^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Flags as Booby Traps

Introduction
Booby-trapped flags in the Vietnam War (1955–75)
Booby-trapped flag in the Gaza Strip (2018)

See also:

Introduction

In addition to the usual use of flags, and to designate troop bodies and the location of commanding positions, we are also aware of a few cases in which flags were used as weapons – as booby traps, to be precise. Since the use of booby traps (with their limited effectivness) does not change the course of a war or a political situation – and can even threaten the lives of uninvolved civilians – such devices can be described as instruments of terror rather than warfare.
Our member Pete Loeser, who took part in the Vietnam War as a member of the US troops, recounts: "There were booby traps everywhere. One particular story [see below] was related by Harry Oberg, a Huey helicopter pilot, whose crew were hovering over a pole left behind by the Vietcong after an attack. Thinking it strange that they left the flag standing on a pole, the crew dropped a grenade near it to set off any hidden traps. That was a common method for exploding home-made booby traps since many of them were connected to larger explosives. In fact, the army used to give cash rewards for any explosives found and turned in, including booby traps. Unfortunately, I understand that it wasn't only soldiers harmed by booby traps, but some kids were harmed trying to get cash rewards."

Booby-trapped flags in the Vietnam War (1955–75)

Viet Cong flag captured in 1969 (feared booby trap)

image by Pete Loeser

An interesting story about this Viet Cong Flag was that it probably is the only flag ever captured by a hovering helicopter in a combat zone. In 1969, the flag was snatched by a helicopter crew about 100 yards from Firebase Barbara by the door gunner as the helicopter hovered above the flag left on a pole by Viet Cong soldiers. Fearing the flag to be booby trapped, the helicopter crew first exploded a hand grenade near the flag before swooping down to grab it. The pilot was Warrant Officer Harry Oberg of the First Brigade, First Air Calvary, stationed near Tay Ninh, Vietnam. Apparently, some people will do anything to get a souvenir flag.
Text Source: Pete Loeser – Historical Flags of Our Ancestors
Pete Loeser, 20 October 2012
[Information taken from page National Liberation Front (Viet Cong)]

Booby-trapped flag in the Gaza Strip (2018)

image located by William Garrison
(source)

The national flag of Palestine with two black Arabic slogans on the middle white stripe, as seen being paraded in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza (Palestine), by armed members of the "al-Nasser Salah al-Din Brigades" ("Brigades of Saladin the Victorious"), on 29 Sept. 2023. The top black Arabic slogan reads: "Knowledge of Ambush", essentially meaning: "We know how to ambush". The bottom line reads: "al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades" [Deen = Din].

The "Ambush" expertise refers to an incident when early on 17 February 2018, a member of the "al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades" placed a regular, unadorned, national flag of Palestine on a flagpole into the wire fence dividing southeastern Gaza from Israel. The flagpole had been booby-trapped inside with explosives. A passing Israeli patrol – after checking for boobytraps around the flag – removed the flag along with its flagpole from the fence. Once the single Israeli bomb-disposal soldier carried the flag and pole back to his teammates, a member of the "al-Nasser Salah al-Deen Brigades" detonated the explosive-filled flagpole by remote control, which resulted in wounding four Israelis.

This unit is the military wing of the "Popular Resistance Committees" that operates in the Gaza Strip. The hoist is along the red-triangle side of this flag. Interestingly, this 2019 flag exists as a reference to the earlier 2018 flag incident. This flag was seen as early as January 2019. 2018 ambush-film source: https://www.newarab.com. More photos of this commemorative 2023 "ambush" flag at https://www.alamy.com. (source)

located by William Garrison, 15 September 2024
[Information taken from page Palestinian flag variants used as protest flags]