Exploding rat

Exploding rats were a weapon developed by the British army in World War II for use against Germany. Rat carcasses were filled with plastic explosives, with the idea that when the rats were shovelled along with coal into boilers, they would explode, causing significant damage. However, the first shipment of carcasses was intercepted by the Germans, and the plan was dropped. The Germans exhibited the rats at top military schools, and conducted searches for further exploding rats. (C.f. coal torpedoes.)

In Popular Culture

*In a humorous moment in "The Guns of Navarone", a German soldier gingerly removes a rat from a huge cannon. It emits smoke and a distinct squeaky noise, and the soldier breathes a sigh of relief.

*Exploding rats are also featured in The Legend of Zelda series with the Bombchu, a bomb shaped as a mouse that runs automatically before exploding. introduced a Real Bombchu, a small rat named after the item that runs towards the player with a bomb on its tail in a suicide-bomb-esque attack.

*The movie "Wanted" features rats strapped with explosive devices, used in a similar manner to the bats of Project X-ray during World War II.

References

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/soe_gallery_05.shtml British Special Operations Executive (SOE): Tools and Gadgets Gallery] . "BBC". Retrieved June 7, 2005.