FSTC 381-5012 — Typical Foreign Unconventional Warfare Weapons (U)
FSTC 381-4012
TYPICAL FOREIGN
UNCONVENTIONAL
WARFARE
WEAPONS
55-GAL. DRUM
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
TYPICAL FOREIGN UNCONVENTIONAL
WARFARE WEAPONS (U)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
„
Pag<
SECTION I.
PURPOSE AND SCOPE............................................................
1
II.
CONCLUSION ........................................................................
1
HI.
SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION —.....................................
2
IV.
SMALL ARMS.........................................................................
3
V.
RECOILLESS AND ROCKET WEAPONS ........................... 12
VI.
LAND MINES..............................................................................14
VII. FIRING DEVICES.................................................................... 20
Vin.
CALTROPS AND BOOBYTRAPS...................................... 35
IX.
DISGUISED DEVICES............................................................ 42
APPENDIX .............................................................................................................. 53
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
TYPICAL FOREIGN UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE WEAPONS (U)
SecHon I. (U) PURPOSE AND SCOPE
1. (U) The purpose of this study is to present a description of typical foreign
weapons which have been, or are being, used by insurgents or guerrillas involved
in unconventional warfare. In this context, the term "unconventional warfare"
means revolt or insurrection by predominantly indigenous personnel against a
constituted government.
2. (U) This study is limited primarily to those weapons which have been impro
vised from materials at hand, or modified from standard military items. In ad
dition, even though they do not fall within these limits, certain factory-made items
have been included because their nature makes them especially useful to the in
surgent. The latter class of equipment includes most of the incendiary devices
and camouflaged explosives, as well as a few firing devices.
3. (U) The period of time covered by this study is from World War II to the
present. The materiel described is a representative sample, rather than an ex
haustive listing of such equipment. All of the items shown herein could be useful
to the various guerrilla operations currently under way. Some of the factorymade pieces are no longer available because stocks are exhausted.
4. (U) This study is presented for its technical value; it does not analyze any
guerrilla force's operational, tactical, or logistical strengths or weaknesses.
The materiel described in this study represents, to a large extent, expedient so
lutions. The risks involved in manufacturing, storing, and handling equipment of
the type covered in this study are relatively large, and must be accepted knowingly
by both maker and user. In no case are any inferences warranted concerning its
effectiveness by U. S. standards, or its availability in quantity, or the training
status of the users. FSTC does not recommend any attempt by U. S. personnel to
manufacture or use this materiel.
Section II. (U) CONCLUSION
5. (U) The guerrilla normally arms himself with standard, factory-made, mili
tary weapons, ammunition, explosives, incendiaries, and firing devices. He manu
factures this materiel only when he must. When so driven, he often displays a con
siderable amount of ingenuity in design and in the adaptation of available materials
to serve his purposes.
FSTC 381-5012
6. (U) The complexity of the weaponry produced by a guerrilla munitions industry
varies considerably. In the field of small arms, for instance, the range of com
plexity extends from a standard military rifle which has merely been lightened by
shortening the barrel and removing excess wood, to a pistol or rifle made from scratch
The factors controlling the quality and complexity of an item appear to be the in
genuity of the people, the materials and tools available, and the presence or ab
sence of outside support.
7. (U) The guerrilla normally obtains his weapons, ammunition, and explosives
either by capturing them from an organized military force which opposes him, or
by receiving'them from friendly forces outside his operational area. In either
case, this materiel almost always consists of standard, factory-made military
equipment. A notable exception to this generality occurs when the supplier wishes
to conceal his connection with the guerrilla. In this case, manufacturers' markings
and serial numbers are often obliterated from weapons, and ammunition is manu
factured either with nonsensical or with counterfeit headstamps, color codes, and
other markings.
8. (U) When the total of the supplies captured from the enemy, plus those furn
ished by friends, is inadequate to satisfy the local need, a guerrilla munitions in
dustry comes into being. This industry can flourish only when a secure area
exists so that plants can be established on a more or less permanent basis, but,
since the technical skills and facilities for such basic manufacturing techniques
as turning, milling, and heat treating are generally lacking, the materiel produced
is usually small and simple. The vast majority of these munitions exist only be
cause they are the best available. Bows, arrows, and spears—the tools of life
in a primitive society--are turned to warlike ends, but as soon as better or
more effective weapons become available, the homemade ones either are aban
doned or are returned to more peaceful uses.
Section III. (U) SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION
9. (U) By far the major portion--probably 99+%--of all small arms ammunition
consumed by insurgent or guerrilla forces engaged in unconventional warfare is
factory made, and thus falls outside the scope of this study. However, once in a
great while a need arises for a cartridge which is not available. In this situation,
the guerrilla will hand fabricate them.
10. (U) AU known cases, of field manufacture of smaU arms cartridges involve
one of two basic processes--reloading a fired cartridge case of the appropriate
caliber, or altering an existing cartridge to fit a weapon for which it was not
originaUy intended. For instance, during World War II, resistance forces in the
PhHippine Islands reloaded fired caliber . 30 cartridge cases, using kitchen match
2
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
heads for primers, grated nonsafety photographic film for propellant, and cast
lead bullets. The Chinese Nationalists have converted caliber . 30 carbine cart
ridges into . 32 automatic pistol rounds on a relatively large scale by cutting the
cartridge case to length, reducing the body diameter and propellant charge,
cutting off the base of the bullet to reduce weight, and assembling these pieces.
11. (U) The 12-gauge shot shell shown in figure 1 was obtained in Vietnam. Orig
inally it was a U. S. caliber . 50 machinegun cartridge. The transformation of the
one into the other, which is not too complicated a job, was accomplished by dis
assembling a loaded round, cutting the cartridge case to length, peening the ex
tractor flange into a rim, and filing the rim to the correct diameter. The finished
case was then loaded with propellant, wadding, shot (or miscellaneous scrap
metal), more wadding, and lastly the end was sealed with some substance such
as paraffin or candlewax.
Figure 1 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong 12-gauge shot shell (U).
Section IV. (C) SMALL ARMS
12. (U) GENERAL
While probably over 90% of the small arms used by guerrilla forces are stand
ard military as-issued items, including a small percentage of unaltered sporting wea
pons, the remaining 10% are of some interest. The latter group includes arms
ranging from those which are completely homemade, with barrels and receivers
made from gas pipe, to those adapted from standard military arms to meet the
guerrilla's idea of a suitable weapon. This last category covers factory-made
3
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
barrels and actions fitted with homemade stocks of varying shapes and sizes.
Because these homemade arms normally serve the guerrilla only until he obtains
a better weapon, their short service life is not a great drawback.
13. (U) PISTOLS
a. The 9-mm pistol pictured in figure 2 is essentially a blowback-operated
submachinegun minus the magazine. Its receiver, barrel, and chamber-reinforcing
piece are made either of pipe or of thick-walled tubing, and fastened to the wooden
grip assembly by means of two sheet-metal straps. To operate the pistol, retract
the bolt by pulling back on the machine screw until the bolt latches to the rear;
then drop a cartridge through the loading port in the right side of the receiver and
into the chamber. The weapon fires from the open-bolt position. Since it has
neither extractor nor ejector, extraction and ejection must be accomplished by
retracting the bolt, and then shaking or prying the fired cartridge case out of the
chamber and through the loading port.
Figure 2 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong wooden-stock pistol (U).
b. The barrel and receiver of the homemade single-shot pistol shown in
figure 3 are made of two pieces of pipe held together by pins, while the grip is
a length of fairly heavy wire bent to shape and either welded or riveted to
the receiver. The service life of this weapon is probably only a few rounds.
4
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
c. To load the pistol, retract the bolt handle and engage it in the small vertical
slot at the right of the long horizontal slot; then drop a cartridge into the chamber
through the loading port located in the right side of the receiver. To fire, point the
weapon with the right hand and, disengaging the bolt handle from the small slot,
allow the compressed driving spring to force the bolt forward until the fixed
firing pin strikes the primer.
Figure 3 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong metol-stock pistol (U).
d. The weapons described up to this point display a relatively low level of in
genuity and effort in their structure and manufacture. The caliber . 32 semiauto
matic pistol shown in figure 4, however, although its design is conventional in all
respects, exhibits considerable ingenuity on the part of its creator because of the
difficulties overcome in bringing it into existence--it is completely handmade.
e. If he does not have design talent, the guerrilla artisan does not hesitate to
produce a copy of a proven pattern, especially when a specimen is available.
f. During the time of the French War in Indochina (1945-1954), a number of
underground factories produced weapons and allied materiel for the various irreg
ular forces fighting there. The 9-mm Browning Hi-Power pistol illustrated by
figure 5 was, according to the markings on the slide, manufactured at the Allied
National Army Military Manufactory Number 5, which was located near Tay Ninh.
A report states that this plant produced approximately 5, 000 of these pistols. The
workmanship exhibited in this weapon is surprising—the fits are reasonable, and
the finish is quite good.
5
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 4 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong caliber .32 pistol (U).
Figure 5 (UNCLASSIFIED). Vietnamese copy of 9-mm Browning pistol (U).
6
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
14.
(u) rifles
a. Homemade rifles run the gamut of design sophistication and manufacturing
complexities, from crude to well done. Oddly enough, the cruder the design, the
more effort is required in manufacture. The reason for this apparent anomaly is
that as the designs become more sophisticated, the likelihood increases that the rifle
will incorporate major parts of a factory-made rifle.
b. The "rifle" shown in figure 6, actually a smoothbore weapon, has a barrel
made from a piece of pipe. Its breechblock pivots transversely, and is articulated
on a common door hinge. The hammer arrangement strongly suggests that the
gun employs pinfire cartridges, and the absence of a trigger indicates that the user
fires the piece by pressing down on the hammer spur with his thumb to compress
the hammer spring, then releases the hammer spur to allow the hammer to fly
forward to fire the cartridge.
c. The buttstock apparently has been made of two miscellaneous pieces of wood
mitered together, but the forestock, as evidenced by the metal fitting at its front
end, was salvaged from a factory-made weapon.
Figure 6 (UNCLASSIFIED). Vietnomese pinfire (?) shotgun (U).
d. The single-shot small arm seen in figure 7, although bearing some resem
blance to a short-barrelled rifle, is actually a shotgun. Its method of operation
is unknown. Both the barrel and the receiver are made from a piece of pipe, and
are fastened to the stock at the rear by means of a metal strap, and at the front
by a metal block which also serves as a recoil shoulder. The trigger pivots about
a screw which passes transversely through the stock, and in this respect the trigger
mechanism resembles that of the British Lee-Metford and Lee-Enfield rifles. The
vertical finger-grip ribs on the cocking piece emphasize this resemblance.
e. The remaining small arms in this section illustrate some of the ways in
which ;he guerrilla will modify standard military weapons, either to return them
to useable condition or to adapt them to his individual ideas of the weapon he wishes
to be armed with. A case in point is the modified French 8-mm Model 1907/15
Mannlicher-Berthier rifle shown in figure 8.
7
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 7 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong shotgun (U).
Figure 8 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong modified Mannlicher-Berthier rifle (U).
g. Another type of conversion has been performed on the weapon shown in
figure 9, formerly a French 11-mm Model 1874 Gras rifle. In this case, since
ammunition for this weapon is almost nonexistent, the barrel was cut off to make
the weapon easier to handle, and the chamber was altered slightly so that 410gauge shotgun shells could be fired. A homemade stock completes the picture.
8
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 9 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong modified Gras rifle (U).
h. An even simpler modification is shown in figure 10. The barrel and stock
of this U. S. caliber . 30 M1917 Enfield rifle have been cut, and the front sight has
been remounted. The object of such a conversion is to produce a lighter rifle
which can be swung into firing position more rapidly, especially in the presence
of the dense undergrowth found in Vietnam.
Figure 10 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong modified M1917 Enfield rifle (U).
15. (C) SUBMACHINEGUNS
a. (U) The submachinegun, so long as the ammunition supply is adequate, is
a popular guerrilla weapon, probably because of its compactness, light weight,
and short-range effectiveness. Since the Vietnamese terrain lends itself to cover
and concealment, it is not surprising to find the Viet Cong going to considerable
lengths to supply themselves with this class of individual weapon. The four items
shown in this study, all of wnich were used in Vietnam, illustrate various types
of effort put into the manufacture of submachineguns.
b. (U) The weapon shown in figure 11, like some of the pistols and rifles dis
cussed previously, has a barrel-and-receiver assembly made of pipe, with the var
ious pieces held together by pins. The grip frame has been made from iron strap,
and is welded to the receiver. The trigger-group and magazine-housing assem
blies, also welded to the receiver, evidently have been salvaged from a standard
submachinegun of unknown origin.
9
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 11 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong submachinegun (U).
c. (U) Geographically speaking, the United Kingdom's Sten-series submachine
gun is one of the most widespread weapons of its type in the world, and it has been
copied by a number of countries with varying degrees of fidelity to the original
form. The two weapons shown in figures 12 and 13 were made in Vietnam, and
are based on the Mk.n Sten gun. In fact, the pistol grips of each of them were
probably modified from British-manufactured recoil spring car -.nd buttstock as
semblies. On the other hand, both receivers are definitely not Sten parts because
the magazine housings are attached to the bottoms of the receivers, whereas this
housing is fastened on the left side of a Sten receiver.
Figure 12 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong Sten-type submachinegun (variation 1) (U).
10
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 13 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong Sten-type submochinegun (voriotion 2) (U).
d. (C) The last of the submachineguns presented herein illustrates the result
of a failing ammunition supply and outside aid to guerrilla forces. Basically the
weapon, seen in figure 14, is a French 9-mm MAT-49 chambered for the 9-mm
Parabellum cartridge. When the supply of 9-mm ammunition ran low, and pros
pects of resupply appeared dim, the North Vietnamese Army workshops, rather
than scrap the weapon, rebarrelled it with a Chinese 7. 62-mm submachinegun
barrel and made new magazines so that the gun would fire the Soviet 7. 62-mm Type P
pistol and submachinegun cartridge and the various copies thereof. The only other
modification involved was the salvaging of the MAT-49 original front sights and the
mounting of them on the new barrel.
Figure 14 (UNCLASSIFIED). North Vietnomese modified MAT-49 (U).
11
16.
(U) MACHINEGUNS
Relatively few machineguns have appeared in guerrilla movements, and only
one of them has been so modified as to merit inclusion in this study. The weapon
pictured in figure 15 originally was a French 7. 5-mm Model AV-34 flexible air
craft machinegun. The guerrilla who reworked the basic gun added a handguard,
a shoulder stock salvaged from a French Chatellerault Model 24/ 29 automatic
rifle, and a rear sight which appears to be a survivor of the Franco-Prussian War.
Figure 15 (UNCLASSIFIED). Modified AV-34 aircraft machinegun (U).
Section V. (U) RECOILLESS AND ROCKET WEAPONS
17. (U) Homemade recoilless and rocket weapons are almost as scarce among
guerrilla forces as are machineguns. The Model S. S. A. recoilless gun shown in
figure 16 was made either in North Vietnam or in a Viet Cong safe area, as it
and its ammunition require fairly extensive shop facilities for manufacture.
r—
Figure 16 (UNCLASSIFIED}. Model S.S.A. recoilless gun (U).
12
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
18. (U) The tube of the smoothbore Model S. S. A. is a piece of pipe approximately
4 1/2 feet long, having an extra section shrunk around its center for reinforcement.
Two sighting devices are provided. One device consists of a blade front sight and
a V-notch rear sight, both mounted on the reinforcing sleeve; the other consists of
a tube sight containing an aperture and crosshair mounted on the left side of the
tube. The tripod mount is made of pieces of angled metal joined to a hub which
contains a tapered bushing. A circular clamp surrounding the barrel has a tapered
pin pivoted to its bottom for attaching the tube to the tripod. The weapon traverses
freely, but elevation is accomplished by means of a threaded shaft extending from
a clamp around the rear of the tube to an arm attached to the mounting clamp.
19. (U) The total weight of the weapon is approximately 72 pounds. The specimen
illustrated has a nominal bore diameter of 60 mm; a 66-mm version also exists.
20. (U) A variant of the last weapon is illustrated in figure 17. The variant differs
in that it is a rocket launcher, and in that its mount embodies a sector plate and a
wingnut to provide eievation adjustment. The latter weapon is breech loaded, where
as the former is muzzle loaded. Both weapons fire electrically initiated ammunition.
Figure 17 (UNCLASSIFIED). Viet Cong rocket launcher (U).
13
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Section VI. (U) LANDMINES
21. (U) The guerrilla operation, being essentially a hit-and-run affair, lends
itself especially well to the imaginative use of land mines as a means of creating
an atmosphere of terror amongst the populace and of harassing opposing military
and security forces. Since factory-made firing devices are often in short supply,
one natural solution is to use an item which contains its own firing device--the
hand grenade.
22. (U) There are many ways in which a hand grenade can be used as a mine-it can be tied in a bush and a wire can be led from the safety ring across a trail;
or it can be inserted into a bag containing a charge of explosive, and thus serve
as a fuze. The application shown in figure 18 was devised by the British during
World War II and consists of a hand grenade, a tin can which is just large enough
to fit over the grenade and its safety lever, and two lengths of string or wire.
One length of wire is fastened to the can, and then tied to a stake, bush, or fence
post. The other length of wire is fastened to the grenade in such a way that it can
not interfere with the function of the fuze, and is then stretched across a road or
pathway. The grenade is then inserted into the tin can, and the safety ring and
pin are withdrawn. A pull on the wire stretched across the path will separate the
grenade from the can, allowing the grenade fuze to function in the normal manner.
Figure 18 (UNCLASSIFIED). British grenode-in-con mine (U).
14
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
23. (U) During the Korean War, North Korean Forces occasionally made good
use of the oil-drum mine which consists of a 55-gallon drum--a 100-pound wooden
nail keg would serve just as well--filled with rock, a charge of explosive, and a
number of time fuses. The user of this device places it jphill from the anticipated
route of his target. At the appropriate moment he lights the fuses, and then rolls
the drum down the hill where, if the fuses have been cut to the correct length, it
explodes among the enemy. Multiple fuses should always be used with such devices
to insure that at least one of them survives the downhill roll to initiate the explosive
charge.
Figure 19 (UNCLASSIFIED). North Korean oil-drum mine (U).
24. (U) The advent of World War II found the Soviet Union unprepared to wage
mine warfare on an extensive scale and, as a result, both infantry and engineer
troops were trained to improvise mines in the field from available materials.
Mines improvised by the infantry were generally much simpler than those impro
vised by the engineers, especially in terms of the facilities used in their fabri
cation. However, the former were by no means less ingenious in their structure.
25. (U) Probably the simplest of all these mines consists of a convenient charge
of explosive wired to a stake, a pull-actuated fuze, and a tripwire anchored to a
second stake (top panel of figure 20). When the wire is pulled, the fuze init
iates the charge. If the terrain is suitable, this installation can be improved by
15
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
piling rocks around the charge. Although this device has the advantage of being
made and installed very easily, it can be detected just as easily.
THIN LAYER OF CAMOUFLAGE
ELECTRIC PUSH
SUTTON
STONE OR SHRAPNEL
MAIN CHARGES. ' ELECTR1C DETONATOR*'
Figure 20 (UNCLASSIFIED). Soviet improvised infontry mines (U).
16
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
26. (U) A somewhat more complex mine, shown in figure 20 (center panel), con
sists of a charge of explosive, a pull-actuated fuze, and a pivoted pressure board.
A wire connects the fuze's striker retaining pin with one end of the board, a flimsy
support such as a large twig prevents the other end of the board from moving down
ward while the device is being laid and camouflaged. As with the last mine, rocks
can be piled around the explosive charge to provide some fragmentation effect.
27. (U) The two mines just described are definitely infantry mines—simple in
concept, manufacture, and installation. The third mine in this series, also pic
tured in figure 20 (bottom panel), is more complicated in that the ordinarily prudent
person sent to install it would not do so until he had assured himself that the elec
tric contact was in fact open by checking this point with a circuit tester-- an equip
ment not normally included in infantry supplies. Except for this point, the mine
is relatively simple in both manufacture and installation, consisting of a charge
of explosive, some stones or miscellaneous metal scraps, a few boards, a battery,
a doorbell-type contact, and an electric detonator. When either man or beast steps
on the pressure board, the circuit is closed and the mine detonates.
28. (U) The three mines just described, primarily because of their simplicity
of manufacture, have been categorized as infantry items. The next two are not so
easy to make, and therefore are classified as engineer items.
29. (U) The device known as the lever tread mine, illustrated in figure 21, con
sists of a wooden box containing a charge of explosive, a pull-actuated fuze, and a
tilting lid which is free to rotate about a fulcrum. A wire is attached to the striker
retaining pin in the fuze, and to a screw or nail in one edge of the lid. This mine
is normally laid below the surface of the ground. When the upper end of the lid
is forced down, the wire attached to the lower end of the lid pulls the striker re
taining pin out of the fuze to initiate the charge of explosive.
30. (U) The seesaw mine shown in figure 22 is a more complicated version of
the lever tread mine just discussed. Although their structures are noticeably
different, the principle of operation is the same--a wire attached to a pivoting
board withdraws the striker retaining pin from a pull-actuated fuze. This design
is somewhat wasteful of fuzes, as two are required for each mine, as compared
to one for the lever tread mine. On the other hand, a foot placed on either end
of the tiltboard will actuate the seesaw mine whereas, with the lever tread mine,
the foot must be placed on the upper end for actuation.
31. (U) In Algeria, the native Front de Liberation Nationale (National Liberation
Front) (FLN) made their own special contribution to the lore of improvised mines.
However, because the French forces were to a great extent mechanized, the FLN
mines lean more heavily toward being anti vehicular rather than antipersonnel items.
32. (U) A very common FLN antivehicle "mine" is shown in figure 23 in the sec
tion drawing of a road. The device is actually an uncased charge of explosive’
which fills a hole scooped from the center of the roadbed. The road surface is
17
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
MUV F'lZf
figure 21 (UNCLASSIFIED). Soviet lever tread mine (U).
Figure 22 (UNCLASSIFIED). Soviet seesaw mine (U)
18
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
carefully cut, lifted, and then replaced to minimize the signs that it has been dis
turbed. The explosive is fired when the wheel of a vehicle passes over an electric
firing device or contact placed on the edge of the road or in a wheel track. At
first glance, the flat stones placed on top of the explosive charge might appear to
have been put there to make this mine perform as a plate charge mine. However,
since any reasonable explosive charge will shatter these stones, their true function
more probably is to support the replaced road surface.
Figure 23 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN antivehicle mine (U).
33. (U) An antilift mine can be made from an artillery shell, as figure 24 shows.
The upper detonator is connected to a pressure-operated firing device which is
not shown. The lower detonator is connected to batteries within the shell body,
and to a contact box also within the shell body. The box consists of a tubular in
sulator having a metal end plate which is connected to the detonator. A sliding
metal block within the insulator tube is connected to the batteries.
(U) If the external contact is closed, the mine detonates, destroying all pos
sibility of determining its structure. On the other hand, if the mine is discovered,
the person attempting to neutralize it will cut the external leads in the prescribed
fashion—one at a time--thus disconnecting only the upper detonator. When the
nose of the shell is lifted, the sliding block contacts the metal end plate, completing
the circuit through the lower detonator, and the mine explodes.
34.
19
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
DETONATORS
Figure 24 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN antilift mine (U).
35. (U) The FLN in Algeria were also partial to the fougasse, an ancient device,
which resembles nothing so much as an overgrown shotgun. The fougasse is most
commonly aimed across a road, and, when properly loaded, will damage thinskinned vehicles as well as kill troops. The top panel of figure 25 shows the entire
installation, including the electric contact which is placed across the road from the
exploding part, while the bottom panel shows in detail the structure of the charge
portion of the fougasse, emphasizing its resemblance to a shotgun. The maker of
this device exercised his imagination when he chose to use the filament of a light
bulb to initiate the propellant charge.
Section VII. (C) FIRING DEVICES
36.
(U) GENERAL
a. A mine or boobytrap is essentially a concealed charge of explosive equipped
with a device to initiate the explosive either at some predetermined time or upon
the occurrence of some specific event. The guerrilla's capability to manufacture
the explosive portion of these devices is generally limited, by the complexity of
the processes involved, to packaging factory-made material. However, the manu
facture of firing devices and fuzes is not nearly so difficult a task. As a result,
considerable attention has been paid to the subject, resulting in the development
of a variety of devices.
20
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 25 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN fougasse
(U).
b. The distinction between a firing device and a fuze, although somewhat
academic, is this--a firing device is a fuze without a detonator.
21
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
37. (U) NONDELAY DEVICES
a. Probably the most widely used type of firing device embodies a springloaded striker which is held in the cocked position by a retaining pin, and actuated
by the pull of a wire attached to this pin. If the pin is formed in the shape of the
letter T, the device also can be arranged to operate by pressure. Almost every
country which manufactures these devices issues them with the T-shaped pins
installed, thus eliminating a separate, pressure-operated device from its logistic
system.
b. The fuze shown in figure 26 is a nondelay device, and was made in Algeria
by rebel (FLN) personnel, probably in a basement workshop. The housing is a
piece of thin-walled tubing, one end of which has been closed by hammering it over
a mandrel. The striker has been turned from a piece of steel rod, and the spring
was probably procured by midnight requisition from a junkyard. To complete the
picture, the maker has pulled apart a round of small arms ammunition and fastened
the empty cartridge case to the housing so that the striker can fire the primer,
with the resulting flash initiating the detonator.
Figure 26 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN improvised fuze (U).
c. Another variety of firing device operates either by tension (pull) or by
tension release. These devices are, characteristically, installed with a taut trip
wire, and the release of tension occurs when the wire either is unwittingly broken
or is deliberately cut. In either case the device operates, and the charge of ex
plosive to which it is connected explodes.
d. During World War II the British designed several devices of this type, and
trained their troops to make them in the field.
e. One of the British devices employed a weighted can to keep the tripwire in
tension as shown in figure 27. The frame which houses the can includes two pairs
of electric contacts, one at the top of the frame and the other at the bottom, so
22
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
wired that when either pair is touched by the can, a circuit is completed. A bat
tery then fires an electric detonator and the explosive charge. If the tripwire is
pulled, the can rides up within the frame and closes the top pair of contacts; if the
wire is cut or broken, gravity causes the can to drop and close the bottom pair
of contacts.
Figure 27 (UNCLASSIFIED). British weighted-con firing device (U).
23
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
f. A variation on the weighted-can device can be made with an ordinary knife
arranged as shown in figure 28. Two pairs of nails driven into a board hold the
knife in place by its handle, while a third pair is placed near the point of the knife
and wired together, forming a double-pole electrical contact. The blade of the
knife, lying between the two poles of this contact, is bent and held away from the
far pole by a tripwire in tension. When the wire is pulled, the blade deflects fur
ther, and contacts the near pole; when the wire is cut or broken, the bent blade
is released, and contacts the far pole. In either case the electric circuit is closed,
and a detonator fires the explosive charge.
Figure 28 (UNCLASSIFIED). British knife switch (U).
g. A common spring-loaded clothespin can be made into a very good electric
firing device by the wrapping of a small piece of sheet metal--that from a tin
can will do—around each jaw. Small nails through each of these bits of metal will
fasten them to the jaws of the clothespin, and will also function as binding posts.
When the jaws of the pin are separated by an insulator such as a wooden wedge,
an electric firing device is obtained.
h. The device shown in figure 29 was made by members of the the Algerian
FLN rebel forces to be operated by a pull on the tripwire. This pull will dislodge
the insulator from between the jaws of the clothespin, and the spring will bring
the two metal contacts together and close the circuit to fire an electric detonator.
Since the insulator stays in place because the jaws grip it, the trip wire is slack
and can be cut as soon as it is discovered.
24
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 29 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN clothespin firing device (pull-operated) (U).
i. If a sufficient number of firing devices are laid with slack tripwires, the
guerrilla can reasonably hope that the persons responsible for clearing them may
relax their vigilance somewhat, become a bit careless in examining individual
installations, and possibly cut every tripwire they find. This provides a good
psychological atmosphere for a change of tactics, which is now clearly indicated.
j. This change occurs when a clothespin is rigged so that the tripwires hold
the jaws open, as shown in figure 30. The wedge is no longer needed, as the air
gap insulates the two contacts from each other. When the firing device is installed
in this way, the unwary wirecutter succeeds only in exploding the charge connected
to the device.
k. In addition to being made by the Algerian FLN, this type of device was
also used by Soviet troops during World War II.
l. Another variety of British firing device consists of a metal tube and a ball
bearing, arranged as shown in figure 31. So long as the left end of the tube is
lower than the right end, the ball bearing dues not contact the nail which passes
through the center of the insulating cork to complete the electric circuit. How
ever, when the tube is rotated clockwise until its left end is higher than its right,
gravity rolls the bearing into contact with this nail, and the circuit is complete.
Because of its particular adaptability to installation on doorknobs, this derice is
commonly known as the "doorknob device. "
25
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
Figure 30 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN clothespin firing device (tension-release-operated) (U).
Figure 31 (UNCLASSIFIED). British ball bearing switch (doorknob device) (U).
26
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
m. Railroads and rolling stock are a prime target for the guerrilla. This
is especially so if, as was the case in the U. S. S. R. during the Second World War,
he is serving as an "advance guard" for regular troops. Whether he is performing
this particular duty or not, a blow at a railroad is profitable because the rolling
stock and the supplies it carries are often difficult to replace.
n. The Algerian device illustrated in figure 32 consists of a board with two
flexible electric contacts attached to it. It is laid with the contacts on the inside
of a rail so that the flange of a locomotive wheel can bring them together to close
the circuit through an electric detonator. This device is relatively sturdy and re
sistant to displacement by shock, but, because it is placed above ground, it can
be detected relatively easily, even when camouflaged with a small bush or leaves.
Figure 32 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN wheel-flange firing device (U).
o. A variation of the Algerian railroad firing device is the item seen in figure
33, made from two lengths of insulated wire and used by the Germans during World
War II. The insulation has been stripped from one end of one wire for a distance
of about 3 inches, and this bare end has been formed into a coil. About 1 inch of
insulation has been stripped from the same end of the other wire, and this bare
section has been placed inside the coil so that the two bare sections do not touch.
The coil end is then laid on top of a railroad track, and, when crushed by a passing
wheel, completes an electric circuit to fire an electric detonator.
27
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
p. Although the manufacturing of this device is extremely simple, to conceal
the emplaced device is very difficult. Furthermore, it is easily displaced by
natural forces.
Figure 33 (UNCLASSIFIED). Germon wire-coil firing device (U).
q. All of the devices described so far act instantaneously; that is, they make
no provision for a delay in time between the application of an actuating force and
the explosion of the charge to which they are connected. Before passing on to the
discussion of devices which do incorporate a time delay, a short backward look
to consider the preponderance of electric firing devices over mechanical ones
seems appropriate. This pattern holds in practically every country in which bat
teries are readily obtainable. This is a very reasonable trend, because electric
firing devices require a minimum of tools and materials to make them.
r. Electric firing devices require more than batteries, however. They re
quire electric detonators which, although quite readily available in mining camps,
are almost invariably kept under lock and key. If the illicit demand for electric
detonators reaches major proportions, the supplying of them can be strictly rationed
or, better yet, blasting at the mining site can be converted to the use of time fuses
and nonelectric detonators. Whatever the situation in Algeria was in actuality, the
rebel FLN forces devised an ingenious means of circumventing the shortage of
electric detonators by converting nonelectric detonators to electrical ones.
28
UNCLASSIFIED
UNCLASSIFIED
FSTC 381-5012
s. The device pictured In figure 34 consists of a small light bulb with two
electric wires soldered to the filament contacts. A small portion of the glass
envelope has been cut away, and the empty envelope has been filled with black
powder. A nonelectric detonator taped to the envelope completes the assembly.
This item is also being used by the Viet Cong.
Figure 34 (UNCLASSIFIED). FLN electric detonator (U)
38.
(C) DELAY DEVICES
a. (U) From time to time the guerrilla desires to place a charge which will
detonate after a fixed period of time has elapsed. A current example of this type
of activity occurred in February 1964 when a Viet Cong bomb actuated by a delay
firing device exploded in the bleacher section of Pershing Field at Saigon, South
Vietnam, during a softball game. Although most countries include delay firing
devices among their families of standard dem