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A caltrop (also known as caltrap, galtrop, cheval trap, galthrap, galtrap, calthrop, jackrock or crow's foot Battle of Alesia (Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in 52 BC), Battlefield Detectives program, (2006), rebroadcast: 2008-09-08 on History Channel International (13:00-14:00 hrs EDST); Note: No mention of name caltrop at all, but illustrated and given as battle key to defend Roman lines of circumvallation per recent digs evidence.) is an area denial weapon made up of usually four, but possibly more, sharp nails or spines arranged in such a manner that one of them always points upward from a stable base (for example, a tetrahedron). Historically, caltrops were part of defences that served to slow the advance of troops, especially Cavalry, , and , and were particularly effective against the soft feet of Camel cavalry. In modern times, caltrops are effective when used against wheeled vehicles with pneumatic .
The late Ancient Rome writer Vegetius, referring in his work De re militari to , wrote:
Another example of the use of caltrops was found in Jamestown, Virginia, in the United States: American Heritage. , March 1963.
The Japanese version of the caltrop is called makibishi. Makibishi were sharp spiked objects that were used in feudal Japan to slow pursuers and also were used in the defence of samurai fortifications. Iron makibishi were called tetsubishi, while the makibishi made from the dried seed pod of the water caltrop, or water chestnut (genus Trapa), formed a natural type of makibashi called tennenbishi. Both types of makibishi could penetrate the thin soles of shoes, such as the waraji sandals, which were commonly worn in feudal Japan. Samurai, Warfare and the State in Early Medieval Japan, Karl Friday, Psychology Press, 2004 P. 119.
As a protective measure and countermeasure, European late medieval military engineers proposed iron soles that could be strapped under shoes like pattens to protect the feet from hidden traps.Andreas Franzkowiak (2025). 9783944255248, European Association for the advancement of archaeology by experiment. ISBN 9783944255248
The Germans dropped crow's feet (). These were made from two segments of sheet metal welded together into a tetrapod with four barbed points and then painted in camouflage colours. They came in two sizes with a side length of either . They were dropped from aircraft in containers the same size as bombs and were dispersed by a small explosive charge.
They are currently used by the military and police.
Caltrops, referred to as "jack rocks" in news articles, were used during the Caterpillar strike in 1995, puncturing tires on vehicles crossing the picket line in Peoria, Illinois. Because of their small size and the difficulty proving their source, both the company and the United Auto Workers blamed each other. Collateral damage included a school bus and a walking mail carrier. In Illinois, the state legislature passed a law making the possession of such devices a misdemeanor.
It has also been adopted by military units: the caltrop is the symbol of the US Army's III Corps, which is based at Fort Hood, Texas. III Corps traces its lineage to the days of horse cavalry, which used the caltrop as a defensive area denial weapon.
The caltrop is also the symbol of the United States Marine Corps' 3rd Division, formed on 16 September 1942.
During the Second World War, large caltrop-shaped objects made from reinforced concrete were used as anti-tank devices, although it seems that these were rare. Much more common were concrete devices called dragon's teeth, which were designed to wedge into tank treads. Large ones weighing over are still used defensively to deny access to wheeled vehicles, especially in camp areas. As dragon's teeth are immobile, the analogy with the caltrop is inexact. Another caltrop-like defence during World War II was the massive steel, freestanding Czech hedgehog; the works were designed as anti-tank obstacles and could also damage landing craft and that came too close to shore. These were used by the Germans to defend beaches in Normandy and other coastal areas. are heavily featured and plainly visible in the 1998 Steven Spielberg-directed American Epic film war film Saving Private Ryan, throughout the scenes early in the film depicting the June6, 1944 Omaha Beach assault (part of the Normandy landings during World War II).
Tetrapods are concrete blocks shaped like caltrops, which interlock when piled up. They are used as riprap in the construction of breakwaters and other sea defences, as they have been found to let the water pass through them and interrupt natural processes less than some other defenses.
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