THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF HOW THE C4 EXPLOSIVE WAS USED DURING WAR


By akim
c4 explosive

The C4 explosive is a type of plastic explosive that was commonly used throughout U.S. history, such as in the Vietnam War. The explosive has also been widely utilized by terrorist groups during terrorist attacks. This is awful, but there are also many uses for C4 that don’t involve heinous war crimes and the loss of innocent lives. So what other uses has it had? Suggested read:How Do You End Nuclear War? More Nukes Apparently

C4 Explosive: What Does C4 Stand For?

Before we get into the history of the more unique uses for C4, what exactly is it, and how does it work? C4 stands for Composition 4, which is part of Composition C. This consists of U.S. explosives made up of mostly RDX. With this type of explosive, a plastic binder material is combined with explosive chemicals. On top of RDX, C4 is made up of motor oil. When the C4 decomposes and the chemicals start to react, gasses are released, and great impact is exerted on an area. Due to the rate at which the C4 explosion occurs, it’s impossible to try and avoid the strong impact of the force. The explosion is immediate, and if you’re caught near a ticking C4, you won’t have time to escape. But you don’t always have to use so much C4 that you cause an explosion. Smaller amounts can be really beneficial for many other uses.

What Is C4 Used For?

Even if a less-than-normal amount of C4 is used, it can still create a huge amount of energy and force. C4 can be easy to use, as it isn’t heavy. To the surprise of many, C4 is malleable, so anyone can mold it into different shapes. C4 is commonly used in demolition jobs. Since it can be molded into different shapes, the military uses it when they want to destroy walls. They do this by placing it into cracks and holes along the surface. But, as we’ll discover, this isn’t its only use.

C4: Vietnam War

C4 was heavily utilized and played an important role during the Vietnam War. The explosive was used as a source of warmth by individuals and small groups of troops, whether it be for heating up their bodies to fight the cold or to heat up their food. This was possible due to the fact that the explosive is pretty stable, especially in smaller amounts. However, since C4 is toxic, they couldn’t make too much personal use of it. Aside from heating up food or being used for warmth, some troops would even ingest small amounts of the explosive to get intoxicated, whether they got pieces of the explosive from the mines or the detonation block. Others would purposely ingest it in order to get sick and be forced to leave temporarily or get discharged. Another hidden way that C4 was utilized by the troops was that they would mold things out of them. Due to the fact that C4 is malleable, troops could make art out of them by molding the explosive into different shapes and designs. One Veteran, Kenneth L. Erlenbusch, discussed his past experience with C4 and said, “A little bit of humor goes a long way, but when it comes to cooking, my wife still will not let me use C4 when I cook out! My platoon acted as engineers. We were told to construct a base for artillery support. We did not have axes or saws. We wrapped C4 around the trees and detonated them and scrounged for any material we could get our hands on.” As you can tell, you can get pretty inventive with uses for C4 that don’t involve hurting others. And war is a notorious time for people to make do with what they have.

C4: Ukraine-Russia War

The explosive has also been used during the current Russia-Ukraine War, also called the Russo-Ukrainian War. The U.S. Department of Defense provided Ukraine with an 800-million-dollar aid package, which included C4 explosives and other equipment for the demolition of obstacles. Could modern conflicts reveal even more hidden uses for the deadly device? We’ll surely see over the coming months as the Russo-Ukrainian conflict keeps escalating.

The Use of C4 in Modern Times

Keeping in mind that even the smallest amount of the C4 explosive can produce a huge amount of destruction and that it’s easy to smuggle, the plastic explosive will probably continue to be used. While the military will keep using it for demolition and destruction in the name of protecting America and its allies, we’re waiting to see if another inventive use for C4 comes out soon. Read next:Did Russia Just Use a Vacuum Bomb?


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