by the Viet Kong it consisted
of a long stock of bamboo which is
highly flexible especially when pulled
back into an arc this time triggering
the trip wire would release the catch
holding the bamboo whip bent out of its
natural straight shape upon release it
would then spring back into shape
whipping an unlucky Soldier and impaling
him on several wooden spikes that were
fastened to the bamboo from things that
bludgeon and impale to Things That Go
boom and ignite the Viet Kong might not
have had the sheer Firepower of US
Artillery but their Ingenuity for
Guerilla Warfare certainly CA American
troops a few of their precious smoke
breaks and a lot of fingers too look at
any photos from the Vietnam War or any
media based on it and you won't have to
search long to find US soldiers puffing
away like chimneys on cigarettes the
Viet Kong noticed how partial the
Americans were to having a smoke and
managed to use the enemy soldiers
lighters As Weapons against them by
creating an explosive dis disruption to
an otherwise relaxing lung destroying
habit the Viet Kong started sneaking
sabotaged Zippo lighters into American
camps with these Zippo lighter bombs
powerful enough to easily take off a
soldier's hand when he went to light up
his next cigarette worst of all those
sabotaged lighters were virtually
indistinguishable from any of the
ordinary functioning lighters that US
soldiers regularly used making it a
gamble if someone's next cigarette might
end up being his last well they do say
that smoking kills lighters were far
from the only commonplace Battlefield
items that the Viet Kong repurposed to
fight against the us either many of
their own belongings were trapped
designed to catch out any Americans who
searched their bags like with the hidden
pit vipers we mentioned earlier but they
also managed to turn their own Flags
into deadly weapons too many areas
controlled by the North Vietnamese army
or the Viet Kong flew flags that
differed from that of South Vietnam and
of course the American flag which US
troops love Plastering in places they've
captured taking down the flag of enemy
forces is considered a pretty powerful
symbolic action on any Battlefield and
the Viet Kong made sure that they left
behind a deadly surprise for anyone who
drove them out of a location where their
flag was flying imagine American troops
after a long and intense firefight
against the Viet Kong managing to drive
them out of a village the enem is on the
run and the engagement seems to be over
a wave of relief sweeps over the
soldiers right in the center of the
village is the Viet Kong flag and an
American GI rushes over to take it down
expecting to ra raise the stars and
stripes in its place only to be met with
the metallic click of a grenade pin
being pulled too late he realizes that
he sealed his own fate and with a boom a
flag trap has been detonated whether
they consisted of a grenade tied to the
Rope used to raise and lower the flag or
a land mine at the base of the flag pole
often traps like these were designed to
draw other enemy troops in only to catch
them in the blast of a secondary
explosive turning one casualty into
several killing or Ming several even
though the terrain of Vietnam wasn't
exactly the ideal conditions for driving
the US military deployed a great deal of
Tanks armored personnel carriers and
other heavy Vehicles supporting infantry
forces with increased Firepower and
protection but as you probably guessed
by now the Viet Kong had their own
special way of dealing with these
armored vehicles while shoulder-fired
sa7 Grail missiles were used against the
American aircraft that conducted bombing
raids over North Vietnam the Viet Kong
had their own weapon for combating tanks
and other ground-based vehicles commonly
referred to as simply tank traps
consisting of a bouquet of grenades
attached to a rope these would be
suspended around 15 ft off the ground
connected to a trip wire this was
intentionally set high enough that only
something heavy we're talking tank heavy
could set them off ensuring that these
traps weren't wasted on US soldiers or
accidentally activated by wild animals
the 15-t gap between the falling
grenades and the tanks below was
intentional too it meant that a vehicle
activating the trip one wire would be
caught directly beneath the blast when
the grenades detonated but of course the
American forces in Vietnam had plenty of
weird weapons of their own including
bullets might seem like an obvious one
when you're fighting a war but these
weren't the US bullets they were the
enemy's bullets let us explain project
eldest son was a mission with one
purpose to sabotage the Viet Kong's
ammunition using your own ammo against
an enemy is tried and tested but why not
turn their bullets against them such a
dastardly idea could have only come from
one place the Central Intelligence
Agency during the war the CIA ordinance
techs were able to load 7.62 mm casings
with high explosives the result wind
fired the sabotaged rounds detonated
driving a weapon's firing bolt backward
impaling the skull of the person unlucky
enough to be wielding it so intercepting
bullets intended for use by the Viet
Kong the US was able to swap out several
cartridges in every Magazine with the
sabotaged bullets then usually during
patrols by Special Forces the sabotaged
ammunition was left scattered throughout
Viet Kong territory for the insurgents
to find or even mixed in with their
stockpiles whenever the US discovered a
Viet Kong or North Vietnamese Army
ammunition Reserve even though firing
one of those tainted bullets would
result in an exploding gun and many
metal fragments being embedded in
whoever had been firing it the intention
behind project eldis Sun wasn't to kill
large numbers of the Viet Kong instead
the goal was to undermine their Reliance
on the Chinese and Soviet arms and the
ammunition that they were using stay
diabolical CIA in terms of their own
bullets the US troops fired plenty of
5.56 mm rounds from their iconic M16
rifles which became the primary service
rifle for the US armed forces in the
early 60s while you might not think it
the M16 was also actually something of a
weird weapon in quite a few ways given
both how dramatic of a departure it was
from its predecessors and how effective
it was or rather how ineffective
replacing the earlier M14 rifle the M16
was lighter and more compact thanks in
part to being constructed from
lightweight materials you see the M14
and other rifles that had dominated
Warfare since the days of the humble
musket to the trench rifles of the first
and second world wars had largely been
constructed from wood what set these
shiny new M16s apart was that they'd
been made out of steel plastic and
aluminum Alloys making them both
visually distinct from previous surface
rifles and functionally a completely
different Beast loaded with 5.56 mm
rounds the M16 could fire single shots
be set to fully automatic or even a
burst of three rounds the lightweight
and compact nature of the weapon meant
the soldier wasn't over encumbered with
a heavy rifle and could instead use
their strength to carry extra magazines
however the M16 quickly developed a
reputation for being well unreliable to
say the least misfires jams and other
malfunctions led to the weapon's
earliest user ERS having more than a
little disdain for their shiny new toys
this ultimately led to the weapon being
redesigned in 1966 to perform better in
the wet jungle conditions faced by the
Infantry in Vietnam this new updated
version the M16 A1 replaced the M16 and
went on to become one of the weapons
most commonly associated with the
Vietnam War still say what you will
about the AK-47 but those were built to
last a trait not shared by the early M16
but America's arguably Superior fire
took on forms that were Stranger Than
the M16 during the course of the Vietnam
War the nature of the asymmetric
conflict against the Viet Kong as well
as their enemy own Ingenuity for
creating weapons and traps forced the US
to employ their own brand of creativity
when it came to making the tools of War
this meant developing specialized
weapons that were tailor made for
specific scenarios on the battlefield
one of these was the silent sniper rifle
an oddl looking bulky weapon designed to
take out an enemy combatant without
making a sound now every real life gun
nut has made a video about how silencers
or suppressors for firearms work and
that they don't actually make a weapon
silent as you might see in a movie or
video games however what set this
particular sniper rifle apart was that
while it may not have been outright
silent it did make significantly less
noise than other weapons of the same
size and function made by using a
modified version of a Winchester model
70 the rifle had a huge huge integrally
suppressed Barrel capable of firing 458
rounds at subsonic speeds meaning the
bullets were traveling slower than the
speed of sound since the bullets weren't
breaking the sound barrier they didn't
make the Extremely Loud pop noise of
SuperSonic rounds as they traveled
fitted with a scope the intention behind
the design of the silent sniper was to
make it fire with hardly any sound
Beyond 100 m and the craziest part is it
worked but given that it was bulky and
heavy the weapon was highly inaccurate
not something you want out of a sniper
rifle only a few prototypes were ever
produced but were eventually destroyed
before the weapon could see deployment
speaking of silent but deadly no we're
not getting to the poop yet the US did
have a particularly terrifying weapon in
their Arsenal that went by the nickname
the Whispering Death throughout the
Vietnam War the American forces and
their South Vietnamese allies conducted
thousands of low altitude bombing raids
not only over the North Vietnamese
targets but also over neighboring
countries of LA and Cambodia American
Air superiority came courtesy of The
B-52s no we don't mean the band that
gave us the 1989 hit Love Shack the
Boeing B-52 Strat Fortress was a
behemoth of a bomber powered by eight
turbojet engines capable of delivering
massive aerial bombardments dropping
payloads of ordinance in the tens of
thousands of pounds most carried around
30 tons of high explosive bombs the
equivalent to roughly
12500 lb bombs each one powerful enough
to level a city block so why was it
known as the Whispering Death among the
North Vietnamese then surely a plane
that big with that many engines would
have made a hell of a lot of noise
especially when its explosive payload
was dropped well that's just what made
the B-52 so scary when flying at 39,000
ft in the air these planes were silent
to anyone at ground level until it was
already too late launching B-52s from
Air Force bases in Guam and Thailand the
United States conducted some of the most
devastating and ferocious aerial
bombardments in the history of Warfare
among them were operations arkite
Rolling Thunder linebacker and
linebacker 2 the sequel B-52s were
responsible for reigning high explosive
Hellfire over the jungles of Vietnam as
well as LA and Cambodia at one point
even targeting the North Vietnamese
capital city of Hanoi in fact these air
strikes were so ruthlessly effective
that the president of the United States
himself Lyon B Johnson had to intervene
and call an end to the US's bombing of
North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces The
B-52s were considered to be that much of
an unfair advantage of course the B-52
wasn't the only way the US bombed
Vietnam perhaps the most infamous and
widely associated with the Vietnam War
was Napal even though it was developed
much earlier for use against Japan in
the second world war Napal saw heavy use
in Vietnam this incendiary weapon is
made from a gelified gasoline mixture
that burns at incredibly high
temperatures enough to kill someone
either by burning them alive or causing
them to lose oxygen and succumb to
asphixiation before they're done burning
that's right Napal is hot enough to
literally burn oxygen as effective a
killing tool as it was there is no
denying even at the time that Napal is
an objectively cruel and Despicable
weapon of War it's controversial to say
the least and the horrendous effects of
Napalm led to many protesting its use as
well as protesting the US's war in
Vietnam as a whole fun fact
international law still doesn't prohibit
the use of Napal against military
targets and the United Nations
convention on certain Conventional
Weapons only banned the use of Napal on
civilian Targets in 1980 given how
trigger happy troops could be in Vietnam
and how the Viet Kong were known to hide
among civilian populations one can only
imagine some of the horrifying ways
Napalm was used during the war oh did
you think that air strikes in Napalm
were as bad as it got well US troops
sure didn't stop there so neither will
we the Viet Kong weren't the only ones
fond of using multiple explosives at the
same time like the secondary explosives
intended to catch American troops in the
blast when checking on a comrade injured
by an initial explosion the US had a
similar idea however they took a more
direct approach that is the American way
after all flying around 580,000 bombing
missions as part of their aerial
campaign against the North Vietnamese
enemies the US dropped over 75 million
tons of bombs on Vietnam LA and Cambodia
among these were cluster bombs a type of
ordinance designed to release smaller
explosives and then scatter them across
a wide radius upon detonation peppering
an area with multiple bombs it almost
makes a twisted kind of sense right more
bombs equals literally more bang for
your buck the worst part is not all of
those smaller explosives released by the
cluster bombs successfully detonated
with some even remaining a dangerous
threat in places like Laos where efforts
to clear the leftover explosives are
still ongoing to this day cluster bombs
were also sort of the older meaner
cousin of a different type of weapon
that was subtler and arguably scarier
but it also worked on the same principle
it also was one that commonly was
dropped by our old pal the B-52 the name
lazy dogs might make you think of
four-legged friends specially trained to
sniff out bombs but these were anything
but good boys lazy dogs were actually a
name given to a variety of Flesh etts
this anti-personnel explosive deploys
shrapnel or some form of fragmentation
to kill or severely injure enemy
combatants and often force their
formations to dispers first picture an
explosive like a cluster bomb but
instead of being filled with smaller
bombs it's full of thousands of tiny
metal darts or Nails attack helicopters
and ground forces would fire missiles
that were loaded with these Flett in
order to tear pockets of enemies to
shreds The Lazy Dog flets were unique to
the B-52 bomber and what set them apart
was they didn't require an explosion to
send the deadly darts scattering in all
directions since the B-52 bomber flew
high enough to be silent to anyone on
the ground dropping lazy dogs from this
altitude meant they rapidly gained
velocity so in that situation what's the
forecast looking like well a 100% chance
of a sudden and Silent downpour of sharp
metal fragments resulting in certain
death for anyone who stood below and an
umbrella certainly would not help
explosives are dangerous enough but
Vietnam wasn't simply a war fought with
only bombs bullets and other bullets
that were sabotaged to act like bombs
one of the far less commonly talked
about sides of the conflict was the
chemical warfare conducted by the us
against its communist adversaries in
particular during what was known as
operation Ranch Hand the US military
sprayed herbicide over 4 A5 million
Acres of Vietnamese Countryside in order
to destroy the forests that acted as
cover for the Viet Kong and to kill off
the crops that they and the North
Vietnamese Army were relying on for food
roads canals rice patties and
significant portions of Farmland were
sprayed with over 20 million gallons of
herbicide the most widely used of those
chemicals became known as agent orange
thanks to the color of the markings on
the 55g drums that the herbicide was
stored in during operation ranchhand
more than 13 million gallons of Agent
Orange was sprayed over Vietnam nearly
2/3 of all the herbicide used during the
entire War as it turns out the toxic
dioxin within agent orange wasn't just a
risk to plant life but to human beings
as well it was also discovered that
exposure to agent orange could lead to
severe long-term health issues including
the formation of tumors and cancer as
well as an increased risk of birth
defects in unborn children along with
the psychological scarring from the
exposure the Viet Kong weren't the only
ones subjected to those horrendous side
effects either a large portion of the
non-combatant civilian population of
Vietnam including the US's own allies in
the South were affected as were many
returning US service members and their
families once it became apparent that
agent orange was far better at giving
people cancer than revealing hidden
combatants the USA was forced to change
its tactics when it came to detecting
enemies tracking the movements of the
North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Kong
in areas like the hoien trail as well as
the groups that were hiding out in the
South Vietnamese jungles became the job
of the people sniffers while that might
sound like an act of public indecency
and invasion of personal space during
the Vietnam war they were one of the key
ways that the United States figured out
where exactly their adversaries were
hiding developed by General Electric
people sniffers were mobile Cloud
chambers that could detect ammonia
commonly found in human sweat that's
right these devices were sweat detectors
it's not hard to see how they gained
their nickname officially referred to as
the xm2 and xm3 Personnel detectors the
former version was carried in backpacks
by infantry while the xm3 on the other
hand was mainly used on helicopters
those who would use the xm2 people
sniffers often hated doing so the
problem with the device that sniffs out
human sweat is that all humans sweat
meaning the people sniffers would often
detect US soldiers sweat as well as as
their enemies plus they were very bulky
and noisy which made it hard to Ambush
any hiding Viet Kong who'd likely heard
the Americans coming it didn't take long
for the Viet Kong to figure out how the
American people sniffers worked and then
just come up with a way to trick those
sweat detecting devices you see ammonia
isn't just present in sweat but also in
another human body fluid before long
buckets of urine were being left out as
Deco for the people sniffers and yes
that wouldn't be the first or the last
time that the human leftovers would be
used as a weird weapon during the
Vietnam war we've already talked about
how the Viet Kong's puni sticks were
often smeared with feces to give an
unlucky US soldier of bacterial
infection but the American forces also
found a way to deploy poop themselves
another way they attempted to track the
movement of enemy Vietnamese forces
along the hoian trail was to place
sensors along the routes that they
suspected were being used to transport
men and Munitions however these would be
easily discovered and destroyed so to
camouflage Those sensors the US
developed yeah you guessed it a radio
Beacon that was shaped like poop the
United States Air Force would drop those
undignified dookie detectors from the
air those technology concealing turds
would then detect any movement along the
trail at night and relay it via a radio
signal thanks to their disgusting
disguise the Viet Kong and the North
Vietnamese army soldiers thought better
than pick up what they thought to be
perfectly innocent excrement unaware the
US was using the poop to listen in on
their movements now check out why
Vietnam War tunnel rat job was so deadly
or watch this video instead
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