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If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying, and soldiers don't need to be told this twice. Of course, guns can be used normally, but some inventive soldiers have used them in creative, underhanded, and downright devious ways that could give them a sneaky advantage on the battlefield, sometimes even managing to shoot at the enemy without even having to be there. The drip rifle. During the First World War, Australian and New Zealand forces fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Gallipoli campaign, which was a complete disaster to say the least. After 8 months of fruitless fighting, it was decided that the Anzac troops would
withdraw. Evacuations in the face of the enemy are dangerous, and an Ottoman counterattack could have caused significant casualties during the withdrawal. Entering the picture is Lance Corporal William Scurry. He came up with the idea for the drip rifle. A spare rifle would be propped up to face the Ottoman lines. A metal can above the rifle would be filled with water. A hole would then be punched into the can, and the water would leak out into another container, which was connected to the rifle's trigger. When enough water flowed into the container, the weight would pull on the trigger, firing the rifle. These rifles were placed all along the trench systems to provide sporadic firing and give the
illusion that the troops were still there. But, because they had a bolt action, each rifle could only fire once. This wasn't the only part of the deception. Dummies dressed in Anzac uniforms were placed around the abandoned trenches, and there were even fake artillery pieces made from wagon wheels and corrugated metal sheets that replaced the real guns. Throughout the withdrawal, the Ottomans were convinced that the trenches were still manned, a point driven home by the sporadic drip rifle fire up and down the lines. For his efforts, William Scurry was promoted to sergeant and was given the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and would eventually retire from the military as a captain. Quaker guns.
During the American Civil War, the Confederacy normally had supply issues and didn't have the manufacturing capability to match the Union forces. So, they did the next best thing and bluffed their way to victory. After the First Battle of Manassas, or Bull Run, the Confederacy was in a position to threaten Washington D.C. Cavalry commander Jeb Stuart approached within 6 miles of the city and dug a formidable series of gun emplacements. The problem was he had no significant artillery to speak of. Instead, he placed Quaker guns. These were fake artillery pieces made to resemble the real thing. In the words of General James Longstreet, quote, we collected a
number of old wagon wheels and mounted them on stove pipes of different caliber till we had formidable looking batteries, some large enough of caliber to threaten Alexandria and even the national capital and executive mansion, end quote. After 2 months of causing panic, the Confederates abandoned the position, leaving the Quaker guns behind. Northern newspapers wasted no time mocking Union leadership, especially General George McClellan, for being so thoroughly tricked. Quaker guns were used at other points during the war, like the Siege of Galveston, Texas, though the charade fell apart after a storm, which knocked over several artillery pieces, each one supposedly weighing over 2 tons, which were then put back into place by two
men. Union leaders were more than happy to point this out during truce negotiations later. Fake guns to escape from prison. Fake guns don't have to be huge artillery pieces to have an effect. In 1934, notorious criminal John Dillinger was sitting in the Lake County Jail in Indiana. But, this didn't mean he would stand around passively and just await his fate. On March 3rd, he somehow acquired a fake gun. Dillinger claimed he made it himself, but more than likely was smuggled in by his attorney. Either way, the fake gun is unconvincing, to say the least. Just under 6 in long, the
crude wooden frame safety razor handle as an improvised barrel and two small nails to act as front and rear sights. It was also covered in black shoe polish to complete the illusion, and it was, of course, totally non-functional. However, the guards at the prison didn't want to take chances, and Dillinger bluffed his way through the prison until he and an accomplice got their hands on Tommy guns, then escaped in the sheriff's car. He would go on a brief crime spree, but John Dillinger would be shot by FBI agents in July. Booby traps and captured guns. A simple way of using guns to deceive the enemy is to booby trap them. Since the dawn of time, soldiers have always scoured battlefields for souvenirs, and enemy weapons are among the most prized
bits of plunder. Now, this may seem pretty obvious, but there is a risk to this. The enemy can rig a simple tripwire to a grenade or IED. So, when an unwary soldier grabs the rifle, the device explodes. Soldiers are warned to be extra careful when taking an enemy weapon, especially one that is just left out in an obvious spot, almost begging to be taken. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Captured enemy weapons can serve a purpose beyond mere souvenirs. Most modern firearms produce distinctive sounds that experienced soldiers can immediately recognize. If these weapons are used against their original owners, the familiar sound may cause the enemy to believe they're
facing their own forces, potentially creating hesitation at a critical moment. This can backfire, though. If the enemy can be deceived, then so can friends, who may think the gunfire is coming from the enemy and open fire on their own side. It is generally discouraged from using captured weapons to avoid friendly fire. The silent lines trick. The enemy can also be deceived with strategic use of your own firepower. On the front lines, the amount of gunfire being exchanged is a pretty decent indication of the amount of soldiers in a particular sector. Commanders can observe the amount of gunfire and know where the enemy is spread thin or fully manned. This can be used to trick the enemy and lure them into a trap. Instead of everyone firing during
an engagement, a large portion of soldiers or artillery pieces will simply not return fire and wait patiently. Taking less fire would imply that there are fewer soldiers than are actually present, which may lure them into attacking. When they do assault in force, they would get a nasty surprise. One example of this is Pickett's Charge during the Battle of Gettysburg. Before the assault launched, Confederate artillery began a bombardment of the Union center. The Union batteries returned fire, but soon began to fall silent. The Confederates took this to mean their fire was effective and was knocking out Union guns. The decision was made, and the infantry assault began. In reality, the Union artillery
commander, General Henry Hunt, knew that the amount of incoming artillery fire meant that an infantry assault was imminent. To trick the Confederates and to preserve ammunition, he ordered his guns to stop firing. The Confederates were tricked and launched the assault. Once their infantry entered the open field in front of the Union positions, the silent guns were wheeled back into place and opened up, blasting apart the Confederate lines. It wasn't the only factor, but this trickery helped repel Pickett's Charge, winning the battle. Similar tactics can be used from small-scale squad tactics all the way up to major battlefronts. Guns can concentrate on one area, drawing the enemy's attention there, and then an
assault can take place somewhere totally different. It may seem obvious, but this tactic has been used time and time again throughout history, and no doubt will still be used well into the future. The road agent spin. Of course, gun trickery can be used to avoid going into prison to begin with. In the Old West, one of the most notorious outlaws was John Wesley Hardin. [clears throat] One of the most famous lawmen was James Butler Hickok, better known as Wild Bill. According to Hardin, the two met in Abilene, Kansas in 1871, where Hickok was the local sheriff. The town had a strict no guns policy, and Hickok confronted Hardin about the pair of pistols on his belt. Hardin withdrew his pistols and handed them to Hickok, but first, as the lawman reached
for them, Hardin performed the road agent spin, also called the border roll. He dropped the pistols downward, catching the trigger guard with his index finger, then spinning them so the barrels were pointing towards Hickok. Apparently, Hickok thought it was hilarious, and the two shared drinks at a local saloon. Although Hardin was relieved of his weapons beforehand, since the law was still the law. It's important to note that this was an account by Hardin himself, so the details may have been exaggerated, if not completely made up. All these are just a few ways that guns have been used to mislead, confuse, and trick opponents. Whether used by soldiers, criminals, or outlaws, anyone who uses guns will figure out some way to use
them to trick their enemies and live to fight another day.
