Weaponary

M-14 BH Brief Tour of duty in Vietnam: Unwieldy in the thick brush due to its large length and weight Very powerful weapon Deemed “uncontrollable” in fully automatic mode Replaced by the M-16

M-16 BH Developed for effective jungle warfare Quickly obtained a reputation for being very unreliable Many versions of the M-16 were made as updates to the original platform Used by nearly every nation in the world at some point

M-60 BH In service since 1957 Has served in every branch of the U.S. military Served in Vietnam as a “Squad automatic weapon” Nicknamed “The Pig” Every soldier would carry an extra 200 rounds for the M-60 Commonly damaged in the jungle to to fraile design

M-79 zm Also known as Thumper It’s a single shot grenade launcher that fires a a 40x46 grenade. They dunk and cover. Ran the opposite direction. Was used by both Vietnam and The United States.

M-79 Also known as Thumper It’s a single shot grenade launcher that fires a a 40x46 grenade

RPG

RPG cont’d A rocket propelled grenade is a shoulder fired, anti tank gun that fires rockets with an explosive warhead. Sometimes called ‘white phosphorous’. This is the first shaped charge warhead that could be fired from a distance. A shaped charge is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosives energy. They were used by the Vietnam People’s Army and the Vietcong. Also the U.S created the M72 LAW. The Vietnam People’s Army and the Vietcong created armour. The U.S created an RPG screen that protects against RPG attack. The RPG-2, used in Vietnam, was short-ranged and inaccurate, which led to the creation of the RPG-7.

Claymore Mine and clacker

Claymore mine and clacker cont’d A claymore mine and clacker is an antipersonnel mine designed to create a direction guided, fan shaped pattern of fragments. It was used in ambushes and against unarmoured vehicles. It was used by the U.S army. Unlike a regular mine, a claymore mine is command detonated and directional, meaning it is fired by a remote control and shoots a pattern of metal balls into the kill zone like a shotgun. ‘Alpha-alpha’ referred to an automatic ambush including claymore mines. The Vietnam protected themselves by arming the vehicles.

Grenade Launcher

Grenade launcher cont’d A grenade launcher is a weapon that launches specially designed grenades or grenade cartridge with more accuracy, higher velocity, and greater distances than a soldier could throw a grenade. The M79 grenade launcher was used by the U.S in Vietnam.The M79 could only shoot one grenade at a time which was a serious drawback because they could not keep up fire during a battle. Called a ‘thump-gun’, ‘thumper’, ‘bloop tube’, and ‘blooper’ by the American soldier. The Vietnam would protect themselves by running away from the grenade or one guy would sacrifice himself by lying on it.

Flame Thrower zm

Flame Thrower Cont A flame thrower is a large device that projects a long stream of fire by igniting liquid fuel. Vietnam and The United States used this weapon. The weapon is very visible so it can be easily spotted. The person operating the flame thrower has to get close to the enemy which means they can easily get gunned down.

Howitzer

Howitzer continued. The howitzer is a type of artillery piece of characterized by a short barrel and is used to shoot large projectiles at high trajectories (flight paths). It would shoot 10 rounds per minute and was manned by 8 people at a time. It was used by America and mostly South Vietnam during the war. To take cover from the rounds being fired soldiers would make dirt piles and would hide behind them. (No slang found for Howitzer)

Ka- Bar

Ka-Bar continued The Ka-Bar was made of hi-carbon steel so it could resist breaking under severe pressure and stay sharp while working in the field. They were used to cut through clothes, vegetation and also to attack the enemy. It was used by the United States and was originally issued to the Marine Corps but soon were given out to other branches of Military. It was tricky for the enemy to protect themselves from the weapon but when they knew of the knife coming near them they could try and deflect the attacker. (No slang found)

Carbine The M1 Carbine was lightweight.30 caliber semi-automatic rifle that became a standard firearm for the US military.

Carbine The M1 and M2 were used by the US forces in Vietnam although the M1 and M2 were beginning to be replaced by the M16. The troops would protect themselves behind trees because the weapon could not penetrate trees as well as protection like the helmets that the soldiers wore.

Beehive Rounds Was an anti-personnel round packed with metal flechettes fired from an artillery gun. Named “Beehive” for the buzzing sound its darts made when flying in the air.

Beehive Rounds Was intended to fire directly against enemy troops. The M546 first fired in combat in Ejected 8000 flechettes. Was also used for tanks. This weapon became less popular after the Vietnam War.