Unusal guns of Vietnam

[Skunkhome]

I had a friend that said they got into a firefight with some vc who were using 8mm Lebel rifles loaded with some pre WWI cordite ammo and though several in their platoon were hit none were wounded other than bruises and minor scrapes.

 

[Cyrano]

I had a friend that said they got into a firefight with some vc who were using 8mm Lebel rifles loaded with some pre WWI cordite ammo and though several in their platoon were hit none were wounded other than bruises and minor scrapes.

I'm surprised they went off at all. I like French weapons but their ammo is another matter. I had a feed strip of 8mm Lebel for the Hotchkiss MG. The ammo was dated in the 1950s, and I was shooting it in the 1980s. I fired 16 rounds: two went off as expected, one was a dud and the rest were hangfires; at least that lot was uniform!

 

[Lee Barner]

skunkhome, when I went from sudan to chad in 83 they were still using the old 8mm lebels. about one out of three or four rounds would fire. lee

 

[NE450No2]

A friend I used to shoot pistol competition with used a scoped 378 Weatherby Magnum in Vietnam. He had the pictures of him and the rifle in a tall lookout tower. The area around the base had been cleared out for a few hundred yards around the perimeter and he used it for long range sniping.

 

[koz5614]

My dad carried an M3A1 for his 3 tours. He liked the MAT-49, but had a hard time getting magazines and 9mm ammo. Same for the Swedish K. Plus he said all the "Agency" guys had them. He said you could always tell a CIA guy - they drove around in Green Ford Broncos, wore Bush hats and Rolex Submariners, and carried Swedish Ks. He also carried a Winchester Model 59 shotgun, purchased at a PX while he was over there. He cut the barrel off right in front of the magazine tube, and wrapped it with electrical tape to keep the fiberglass barrel from fraying. He would have his parents send him boxes of commercial #4 Buck from the States, because they were plastic and wouldn't swell up in the humidity.

 

[Saigon1965]

Nice stuff he had - I'd give up something for a MAT-49 -

My dad carried an M3A1 for his 3 tours. He liked the MAT-49, but had a hard time getting magazines and 9mm ammo. Same for the Swedish K. Plus he said all the "Agency" guys had them. He said you could always tell a CIA guy - they drove around in Green Ford Broncos, wore Bush hats and Rolex Submariners, and carried Swedish Ks. He also carried a Winchester Model 59 shotgun, purchased at a PX while he was over there. He cut the barrel off right in front of the magazine tube, and wrapped it with electrical tape to keep the fiberglass barrel from fraying. He would have his parents send him boxes of commercial #4 Buck from the States, because they were plastic and wouldn't swell up in the humidity.

I am sure you Gents knows about this one - But would like to add to thread -


Tunnel gun from S&W -







This is a jungle workshop gun - Brought back and recently traded hands on one of the auction site -













This one is just awesome - VC made grenade -

 

[CH47gunner]

Saigon1965 -

I believe I've posted a couple of these pics before now - worth posting again.
I crewed CH-47C & "Super C" Chinooks for 10 1/2 months from Jan. 1970 to Nov. 1970, including the Cambodian Incursion May 1970. I was in the 1st Aviation Brigade, 213th Assault Support Helicopter Company (BlackCats). Stationed at Phu Loi, in III Corp., approx. 35 miles west of Saigon.
1st Aviation Brigade flew in support of almost any unit that didn't have aviation assets or not enough - we flew in support of the 1st Cav., 1st Infantry, 25th infantry, 199th LIB, 11th Armored Cav., Australians, & the ARVN.
When I first started flying we were flying eight birds a day with one on standby and another on waterbuckets, in the dry season. Before we could get grunts/volunteers out of the field (harder than you'd think), there were only six doorgunners in Flight Platoon. We flew a Lot!

Welcome Home all.

My place of business for 10 1/2 months.


213th ASHC flight line


1st Infantry Div. patch carved out of the jungle - can only be seen from the air, outside of Lai Khe


Nui Ba Den - outside of Tay Ninh


Best friend (still) Matt C.

 

[DWFAN]

I was stationed in Lai Khe 65'-66'. 168th Combat Engineers. We built everything there including the airstrip. If I remember correctly It was Charlie Company Ist Infantry. A company of the 173rd Helicopter. A Company of Artillery and us. I was a dozer operator and found myself accompanying C Company on a couple of missions. Those guys didn't play well with others. Very serious bunch.
DW

 

[CH47gunner]

DW -
I saw the Bob Hope Christmas show at Lai Khe, in Dec. 1969. Didn't start flying until Jan. 1970 - Lai Khe was one of our POL points when we were flying sorties nearby. The Iron Triangle was pretty close as was Cu Chi.

The 173rd AHC (RobinHoods) were part of our 11th Aviation Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade. Tho since they were separated from us at Phu Loi, they were kinda like the "red-headed step-children" of the battalion. BTW - there is a 173rd bird (UH1-H) in the Smithsonian w/ the RobinHood hat painted on the nose.

Lai Khe was kind of a strange place - run by the 1st Infantry Div., not too big but, not a small base either. Nickname for Lai Khe was Rocket City or Sherwood Forest. Either because the RobinHoods were there or because the 1st Inf. had left all the trees in the interior of the base in place. The Rocket City nickname is self explanitory.

Bruce

 

[perado]

I didn't make it to sunny South Viet Man; I spent 1968 on the FOX in Korea. The only AR I saw there was a light green AR 15 brought in by an AF FAC.
Something I had in the armsroom that I never got the replacement parts for was a High Standard 10A shotgun. I didn't see it mentioned in the thread and wondered if any made it into VN. During an alert, I spoke with a Colonel sitting in a 151 outside of the TOC. He had one sitting next to him. I had seen an article in a gun magazine with a picture of on being shot one-handed with a couple of ejected hulls in the air. The Colonel allowed as how it was accurate.
Anyone see one down South?

 

[Texas Star]

Unfortunately this happened to a lot of rotary wing drivers. The rotor wash stirred everything up and fill the air with it long after it was sprayed. Also, remember, there was other nasty stuff called Paraquat (sp) that was openly sprayed as well. IMHO, this was even nastier than Agent Orange.

I can believe throwing out the "Piddle Packs" in the off chance of hitting someone is quite possible. In fact I saw many cases where mostly futile acts of aggression were used just to relieve the pressure and give even a little sense of getting even.

As an example, on a few occasions when out on a "Snoop and Poop" (recon or sniper) mission in the Ah Shau Valley we would sometimes find a unit of NVA dug in alongside a small river of stream. But, we were under orders not to engage them because that wasn't in our mission profile. So, we would make our way a couple of "clicks" up stream from them and each one of us take turns peeing and pooping in the water so it would flow down stream towards the NVA unit. We would then have a lot of fun speculating what effect our turds and "yellow water" would have on them and their food/water supply.

Another time we were out with a group of Montagnards and one of them captured a baboon which, at first, they intended to eat. But the leader of the group got a better idea. They proceeded to put a pair of panties (where those came from I have no idea) on the baboon and let it go free. They had written a note on the panties that basically said she was a NVA soldier's mother out looking for her son. The young Montagnard who thought it up was shot and killed by a sniper 2 days later. His name was Trac. The sniper also did not survive the day. I have no idea what his name was nor do I care.

Bob

Bob-

I don't think there are any baboons in Vietnam. Must have been some other large monkey.

I think baboons, including mandrills, are all African monkeys. But I'll check. Gelada baboons may extend from north Africa into Arab states.

But it's a good story.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Bob-

I don't think there are any baboons in Vietnam. Must have been some other large monkey.

I think baboons, including mandrills, are all African monkeys. But I'll check. Gelada baboons may extend from north Africa into Arab states.

But it's a good story.

They have gibbons over in Thailand and Laos. That is a tree dwelling primate about 20 pounds. I have had one standing on my shoulder.

The Ranch Hand AF guys who sprayed the agent orange used to drink it at parties. When I heard them say that- I said - do what?
What the hell were you guys thinking?
They said the spraying equipment in the C-123s leaked so much that they were covered with it anyway.

 

[amazingflapjack]

"AFJ - Where were you sir?"

We were in northern IV Corps. I was part of a security detachment that was responsible for inner and outer security of an "antennae farm." Apx 20 miles east of the fish hook, maybe 12 miles south of Saigon, right on Hwy 4. The Village was Phu Lam. I was on one of the 2 Roving patrols. The "inner security" was, in its own way, as memorable as the outer!!

 

[Voyager28]

Bob-

I don't think there are any baboons in Vietnam. Must have been some other large monkey.

I think baboons, including mandrills, are all African monkeys. But I'll check. Gelada baboons may extend from north Africa into Arab states.

But it's a good story.

Well, first, it wasn't just a story. I was there and saw it.

Personally, I wouldn't know a baboon from a spider monkey. But that was the translation I got when I asked what it was. I do know it was a BFM and had awesome teeth.

Bob


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[ddixie884]

I was in Navy boot camp when they announced no more men would be sent to Viet Nam. Thank all for their service. My youngest uncle was a truck driver there well before I finished hi school.

 

[Texas Star]

Well, first, it wasn't just a story. I was there and saw it.

Personally, I wouldn't know a baboon from a spider monkey. But that was the translation I got when I asked what it was. I do know it was a BFM and had awesome teeth.

Bob


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I wasn't inferring that it was "just a story". I believe you. I'm just an amateur naturalist curious about the exact monkey.

Maybe some form of macaque. I'll check and see if I can find a good candidate.

A correspondent near Cape Town has had baboons invade her home. Has to keep windows locked. Probably chacma baboons. They're the ones that are in South Africa, replacing the olive ones from further north.

I'd hate to get bitten by one. Even leopards treat them with caution. But they're very fond of baboon meat when they can take one.

 

[Saigon1965]

Thanks for posting the neat pictures -

Tay Ninh is only about 50 or so miles from Saigon -

Saigon1965 -
Nui Ba Den - outside of Tay Ninh

DW -
I saw the Bob Hope Christmas show at Lai Khe, in Dec. 1969.

Bruce

Not Bob but a pretty cool dude himself -




I can't make out what kind of shotgun it is but still a neat picture -

I didn't make it to sunny South Viet Man; I spent 1968 on the FOX in Korea. The only AR I saw there was a light green AR 15 brought in by an AF FAC.
Something I had in the armsroom that I never got the replacement parts for was a High Standard 10A shotgun. I didn't see it mentioned in the thread and wondered if any made it into VN. During an alert, I spoke with a Colonel sitting in a 151 outside of the TOC. He had one sitting next to him. I had seen an article in a gun magazine with a picture of on being shot one-handed with a couple of ejected hulls in the air. The Colonel allowed as how it was accurate.
Anyone see one down South?

 

[Saigon1965]

The 1st Signal Battalion - You were very close to me - We lived in the Cho Lon area of Saigon -

"AFJ - Where were you sir?"

We were in northern IV Corps. I was part of a security detachment that was responsible for inner and outer security of an "antennae farm." Apx 20 miles east of the fish hook, maybe 12 miles south of Saigon, right on Hwy 4. The Village was Phu Lam. I was on one of the 2 Roving patrols. The "inner security" was, in its own way, as memorable as the outer!!

D. Wickham armored rail car -




Reward pamphlet -

 

[BearBio]

Regarding the "apes": Gibbons are apes, not monkeys. The "baboons" were likely langurs. They are large and have big teeth. And are pretty nasty as a group. And smart.

BTW: Howler monkeys are called "baboons" in Belize. Spooky the first time you hear them at night. The girls we were with swore they were jaguars (a jaguar makes a coughing noise and the Mexican or brown howlers sound like someone with super heavy breathing/low growling--the jaguar's not too scary unless you know what it is. Heard my first one at dusk in Tikal).

Got a scar on my hand from when a "tame" baboon tried to eat a finger in grad school.

 

[Gator Monroe]

Remington, Winchester and Savage 12 gauge pump guns were common in the !st Cav, and usually carried by the point man on a patrol. Double 0 buckshot was also a standard issue item, as were some flechette loaded shells. I also saw .45 shot shells loaded with a plastic bullet containing steel pellets larger than BB pellets. I saw one suppressed M16 that the base defense guys used to shoot dogs that were messing up their personnel radar operations. I was there when we went across the border into Cambodia in May of 1970, and the caches uncovered there held all sorts of strange items, including muzzle loading guns and ammunition for Japanese WWII mortars and light howitzers. In my unit at various times, we had a US Thompson M1A1, an M3 grease gun, a Swedish Carl Gustav M45, numerous AK 47's and US M2 carbines. We also picked up a Chicom 7.63 sub machine gun still in the cosmoline that was a lot of fun to shoot once we found the cache that had the magazines. Once I saw a 1Lt in the Cav carrying a 1917 Colt revolver. You could see and get just about anything you wanted during that period.

Add Ithaca Shotguns , Mk 22 Pistols, M3 grease guns, S&W Victory revolvers ,early production FA AR15, various Mouse Guns as boot pistols...