US Army Deployed Railroad VBIED

In a number of previous posts I have discussed the use of railways to deliver VBIEDs. These have included:

a. The Provisional IRA attack in 1992 on the Border post using a road vehicle converted to run on rails carrying a large explosive charge.

b. The Soviet partisan attack using a rail vehicle as a VBIED  against Nazi German forces in Ukraine in 1943 (discussed with the one above).

b. The Boer and the British attacks using trains as delivery VBIEDs at Mafeking around 1900.

c. The Boer train VBIED attack on Okiep in 1902.

d.  The Mexican train IEDs 1912/1913.

I’ve now found an attack by the US military in 1944, using an IED with significant similarities to the IRA device of 1992.  It is mentioned in Ian Jones’s excellent book “Malice Aforethought” which anyone finding this blog interesting will find full of useful stuff. Highly recommended.

Here’s an excerpt about the incident:

As the US 6th Armored Division were advancing towards Brest they indulged in a little extra military activity. The 9th Armoured Infantry Battalion purchased a truck which they modified to run remotely along a railway line. The “Doodlebug”, as it was called, was loaded with 750 lbs of captured explosive and fitted with a crude improvised crush switch attached to the front bumper. It was set off one night under its own power at 25 mph to cross the thinly manned front line to intercept a nightly German re-supply train. At about 23:00 hours a terrific explosion was heard from about 3 miles behind the German lines. Unfortunately it never proved possible for the 9th Armored to check the results of their work.

I think the use of IEDs by all sides in WW2 was quite extensive, often forgotten. Mostly these were perhaps “defensive” in nature left behind by withdrawing forces, so this “offensive” ingenious VBIED is something of an exception.  The unusual nature of the device here also makes it difficult to categorise in terms of initiation. Victim operated? Timed? Command? Take your pick.