Weapons of the Vietnam War

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A wide variety of weapons were used by the different armies operating in the Vietnam War, which included the opposing Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) and People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) during the war, the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), better known as the Viet Cong (VC), as well as all services of the U.S. military, the South Korean and Australian armies, and a variety of irregular troops armed and equipped by both sides. The ARVN and Koreans were armed with U.S. Army weapons, some of which, such as the M1 Carbine, were substitute standard weapons dating from World War II. The PAVN (NVA), although having inherited a miscellany of American, French, and Japanese weapons from earlier stages of the conflict, were largely armed and supplied by its Warsaw Pact allies. In addition some weapons were manufactured in Vietnam, notably anti-personnel explosives, the K-50 (a PPSh-41 variant), and “home-made” versions of the RPG-2.

Contents

[edit] ARVN, US, Australian, and New Zealand weapons

[edit] Chemical weapons

In 1961 and 62 the Kennedy administration authorized the use of chemicals to destroy rice crops in South Vietnam. Between 1961 and 1967 the US Air Force sprayed 20 million US gallons (76 million liters) of concentrated herbicides (mainly Agent Orange) over 6 million acres (24,000 km²) of crops and trees, affecting an estimated 13% of South Vietnam's land. In 1997, an article published by the Wall Street Journal reported that up to half a million children were born with dioxin related deformities, and that the birth defects in South Vietnam were fourfold those in the North. The use of Agent Orange may have been contrary to international rules of war at the time. It is also of note that the most likely victims of such an assault would be small children. A 1967 study by the Agronomy Section of the Japanese Science Council concluded that 3.8 million acres (15,000 km²) of land had been destroyed, killing 1000 peasants and 13,000 livestock.

[edit] Small arms

1. Pistols

2. Submachine Guns

3. Rifles

  • M1 Garand in early time of the war, by ARVN, South Vietnamese Marine Corps and Republic of Korea Marine Corps
  • M1/M2 Carbine in early time of the war, by ARVN, South Vietnamese Marine Corps and Republic of Korea Marine Corps
  • M-14 rifle - used mainly by U.S. Marine Corps from the beginning of war to March - November 1967 but also US Army infantry (not Cavalry or Airborne) units in 1965, then replaced by M-16s
  • M-16 rifle - main rifle since 1963
  • SKS rifle - used by PAVN/NLF (NVA/VC)
  • XM21 Sniper Weapon System, sniper rifle (modified M-14s) - used by U.S. Army snipers, the XM-21 became an M-21 after the war
  • M-40 sniper rifle - used by U.S. Marine Corps snipers
  • Winchester Model 70 bolt-action sniper rifles - used by U.S. Marine Corps snipers
  • Dragunov (SVD) sniper rifle - used by PAVN/NLF (NVA/VC)
  • Stoner 63 assault rifle/LMG - used by U.S. Navy SEALs and tested by Force Recon
  • Heckler & Koch G3 automatic rifle - used by U.S. Navy SEALs
  • L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) - Used by Australian and New Zealand soldiers in Vietnam
  • AK-47 automatic rifle - used primarily by the PAVN/NLF (NVA/VC) forces. It is suspected that U.S., Australian, and New Zealand special forces units picked up these enemy rifles to replace their primary rifle. This could have been because of the issues with the experimental M16 in Vietnam.
  • Remington 870 (Shotgun) used as an individual weapon during jungle patrol; infantry units are (were) authorized a shotgun by TO & E (Table of Organization & Equipment). Shotguns were not general issue to all infantrymen, but were select issue, such as one per squad, etc.

4. Machineguns

5. Other

[edit] Artillery

  • 75 mm and M102 105 mm Howitzer
  • 60 mm, 81 mm, and 107 mm, commonly referred to as the four deuce (4.2 inch mortar)Mortar
  • M2 105 mm howitzer
  • M109 155 self-propelled howitzer
  • M107 175mm self-propelled
  • M110 8-inch self-propelled howitzer

[edit] Artillery ammmunition

  • Beehive rounds
  • White phosphorus (marking round)
  • HE, general purpose (High Explosive)
  • Canister

[edit] Ground Attack & bomber aircraft

[edit] Fighter aircraft

Mainly used in order to protect bombers over North Vietnam's sky. Some fighters also served as fighter-bombers.

[edit] Cargo & transport aircraft

[edit] Aircraft ordinance

  • GBUs
  • CBUs
  • BLU-82 Daisy cutter
  • Napalm
  • Bomb, 250 LBs, 500 LBs, 750 Lbs, 1000 Lbs, HE (High Explosive), general purpose
  • Rocket, aerial, HE (High Explosive), 2.75 inch
  • Vulcan, 20MM
  • Mini-gun, 7,62MM

[edit] Vehicles

[edit] Armoured fighting vehicles

Tanks

Other vehicles

  • M113 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier)
  • M113ACAV Armoured Cavalry Assault Vehicle
  • M50 Ontos
  • Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando
  • Mark I PBRs (Patrol Boat River)
  • LARC-LX
  • BARC
  • AMTRAC'S, amphibious tractors, US Marine Corps
  • M-114 Reconnaissance vehicle
  • M-42 Duster (M-47 light tank hull, with a naval twin 40MM mounted on an open turret)
  • Monitor, heavily gunned riverine craft
  • Swift Boat, (PCF) Patrol Craft Fast
  • ASPB, Assault Support Patrol Boat, (known as Alpha boats)
  • 0-1 Bird Dog, observation plane
  • 0V-10 Bronco, attack/observation plane

[edit] Gunship

Vehicles ( commonly cargo ), armarment with automatic cannons

  • CH-47
  • Guntrucks, 2 1/2 ton (deuce an a half), and 5 ton cargo trucks with quad .50 cal machinguns mounted in the back
  • Gun jeeps, 1/4 tons with mounted M-60 machinguns
  • UH-1 Huey

[edit] PAVN (NVA)(VC) weapons

The PAVN, or NVA (North Vietnamese Army), VC (Viet Cong-Southern communist guerrillas) as they were commonly referred to during the war, largely used standard Warsaw Pact weapons. All Warsaw Pact weapons used by the North Vietnamese, also included Communist Chinese variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. This distinction was in recognition of Taiwan, or Nationalist China, a US ally.

[edit] Small arms

[edit] Artillery

  • ZPU-4 quad 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine gun
  • ZU-23 quad 23 mm anti-aircraft cannon
  • M1939 37 mm anti-aircraft gun
  • S-60 57 mm anti-aircraft gun
  • 82 mm and 120 mm mortars (M1938)

122 mm Katusha Rockets

[edit] Vehicles

[edit] Substitute standard weapons used by Irregular forces

[edit] Small arms

[edit] Other

A wide variety of anti-personnel landmines and booby traps were used in the Vietnam war, including punji stakes.

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