Big Joe 5 crossbow
Encyclopedia
The Big Joe 5 crossbow
was a weapon developed by the Office of Strategic Services
(OSS) (predecessor to Central Intelligence Agency
) to be used for assassination
s up to 200 meters. The weapon was created with compactness in mind. It is described in John Brunner's book OSS Weapons.
Unlike most crossbows, the Big Joe 5 used a rigid triangular frame to suspend an array of elastic rubber bands, which provided the energy storage and propulsive mechanism for the bolts. The body of the weapon was roughly the size of a large handgun and it featured an hinged stock of heavy steel wire that doubled as a cocking lever. For transport and concealment the frame and stock could be folded, resulting in a very compact package.
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
was a weapon developed by the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
(OSS) (predecessor to Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
) to be used for assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s up to 200 meters. The weapon was created with compactness in mind. It is described in John Brunner's book OSS Weapons.
Unlike most crossbows, the Big Joe 5 used a rigid triangular frame to suspend an array of elastic rubber bands, which provided the energy storage and propulsive mechanism for the bolts. The body of the weapon was roughly the size of a large handgun and it featured an hinged stock of heavy steel wire that doubled as a cocking lever. For transport and concealment the frame and stock could be folded, resulting in a very compact package.