The explosive rat, also known as a rat bomb, was a weapon developed by the British

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

(SOE) in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

for use against

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' ( pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandico ...

carcasses were filled with

plastic explosive Plastic explosive is a soft and hand-moldable solid form of explosive material. Within the field of explosives engineering, plastic explosives are also known as putty explosives or blastics. Plastic explosives are especially suited for explos ...

s, and were to be distributed near German boiler rooms where it was expected they would be disposed of by burning, with the subsequent explosion having a chance of causing a

boiler explosion A boiler explosion is a catastrophic failure of a boiler. There are two types of boiler explosions. One type is a failure of the pressure parts of the steam and water sides. There can be many different causes, such as failure of the safety val ...

. The explosive rats never saw use, as the first shipment was intercepted by the Germans; however, the resulting search for more booby trapped rats consumed enough German resources for the SOE to conclude that the operation was a success.

Development

During World War II, the British

procured about a hundred rodents, ostensibly for medical experiments. The rodents were killed and plastic explosives sewn inside them. The idea, developed in 1941, was that when the dead rat was discovered in the boiler room of a locomotive, factory, power station, or similar installation, the

stoker Stoker may refer to: Arts and entertainment * "The Stoker", a 1927 short story by Franz Kafka * ''The Stoker'' (1932 film), an American drama/romance film directed by Chester M. Franklin * ''The Stoker'' (1935 film) , a British comedy film direc ...

tending the boiler would dispose of the unpleasant discovery by shoveling it into the furnace, causing the booby trapped rat to explode. A rat could contain only a small amount of explosive; however, a penetration of a highly pressurized steam boiler could trigger a devastating

. A rat bomb could also be set with a delayed fuse.

Operational history

The first shipment of carcasses was intercepted by the Germans, and the SOE plan was dropped. The Germans exhibited the rats at top military schools and conducted searches for further exploding rats. The SOE concluded: "The trouble caused to them was a much greater success to us than if the rats had actually been used." A biography of

Station IX Station IX (formerly known as the Inter-Services Research Bureau) was a secret British Special Operations Executive factory making special weapons and equipment during World War II. The small Welbike paratrooper's motorcycle and the Welrod assass ...

officer J. Elder Wills claims that nine boilers were damaged in Belgian factories by the rats but is probably a myth.

References

{{Exploding organisms Military animals of World War II

Rats Sabotage Special Operations Executive

Development

Operational history

See also

References