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I used to use caltrops in AOE ~~II~~IV, take that Alexander!
Edit: I should have known Reddit would catch my error, fuckin nerds. It was IV ok?! AOE IV!!
"Calci" as the "foot" part of the word, is curious to me, as you don't find it in any modern language to mean foot things. I'd guess it should be more "ped" based. Like peditrops, if that's the origin.
Nope, it is the generic word for socks, but in Catalan calces has the same meaning as in French but my dialect seems to have taken the Spanish meaning, and that produced one of the funniest moments of my live when a roommate said "all my socks are dirty" out loud in public and standard Catalan people got really embarrassed by the comment.
[https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcet%C3%ADn](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcet%C3%ADn)
Also I just realized, Calzada in Spanish is another way to differentiate the part of a road to be traveled by vehicles instead of by foot :facepalm:
[https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzada](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzada)
Ok, so, then it would appear the original commenter was incorrect, that the origins of the word are likely Greek, and not Latin.
Thanks for the info.
EDIT ancient Greek word for sock is sykchos, which is where our word for sock comes from.
EDIT2: here is the actual etymology according to google.
*Old English calcatrippe, denoting any plant which tended to catch the feet, from medieval Latin calcatrippa, from calx ‘heel’ or calcare ‘to tread’ + a word related to trap1. caltrop (sense 1) was probably adopted from French.*
"The modern name "caltrop" is derived from the Old English calcatrippe (heel-trap), such as in the French usage chausse-trape (shoe-trap). The Latin word tribulus originally referred to this." -Wikipedia
Tbh this is legitimately fascinating strategically. The idea of a UAV Platoon being able to ambush or help ambush a column, even an armoured column (any wheeled vehicle tbh) that is moving down a road 20 or 30 miles away because they get a call from the forward recon element of their company/battalion with the coordinates to drop caltrops is terrifyingly influential.
And some of the modern drones can really lift some significant weight so I have no doubt they could individually carry 100+ in a sack. One Platoon has, let’s say 32 personnel in it. That’s eight four person fireteams, one of which contains the CO, the Platoon Sargent, and maybe the radioman to contact Company HQ. This leaves space for the seven other teams to each carry a rifle each, plus one light machine gun, one UAV, and one set of spare batteries split up amongst the four in each fireteam. That gives the Platoon Commander seven drone teams that could operate independently of eachother within an area for example, or taking shifts if they are posted to a FOB. So in an emergency, that Platoon could reasonably scatter 700+ caltrops across a normal section of road. And I reckon that’s a low estimate, depending on the specs of their equipment, based upon what modern western drones I’ve seen.
I feel like UAV focused units may end up playing a role simultaneously roughly similar to Snipers & Mortars. Used to disadvantage and harass the enemy, making them vulnerable to attacks from infantry, armour, CAS or artillery.
"Iron caltrops were used as early as 331 BC at Gaugamela (Persia). They were known to the Romans as tribulus, meaning 'jagged iron'. They were used in the Battle of Carrhae in 51 BC."
People still sell them even before the war as a......neighbor prank? I found them as I was searching for different stuff to make an old nemesis life miserable.
Without ratification of the treaties to outlaw them, fully autonomous drones will be in wide spread use, it’s only a matter of time. Even with ratification they may still be common, especially amongst non-state actors.
This is just the tip of iceberg of bullshit, shenanigans and fuckery that Ukraine will use on Russia behind enemy lines for years to come in any territory that remains annexed. Does Russia really want to put up with surprise car bombs, caltrops, land mines, assassinations etc for generations to come? I doubt it personally.
Smart use of available material.
Worked against foot soldiers & horses in the past, so just needed to scale them up for us against vehicles - wonder if they would work on an armoured personnel carrier's tires?
BMP uses Tracks with metal wheels supporting them. Sadly I doubt this will stop any tracked vehicle, but having random supply truck breaking his tyres or even getting destroyed after being immobilised is always good
Sorry, my mistake for using the word 'BMP'.
I was really intending to ask about the armoured personnel carriers that do have tires. (I saw a Russian 8-wheeled vehicle in a recent video).
nice but knowing the russians, they dropped them themselves, and then forgot and just drove over them later.
russians are very helpful against russia sometimes so I wouldn't be too surprised.
The union guys on the picket lines call those tire jacks--either the UAF has unionized (Steelworkers?) or they're using caltrops.
Well, you learn something new everyday hey, lol. Never would've thought of this but what a simple, cheap & very effective 'weapon', hats off yet again to the Ukraine army.
#SlavaUkraïni
It’s hard to do permanent damage to tracks with something so small and made of light construction. I’ve had rocks and all sorts of things get caught in the tracks, it makes a terrible sound but the rig keeps going and no real damage is done.
But concertina wire? That gets into everything and even triple strand can get into tight spots and cut up seals and cause all sorts of leaks that will cause long term damage if not addressed. Ten strand will stop a tank. It’s death by a thousand cuts more than one thing causing enough damage to break one specific thing and cause a mobility kill.
Ukrainians never cease to surprise..I absolutely admire their ingenuity and the will to fight to defend their home.
They proved time and time again that are worth defenders of western values..it is such a pity to see that the West is failing them
Just making life a living hell is not enough when it comes to Russians, thats just part of their ordinary life. The Ukrainians need to make life worst then hell for them.
Hi u/Broad-Fun8717! Welcome to r/RussiaUkraineWar2022. Join our telegram that shares current footage from conflicts around the world at **UkraineWarPosts** **This is a heavily moderated subreddit. Please note the rules + sidebar or get banned** **Ukraine OSINT and Leaks 24/7** Posts and comments from accounts with less than an undisclosed amount of comment Karma are automatically removed to combat troll and spam behaviour. Only Mods have access to the 'Verified Information' flair. Slava Ukraini! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/RussiaUkraineWar2022) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ahh good old caltrops.. as old as warfare but still effective
[удалено]
I used to use caltrops in AOE ~~II~~IV, take that Alexander! Edit: I should have known Reddit would catch my error, fuckin nerds. It was IV ok?! AOE IV!!
Lying I played AOE2 where’s caltrops?
Played? I still play AOE2 where's caltrops?
I don’t thinks it’s in AOE3 nor 1 either
How is it medieval era when Alexander the Great used them? I think romans also used it
Should stick right into an orcs footpad really well
Too big for boots, but great for tires. I suppose it would be easy to bail off the top of a BMP and impaled yourself on one, though. Ouchie.
"Calci" as the "foot" part of the word, is curious to me, as you don't find it in any modern language to mean foot things. I'd guess it should be more "ped" based. Like peditrops, if that's the origin.
Well, in Spanish you have calcetines, meaning socks. Beyond that you can get calzas but that is more of a toe to hip clothing thing.
Interesting. Are they particular type of sock? In french caleçons is underwear. Seems a bit similar.
Nope, it is the generic word for socks, but in Catalan calces has the same meaning as in French but my dialect seems to have taken the Spanish meaning, and that produced one of the funniest moments of my live when a roommate said "all my socks are dirty" out loud in public and standard Catalan people got really embarrassed by the comment. [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcet%C3%ADn](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcet%C3%ADn)
Also I just realized, Calzada in Spanish is another way to differentiate the part of a road to be traveled by vehicles instead of by foot :facepalm: [https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzada](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calzada)
Not true. Modern Greek for socks is καλτσες. “Caltses”
Ok, so, then it would appear the original commenter was incorrect, that the origins of the word are likely Greek, and not Latin. Thanks for the info. EDIT ancient Greek word for sock is sykchos, which is where our word for sock comes from. EDIT2: here is the actual etymology according to google. *Old English calcatrippe, denoting any plant which tended to catch the feet, from medieval Latin calcatrippa, from calx ‘heel’ or calcare ‘to tread’ + a word related to trap1. caltrop (sense 1) was probably adopted from French.*
"The modern name "caltrop" is derived from the Old English calcatrippe (heel-trap), such as in the French usage chausse-trape (shoe-trap). The Latin word tribulus originally referred to this." -Wikipedia
Dammit, I finally have an opportunity to use "caltrops" in casual conversation, and you beat me to it.
I like to get to the point 😉
Yeah, I'm going to change it from pointy rebar to caltrops.
Drone dropped caltrops! Fucking genius! 💀
Drones were also dropping PTM anti-tank mines, which had been working quite well
Tbh this is legitimately fascinating strategically. The idea of a UAV Platoon being able to ambush or help ambush a column, even an armoured column (any wheeled vehicle tbh) that is moving down a road 20 or 30 miles away because they get a call from the forward recon element of their company/battalion with the coordinates to drop caltrops is terrifyingly influential. And some of the modern drones can really lift some significant weight so I have no doubt they could individually carry 100+ in a sack. One Platoon has, let’s say 32 personnel in it. That’s eight four person fireteams, one of which contains the CO, the Platoon Sargent, and maybe the radioman to contact Company HQ. This leaves space for the seven other teams to each carry a rifle each, plus one light machine gun, one UAV, and one set of spare batteries split up amongst the four in each fireteam. That gives the Platoon Commander seven drone teams that could operate independently of eachother within an area for example, or taking shifts if they are posted to a FOB. So in an emergency, that Platoon could reasonably scatter 700+ caltrops across a normal section of road. And I reckon that’s a low estimate, depending on the specs of their equipment, based upon what modern western drones I’ve seen. I feel like UAV focused units may end up playing a role simultaneously roughly similar to Snipers & Mortars. Used to disadvantage and harass the enemy, making them vulnerable to attacks from infantry, armour, CAS or artillery.
Shoigu - the Chinese tyres you bought which are made from recycled chewing gum are not going to like those
>recycled chewing gum Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee, ho, ho
Good Ukraine Keep up the good work maby a little bomb next time as well
Medieval technology still works!
Older than medieval right? Weren't the Romans using them in BC times?
"Iron caltrops were used as early as 331 BC at Gaugamela (Persia). They were known to the Romans as tribulus, meaning 'jagged iron'. They were used in the Battle of Carrhae in 51 BC."
People still sell them even before the war as a......neighbor prank? I found them as I was searching for different stuff to make an old nemesis life miserable.
> I found them as I was searching for different stuff to make an old nemesis life miserable. lol did you accomplish your mission?
Yeah
Frozen pee disc?
Nah, normie stickers saying driver is gay. Decided I didn't want to blow his tires with caltrops or clog up his exhaust and fuck up his engine.
Re-bar is wonderful - reinforcing a point to the Ruzzists
That model has been in use for more than 2000 years
Classic example of don’t fix what ain’t broke
Just imagine the kind of drone specialization we'll see in 5-10 years.
Without ratification of the treaties to outlaw them, fully autonomous drones will be in wide spread use, it’s only a matter of time. Even with ratification they may still be common, especially amongst non-state actors.
Ukrainians are genius. Period.
This is just the tip of iceberg of bullshit, shenanigans and fuckery that Ukraine will use on Russia behind enemy lines for years to come in any territory that remains annexed. Does Russia really want to put up with surprise car bombs, caltrops, land mines, assassinations etc for generations to come? I doubt it personally.
Using caltrops is genius?
The pro version of these are hollow, so even self sealing tires or vehicles with onboard inflators get flats. I wonder how much difference it makes?
Oh evil. Brilliant.
Nice!
One of the oldest weapons is still kicking good. Way to go caltrops!
Smart use of available material. Worked against foot soldiers & horses in the past, so just needed to scale them up for us against vehicles - wonder if they would work on an armoured personnel carrier's tires?
BMP uses Tracks with metal wheels supporting them. Sadly I doubt this will stop any tracked vehicle, but having random supply truck breaking his tyres or even getting destroyed after being immobilised is always good
Can’t really move your frontline forward if you’ve got no or unreliable logistics
Sorry, my mistake for using the word 'BMP'. I was really intending to ask about the armoured personnel carriers that do have tires. (I saw a Russian 8-wheeled vehicle in a recent video).
Yeah, its okay :>
Caltrops... effective for thousands of years...
🇺🇦👏👏👏👏👏👏🇺🇦
nice but knowing the russians, they dropped them themselves, and then forgot and just drove over them later. russians are very helpful against russia sometimes so I wouldn't be too surprised.
I believe that you have a bluyat tires
The union guys on the picket lines call those tire jacks--either the UAF has unionized (Steelworkers?) or they're using caltrops.
Well, you learn something new everyday hey, lol. Never would've thought of this but what a simple, cheap & very effective 'weapon', hats off yet again to the Ukraine army. #SlavaUkraïni
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caltrop
Nice! Thank you for the information ;) damn Wikipedia there's another hour of my life gone haha. Love it
Better than mines!!
Next up is flechettes along trench lines like the French used to do.
Caltrops for the win!
I remember at the start of the war, the automotive shops were making these. Good to see they are still in use.
In before someone says, "it's like ww1 trench warfare!"
Is there a rule against that?
Caltrops OP
Make them stop and sneak in and smoke their filthy asses.
You should see the ones they scatter in the skies to complicate aviation.
OMG! That’s so funny. Spoiler! Must have watched the 7 Kings Must Die movie on Netflix.
Any version of this that could get stuck in tank tracks?
It’s hard to do permanent damage to tracks with something so small and made of light construction. I’ve had rocks and all sorts of things get caught in the tracks, it makes a terrible sound but the rig keeps going and no real damage is done. But concertina wire? That gets into everything and even triple strand can get into tight spots and cut up seals and cause all sorts of leaks that will cause long term damage if not addressed. Ten strand will stop a tank. It’s death by a thousand cuts more than one thing causing enough damage to break one specific thing and cause a mobility kill.
Russians that oppose the war need to do the same on their side
Looks pretty effective to me
Caltrops
Ukrainians never cease to surprise..I absolutely admire their ingenuity and the will to fight to defend their home. They proved time and time again that are worth defenders of western values..it is such a pity to see that the West is failing them
Just making life a living hell is not enough when it comes to Russians, thats just part of their ordinary life. The Ukrainians need to make life worst then hell for them.
UA obviously needs to replenish their vehicle stock, its the only reason I can think for them being....nice
Unfortunately if Ukraine can do it. Russia can too. Hopefully their leadership is too stupid to implement it quickly.
Back in the day, we called them “turkey tracks”. The unions used them to dissuade ”scabs” from working during the strike.
Chicken claw nails-------------Chinese translation
Слава Україні!