Summoning the Countries

Chapter 46

A week later after the fight with the Filipino Marines, the FEKs and kitsunes vs the Codsworth soldiers. The marines from various nations—United States, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and Australia—continued to use guerrilla warfare tactics against Codsworth soldiers whenever they enter the thick jungles. The FEKs and kitsunes also joined in the tactics.

The Americans, Filipino, Australian, and Korean marines are also using the same tricks and tactics that the NVA and Viet Cong used on them during the Vietnam War.

From the Bow traps.

The bow trap was a simple, yet effective booby trap. A bow, pulled taut and prepped to launch, was attached to a tripwire. When an Codsworth soldier set it off, the bow released right where they were standing, resulting in a direct hit to the middle of the body. Additionally, the some Koreans set up this type of trap within a small pit. In these instances, the bow was angled upward, so the projectile would strike the enemy in the lower extremities.

To the Punji sticks traps.

Punji sticks, also known as punji stakes, were a common booby trap deployed by the Filipino marines. The sharpened wood and sometimes metal stakes were often coated in feces or urine, with the goal of causing an infection in their victim. They could also be coated with poisonous substances from animals and plants. Punji sticks were placed pointing upright at the bottom of a hole, before being covered with material that would camouflage them. When a Codsworth soldier broke through the flimsy cover over the hole, they would step on the spikes at the bottom and suffer injuries to their feet and legs.

This particular booby trap could be made worse in two different ways. The first was installing them at a downward angle, along the sides of the hole. When these extra stakes were added, it became difficult for the victim to get themselves out without causing further injury to themselves. This often resulted in the slowing down of their unit while efforts were made to free them. A second way was by digging another hole next to the one equipped with the punji sticks, with the aim being to trap a second combatant with little additional effort. When a soldier came to rescue his injured comrade, he'd fall into the adjacent hole and become trapped. Along with physically injuring Codsworth troops, punji sticks were also effective at hurting the overall morale of those serving within the dense jungles.

To the Swinging mace traps.

The swinging mace operated in a very similar way to the bamboo whip, but rather than be attached to a stick, the spikes were on a 24-inch clay, wooden or metal ball, which was triggered by another tripwire. Typically, the ball weighed upwards of 50 pounds. This was one of the more brutal tactics utilized by the US Marines, as when the hidden ball was triggered, it would use the force of gravity to swing down from a tree and inflict terrible wounds to a soldier's upper body – in particular, their head and upper torso.

To the Tiger traps.

The tiger trap was another booby trap that, like the swinging mace, caused significant injury to a soldier's upper body. The trap was sprung when the intended victim triggered a tripwire, causing a wooden plank imbued with metal spikes to fall on them. This was made all the more brutal by the addition of weighted bricks or other objects on the board.

To the Grenade-in-a-can traps.

As the name indicates, the grenade-in-a-can was constructed by placing a grenade, with its safety pin removed, into a can, which held down the striker lever. A tripwire was then attached and, when tripped, would pull the explosive out of the can and cause it to detonate. This type of trap could either be constructed with a single can and a stake, or with two. If two cans were used, they were mounted on trees on either side of a path, with the tripwire running between them. These booby traps were typically positioned in a stream.