Weapons Used in Vietnam

During the Vietnam war many different kinds of weapons were used by infantrymen. From assault rifles to flame throwers, they were used for all kinds of purposes from killing North Vietnamese to cooking their food. The most common weapons used by the infantrymen were the M16, the M-60, C4, M72 LAW, and remote detonated Claymores. 

To start we will look at the M16 assault rifle which is famous today for its light weight and durability. It was also known for its high accuracy and easily available ammunition. It was a burst to full auto fire gun, which had a magazine that could hold 20-30 rounds of ammunition. It also had a range of several 

hundred yards which made it great for long distance fighting in the jungle. For the most part this was the main weapon used by American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

The M-60 was a heavy mounted machine gun used for heavy suppressive fire. It was a fully automatic gun with a range of up to 2000 yards when attached to a helicopter. It could also be used from the hip and was capable of shooting 550 bullets in matter of seconds, this made it great for mowing down enemies hidden in thick brush. Due to the weight of the ammunition, the soldiers had a limited supply due to the fact that there were no trucks to carry their ammunition, and only had access to what they could carry. So, for the most part this was a heavy support weapon used to keep back large groups of Vietcong. 

C4 is one of three different kinds of explosives that many infantry cared around. It is a high energy explosive which is extremely stable making it perfect for being used by common infantry. This is because it could only be set off by a high shock such as an explosion to its surface. So, even being mushed and reshaped would not set it off.  Other than being safe to carry it was also extremely powerful for even a small ball of it could blow up an entire house. This made it great for when soldiers needed a lot of power in the field. Though ironically enough it was also used as a cooking agent, as I stated before it is extremely stable  and consequently even when lit on fire it didn’t explode. So, many men used this to heat their food since their heating tablets never seemed to work. 

The M72 Law was a small foldable rocket launcher with a 5 shell magazine with the explosive capability to take out light vehicles. It was commonly used as a ranged attack vs. buildings of enemy camps. It was also used to take out bunkers and enemies in heavy brush. Once all of its bullets were used it had no more purpose and was left behind by many soldiers. They would destroy the M72 first so that no Vietcong could get ammo for it and use it. 

Another explosive commonly used was the Claymore.  This is like a land mine only it sticks out of the ground. It can either be hooked up to a trip wire or it can be remotely detonated. This was a great weapon for keeping a perimeter. The one problem was that the Vietcong had a special soldier which was stealthy enough to be able to sneak up unnoticed by American troops and turn around the Claymore. This caused it to explode towards the user when they set it off. 

Remember that in Vietnam back in the ‘70s these weapons were the things that kept our troops alive. So, in the end when you think about why our troops are alive today from Vietnam, remember these weapons as the things that kept them alive. These were the weapons they used in Vietnam.