Buzz
While the James Bond films brought iconic spy gadgets to life, actual intelligence agencies crafted their own brilliant tools for covert missions. The weapons on this list offer a peek into the world of espionage, raising questions about the secrets still locked away from the public eye.
10. The Mole
During the 1940s, the OSS created an explosive device called 'The Mole.' This device was humorously nicknamed 'Casey Jones,' after the heroic train engineer who saved his passengers in a disastrous crash. The Mole featured a photoelectric cell that charged by day and activated an explosive when it detected sudden darkness. It was intended to be placed on enemy train car joints, triggering an explosion when the train entered a tunnel.
Blowing up a train inside a tunnel wouldn't just cripple the train—it would sever supply routes for days, as the wreckage would need to be cleared. The Mole's design allowed it to be paired with any explosive triggered by an electric charge, making it a highly adaptable tool of destruction. Reports indicate that the device came with an official-looking label threatening severe legal consequences imposed by the Third Reich Railroad Consortium if tampered with.
9. Coal Bombs
The 'coal torpedo' was a bomb cleverly disguised as a lump of coal, encased in cast iron. This explosive device was secretly placed in a steamship's coal reserves, where it would be mixed with real coal before being thrown into the ship's boiler. Once ignited, the explosion had the potential to severely damage or even sink the vessel.
This weapon was invented by Thomas Edgeworth Courtenay, an Irish immigrant who sympathized with the Confederacy during the American Civil War. After moving to St. Louis, Courtenay faced financial difficulties and eventually took his concealed bomb south to present it to the Confederate government. President Jefferson Davis was so impressed with the invention that he formed a special 'secret service corps' to plant the bombs in Union steamships. The group was responsible for sinking around 60 ships, including one that carried Union Admiral David Porter.
The Nazis later used coal torpedoes during World War II, and several of their agents were caught in New York carrying coal-shaped plastic explosives. These were likely meant to be added to coal supplies in American factories. Meanwhile, Britain’s World War II clandestine agency, the SOE, developed another covert weapon for destroying enemy boilers: rat bombs. These were made by stuffing plastic explosives into the bodies of dead rats. Like the coal torpedo, they were intended to be placed in a German train's coal supply, where they would be shoveled into the boiler. Fortunately for the Germans, the first shipment of rat bombs was discovered before they could be used.
8. The Stinger
Pen guns, first developed in the 1920s, have been a staple for spies ever since. The 'Stinger' was the pen gun used by the OSS, which was the CIA’s precursor. Like many pen guns that followed, it was designed for close-range use and fired a small .22 caliber round. It was a single-shot weapon that could not be reloaded. The Stinger needed to be cocked with a trigger mechanism, meaning it couldn't be fired instantly, so OSS manuals recommended using it from concealed positions.
It’s important not to confuse the OSS’s Stinger with more modern versions of pen guns that took its name. These newer models, first created in the 1990s, were reloadable and required the gun to be folded into a semi-handgun shape to fire. Due to this, they were classified as handguns by the ATF, which made them easier to acquire without the extensive legal requirements of owning a true pen gun.
7. Cane Guns
Cane guns originated in Britain in the early 1800s and were initially seen as rather ordinary items. Marketed first to farmers as a practical tool for dealing with pests and occasionally to poachers seeking discretion, their covert potential wasn't recognized until American gun makers saw their possibilities as concealed weapons. With concealed carry laws varying by state, these canes became part of a broader trend of gadget canes that could hide everything from flasks to microscopes.
Given their obvious potential for secrecy, cane guns were later adopted by modern intelligence agencies, most notably the KGB. In 1986, a Soviet spy was arrested, and a more advanced version of the cane gun was found in his possession. This weapon became crucial evidence in his trial and that of the mole he had infiltrated into the US Navy.
6. The Cyanide Gun
The cyanide gun was a weapon used by the KGB for assassination purposes. Unlike the infamous umbrella assassination of Georgi Ivanov Markov, who was injected with a cyanide-filled pellet, the cyanide gun dispensed the poison as an aerosol. Because it was delivered in a fine mist at close range, the assassin also had to take a counteracting pill to prevent poisoning themselves.
The cyanide gun induced symptoms that mimicked a heart attack and left no visible marks on the victim's body. It was known to have been used in at least two killings carried out by KGB agent Bohdan Stashynsky: the murders of a Ukrainian political writer and a Ukrainian politician. Stashynsky’s method involved hiding the gun in a newspaper while he followed his targets. When the opportunity arose, he would approach and shoot the poison directly into their faces, with both victims dying within a minute. Stashynsky eventually defected from the KGB and now lives under a hidden identity.
5. Caccolube
Caccolube was an invention of the OSS, a gritty substance used by spies and saboteurs to disable enemy engines. The brilliance of the formula lay in its simplicity. Caccolube was packed in ordinary boxes of five condoms, and because the mixture wasn’t explosive, agents could handle it safely. The powder could also be easily disposed of if an operative’s cover was at risk of being blown.
OSS training films showed agents how to quickly insert Caccolube into enemy vehicles’ engines. Once introduced, the oil would corrode the rubber of the condom, spreading the substance throughout the engine. After traveling a short distance, Caccolube would completely destroy the engine's moving parts. The vehicles were either left abandoned or needed to be towed back for repairs, both outcomes hindering the enemy's war effort and depleting their resources.
Caccolube had a counterpart in the form of another weapon designed to be dropped into enemy gas tanks: the 'Firefly.' This device was essentially a time bomb that would destroy the engine. While both weapons had similar results, the Firefly was often more dramatic in its impact.
4. The Bond Shoe Dagger
Ian Fleming, the creator of the James Bond series, shared a famous friendship with former CIA director Allen Dulles. During a visit to the UK, Fleming commented that the CIA wasn't advancing quickly enough in the realm of spy technology. Dulles, impressed by Fleming's insight, encouraged his research and development team to replicate the gadgets featured in Fleming's fictional stories.
This interaction resulted in the development of real-life Bond-esque devices, such as the shoe dagger from *From Russia With Love* and the homing device from *Goldfinger*. While it’s unclear how frequently these gadgets were used in the field, their creation helped polish the CIA’s public image. Fleming’s novels were the primary public face of the agency, and Dulles persuaded the author to depict his organization in a favorable light. However, their friendship also became a source of ridicule in Russia, where the CIA was mocked in the press for drawing inspiration from a British writer.
3. Poison Pens
On his mission to eliminate an enemy activist, a North Korean spy was intercepted and found carrying multiple covert weapons, two of which resembled pens. One of the pens contained a needle in its tip, injecting poison upon use, and was nearly indistinguishable from an ordinary pen. The other functioned by shooting a poison-filled bullet. Additionally, the operative possessed a flashlight disguised as a gun, which was tested by authorities and found to be remarkably accurate. While South Korean officials claimed that the flashlight was a new discovery, they were already familiar with the pen weapons.
The assassin's target, Park Sang-hak, had been sending leaflets with anti-Pyongyang messages across the North Korean border using balloons. Furious, the regime threatened military action, which resulted in the assassination attempt carried out by an operative known only as Ahn. After being arrested and convicted by a South Korean court, Ahn received a surprisingly lenient four-year prison sentence despite the clear intent to kill with poison-laced stationery.
2. The Sleeve Gun Mk II
The Sleeve Gun was another creation of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), designed as a quick and lethal assassination tool. Similar to the Welrod, it featured a silencer and fired a .32 caliber bullet. However, unlike the Welrod, the Sleeve Gun was a single-shot weapon with no traditional handle, instead being concealed in a holster worn on the arm, hidden within the sleeve of an operative’s clothing.
Although the Mk I Sleeve Gun had more powerful ammunition than the Stinger pen gun, it still required cocking before use. The Mk II version, however, solved this issue with a small trigger on the tube, making it more efficient. While it had a range of 2.7 meters (9 feet), the Sleeve Gun was designed to be used at close range, with the barrel pressed directly against the victim. Cold, precise, and easily concealed, it was the ideal spy weapon—unless, of course, you preferred the subtler method of poison.
1. The Welrod Mk II
The Welrod Mk II was a weapon created by the British SOE with one goal: assassination. Constructed from simple parts, it could be disassembled to resemble nothing more than a bicycle pump when the magazine was removed. With no identifying markings, the Welrod was so elusive that, even today, only its creators know exactly where the guns were made. The British Small Arms company claims to have manufactured them, but the details remain classified, making the Welrod a true ghost gun.
The Welrod was a marvel of lethal efficiency. Essentially a silenced gun with an eight-shot rubber-coated magazine as its handle, it featured a bolt-action firing mechanism behind the barrel. The gun's unique design helped suppress the noise from the shot's escaping gases, and it could fire a quick second round if needed. However, the silencer was specifically designed to come into contact with the target's body, minimizing the need for a follow-up shot. The hollow nose cap reduced recoil, making it an almost perfect assassination tool—almost.
