Rome plow
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rome plows were large, armored, specially modified bulldozers used in South Vietnam by the United States military during the Vietnam War. They were used, beginning in 1967, by land clearing units to clear jungle vegetation, thus removing cover that could be used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. The plows take their name from the city of Rome, Georgia, where they were made by the Rome Plow Company (now located in Cedartown, Georgia).
The plows were equipped with a very sharp "stinger blade" which weighed more than two tons and was able to cut down trees, which were then burned. When fully equipped, a Rome plow weighed at least 36,000 pounds.[1]
The American rock band Drive Like Jehu's 1994 album Yank Crime contains a song entitled "Here Come the Rome Plows."
[edit] External links
- Histories for Landclearing Engineers - Vietnam 1967-71: Jungle Eaters & Rome Plow Companies
- Jungle Eaters
- 538th Landclearing Company
- 59th Landclearing Company
- Rome Plow Company
This United States Army article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |