From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In warfare, a booby trap is an antipersonnel device placed in building or in a noncombat area that has a psychological draw for enemy soldiers. The term comes from the implication such a trap will be set off by a foolish person (a booby). The first use of the term is from the 1850s, when it was used to describe practical jokes that are set off by their victim. In fact, the term is still used to describe a type of firework which explodes loudly when strings protruding from either end are pulled, which may be tied to a door handle.

A booby trap is distinguished from a land mine by the fact that it is an improvised weapon, perhaps made from an artillery shell, or a grenade, or a quantity of high explosives, whereas a land mine is manufactured for its specific purpose. A booby trap may be buried in the manner common with land mines, or not, though as a rule it is concealed in some fashion, and set to be detonated by means of pressure or a trip wire. During World War II retreating British soldiers in France in 1940 made booby traps from artillery and mortar shells, burying them in roads behind them as they retreated, or hanging them from trees concealed by the leaves and rigged with tripwires concealed in the grass around the tree.

Booby traps can also be applied as defensive weapons against unwelcome guests or against non-military trespassers, and some people set up traps in their homes to keep people from entering. These civilian booby traps typically use a non-lethal method, such as a strong electric shock, rather than explosives. As laws vary, the creator of the trap can sometimes be immune from prosecution since the victim is technically trespassing or may be held strictly liable for injuries caused to the trespasser. In some jurisdictions some types of traps are specified as illegal. Such traps have also been known to injure or kill the person setting the trap. Criminals, especially those manufacturing illegal drugs, often set these to deter law enforcement and inquisitive civilians.

A booby trap does not necessarily incorporate explosives in its construction, though they commonly do. Deadfall traps employing heavy objects set up to fall on and crush the victim who disturbs the triggering mechanism are also a form of booby trap. So is a concealed pit with sharpened stakes in the bottom (often referred to as Punji sticks).

Perhaps the best-known book about boobytraps is US Army's FM 5-31 Boobytraps.

During the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Polish resistance fighters severely worsened Nazi casualties through a vast array of improvised and often elaborate booby traps, set up inside the ghetto buildings and basements. They were so effective that the German forces eventually decided to demolish every building systematically rather than risk entering.

During Germany's retreat from the Soviets in the later years of the war, booby traps were used to slow down the advancing Russian infantry. German infantry would leave poisoned vodka bottles behind, and rig doors with basic trip mines. The same was done on the Western Front in 1944 by retreating German troops. Weapons like the highly sought after Walther P-38 and Luger P-08 would be left behind, rigged with explosives. If picked up, a hand or worse would be blown off.

During the Soviet era in Eastern Europe, the Warsaw Pact attempted to better secure their borders with Western Europe by rigging border fences sporadically with explosive devices. These were usually fairly simple devices, often no more complicated than landmines hung on barbwire. The mines were modified to be sensitive enough to go off if the barbwire was tampered with or cut. During the Vietnam War, motorcycles were rigged with explosives by the NLF and abandoned. US soldiers would be tempted to ride the motorcycle and thus trigger the explosives. As well, NLF soldiers would rig Rubber Band Grenades and place them in huts that US soldiers would likely torch. Another popular booby trap is the Grenade in a Can trap. This involves a primed grenade in a container and a string attached, sometimes with the grenade's fuse mechanism modified to give a much shorter delay than the four to seven seconds typical with grenade fuses. The NLF soldiers primarily used these on doors and attached them to tripwires on jungle paths.

The NLF also used far simpler, but also effective, low technology booby traps in the form of punji sticks hidden in pits.

During the Al-Aqsa Intifada, Palestinian fighters used booby traps widely. The largest use of booby traps was in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield where a large number of explosive devices were planted.

The Palestinian fighters had made their own preparations. Booby traps had been laid in the streets of both the camp and the town, ready to be triggered if an Israeli foot or vehicle snagged a tripwire. Some of the bombs were huge—as much as 250 lb (110 kg) of explosives.

• Combat engineer
• DEMIRA Deutsche Minenraeumer e.V. - German Mine Clearer
• Improvised explosive device
• Mantrap
• Spring-gun
• Booby prize

• The Straight Dope: What's the origin of "booby trap"?