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Author: AgProv

Apr 2nd 2013 at 12:12:46 PM

Weapons that demoralise can be strikingly efficient and cost-effective at halting an infantry advance, or at least slowing it up severely. Already referred to: the WW2 German "S" mine, which threw up two seperate charges designed to explode in the air - one at face level, one at groin level, both capable of spraying out shrapnel over a close area. If these are randomly placed and hidden so that charging infantry do not know who or where the next one is coming from, and it becomes clear these are designed to maim or cause extreme pain rather than to kill, it is amazing (or perhaps not) how these can sap morale. Even a low-tech device like the punji stakes used to inflict wounds on American infantry in Vietnam - especially if the spikes penetrating the foot or lower body were poisoned   - will have a very potent effect.  These weapons have a bonus effect: if they injure rather than kill, they will swamp the enemy's medical services with lots and lots of non-fatal wounds requiring a disproportionate amount of medical time to treat them. One British-designed hand grenade is designed to fire out hundreds of short lengths of wire, each of which will lacerate its way into flesh, and will require a medical team to dig out ''every one'' that has hit you...   Knowing that even if your buddies get you to the regimental aid post you will ''still'' be waiting a long time for treatment from an overwhelmed and exhausted doctor, and in that time an infected punji stake wound could go gangrenous in the jungle...  you might think twice about heedlessly charging forwards...