When comparing the warring forces of the Second Indochina Conflict, it is clear that the anti-communist forces of the South held the main advantages over their communist counterparts of the North. On a manpower basis, the anticommunist forces, known as the Free World Military Forces, outnumbered the communist forces, composed of the North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, by more than 2:1; a force of nearly 2 million men compared to a force of less than 800,000 men.1 In addition to trained military personnel, the Forces of the Free World possessed the modern military machine that was the United States Armed Forces. Finally, the powerful American economy which, again, supported the South, could not be matched by the North. Under these conditions, how could the North have a chance of conquering the South and defeating its capitalist ally, the United States? However, for what the North lacked in firepower, they largely responded with ingenuity and creativity.2 One of the militants fighting for the North Vietnamese cause, the Viet Cong, engaged in guerrilla warfare against its enemies to the South.3 Specifically, the Viet Cong skillfully and successfully used hundreds of thousands of booby traps to weaken attacking American forces.4 The production of explosives and non-explosive booby traps associated with the effectiveness of the techniques employed by the Viet Cong when using these weapons allowed the North to gain a significant advantage in the fight against the American armed forces in Vietnam.5 Moreover, despite all the success that the traps Despite the traps that By wounding and killing, they managed to inflict psychological trauma on the enemies of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese. Ultimately, these practices ...... average paper ......ades (56%) or small mines made from stolen or salvaged American equipment (19%).34 Arguably the Most common and most hated explosive madman. The trap used by North Vietnamese and American troops was the "Bouncing Betty", first used by the German army during World War II, then known as "S-bombs".35 A US Marine named Brad Reynalds recalls his experiences with “bouncing bombs.” Betties” while serving in the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, “Probably the most feared trap was the Bouncing Betty. These were not designed to kill you, but simply to cut you in two. If you stepped on it you would probably be paralyzed for life, lose your legs or the family jewels. In my case, it was half of my ass. 36Although powerful and effective, these explosive traps had the primary function of warning the North Vietnamese forces of the advance of American troops rather than inflicting losses on them.. .37