Weird Weapons of the Vietnam War

Summary

The 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

00:00

🏹 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.

05:02

🕳️ 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.

10:03

🔫 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.

15:06

💣 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.

20:07

🔥 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.

25:09

🌿 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.

Keywords

💡Viet Kong

The term 'Viet Kong' appears to be a mispronunciation or misspelling of 'Viet Cong,' which refers to the guerrilla forces of the National Liberation Front (NLF) during the Vietnam War. They were primarily South Vietnamese communists who fought against the South Vietnamese government and its American allies. In the video's context, the Viet Cong are shown as resourceful and adept at using unconventional tactics and weapons against their enemies.

💡AK-47

The AK-47 is a well-known assault rifle, infamous for its durability and widespread use in various conflicts around the world. It was provided by the Soviet Union to its allies, including the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. The script mentions the AK-47 as one of the weapons used by the Viet Cong, highlighting its significance in the conflict and its comparison with the US's M16 rifle.

💡M16

The M16 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle that was the primary service rifle for the United States armed forces during the Vietnam War. The script discusses the M16 as the US's choice of rifle, comparing it with the AK-47 in terms of performance and reliability, and noting the M16's lighter and more compact design.

💡Punji sticks

Punji sticks are sharpened bamboo stakes used as a booby trap by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. They were often smeared with plant poison, urine, and feces to cause infection in the wounds of enemy soldiers who fell onto them. The video script describes punji sticks as a part of the Viet Cong's arsenal of improvised weapons, illustrating their ingenuity and ruthlessness in warfare.

💡Tunnel warfare

Tunnel warfare refers to the use of tunnels as a military strategy, allowing forces to move undetected and launch surprise attacks. The Viet Cong used an extensive network of tunnels during the Vietnam War for concealment, storage, and evasion of enemy forces. The script details the challenges these tunnels posed to US forces and the specialized 'tunnel rats' unit created to counter this tactic.

💡Napalm

Napalm is an incendiary weapon that creates a sticky, flammable gel which sticks to surfaces and burns at extremely high temperatures. It was heavily used by the United States during the Vietnam War to clear forests and kill enemy combatants. The script describes the controversial and devastating effects of napalm, highlighting its cruel nature and the protests it sparked.

💡Agent Orange

Agent Orange is a herbicide used by the US military during the Vietnam War as part of Operation Ranch Hand to defoliate forests and destroy crops. It contained dioxin, a toxic chemical linked to severe health issues, including cancer and birth defects. The script explains the widespread use of Agent Orange and its long-term detrimental effects on humans and the environment.

💡Cluster bombs

Cluster bombs are a type of explosive weapon that releases numerous smaller sub-munitions, or bomblets, over a wide area. The script mentions their use by the US during the Vietnam War, noting that many of the sub-munitions did not detonate, leaving a dangerous legacy in affected areas like Laos.

💡B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 Stratofortress is a large, long-range strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force. Known as the 'Whispering Death' in the script, it was capable of delivering massive aerial bombardments during the Vietnam War. The B-52's high altitude and powerful payload made it a formidable weapon, despite its size and noise when flying low.

💡People sniffers

People sniffers were devices used by the US military during the Vietnam War to detect human presence by sensing ammonia in sweat. The script describes the development of these devices by General Electric and their deployment in the field, as well as the Viet Cong's countermeasures, such as using urine to trick the sensors.

💡Tank traps

Tank traps refer to improvised explosive devices or other obstacles designed to disable or destroy tanks and other armored vehicles. In the script, the Viet Cong used a version of tank traps consisting of grenades suspended from a rope and connected to a trip wire, specifically intended to target heavy vehicles like tanks.

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