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caltrops
- Thread starter kiwieod
- Start date
Never seen any like those before. All the WW1 calthrops I've seen have been of much simpler construction. Are some of those pictured Japanese?
Attached photos shows a small German caltrop dug up on the Somme. There is a small hole in the middle and about 30 of these were threaded onto a piece of stiff wire and they were tipped over the side of an aircraft at night, mainly on road junctions.
Attached photos shows a small German caltrop dug up on the Somme. There is a small hole in the middle and about 30 of these were threaded onto a piece of stiff wire and they were tipped over the side of an aircraft at night, mainly on road junctions.
Here's mine, still safely in the family.
Dave.
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/83960-WW1-Caltrop?highlight=caltrop
Dave.
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/83960-WW1-Caltrop?highlight=caltrop
anders,i have seen that one you have in books/online but havent seen any for sale yet,your quite right about the fakes/copies,very hard to tell,unless you find them yourself with a metal detector in a known battle field area
millsman,they are british and american,where did you read about them being tipped out of planes in lots of 30,this seems like a very difficult,uncomfortable thing to do,even in a 2 seater
millsman,they are british and american,where did you read about them being tipped out of planes in lots of 30,this seems like a very difficult,uncomfortable thing to do,even in a 2 seater
I think flying in any WW1 two seater was difficult and uncomfortable. Don't forget that many WW1 observer/gunners were used to dropping bombs over the side of the cockpit. Unloading a string of caltrops would be a breeze by comparison. A gentleman in France explained it to me when I asked about the hole in the caltrop.
For interest the two pages attached are from War Office "Notes on Field Defences" 1914.
One possibility for having holes in caltrops (completely unsubstantiated by any evidence or folklore) - tying a batch together would enable friendly forces to put them down and quickly remove them if and when the threat passed. However, chucking strings of caltrops over an enemy position would simply allow the enemy to remove them quickly, unlike them being scattered unconnected.
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One possibility for having holes in caltrops (completely unsubstantiated by any evidence or folklore) - tying a batch together would enable friendly forces to put them down and quickly remove them if and when the threat passed. However, chucking strings of caltrops over an enemy position would simply allow the enemy to remove them quickly, unlike them being scattered unconnected.
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Attachments
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I have seen 2 of these packs and most of the items in them was from captured resistance drops, time pencils, PE2 sticks various booby trap switches British and German, tyre bursters German and British wished i took pictures now, Ben Junier has them at Overloon museum, i think.
Posted a new thread on this topic here: http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/105820-Sabotage-crate
Bob
Bob