Grenade in a Can
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The Grenade in a Can was a simple and effective booby trap set by Viet Cong guerillas during the Vietnam War.
A hand grenade with the safety pin removed and safety lever compressed was placed into a container such as a tin can, with a length of string or tripwire attached to the grenade. The can was fixed in place and the other end of the string stretched across a path or doorway opening and firmly tied down. Alternatively, the end of the string could be attached to the moving portion of a door or gate.
When the grenade was pulled out of the can by a person or vehicle placing tension on the string, the spring-loaded safety lever would release and the grenade would explode.
American forces would place grenades, with the pin pulled, in empty food cans that appeared to have been discarded as a booby trap for the resourceful and frugal Viet Cong.
