CIA Museum Weaponry Gadgets & Devices

Woodsman's Pal Knife 

The Woodsman's Pal was a machete style of knife that was provided to troops operating in South East Asia. It was designed to chop foliage clear campsites, chop firewood, hunt and combat the enemy. The details of the weapon claim that the instructions describe techniques to fight Japanese soldiers with Samurai swords.

Caltrop 

The first recorded use of caltrops was in 331 B.C. at the Battle of Arbela by the Persians against Alexander the Great. They were used to take out his chariots and war elephants. There are many recorded uses of caltrops throughout conflict history. Dr Stanley Lovell, said in his book, CIA, Spies and Stratagems, "caltrops are the simplest weapon we ever made.” The OSS provided paratroopers with caltrops to spread across enemy aircraft runways. Caltrops were dropped on enemy roads and fields in Vietnam, and are still used by the military and police today to shred tires of vehicles.