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-50M (a PPSh-41 variant), and “home-made” versions of the RPG-2. By 1969 the US Army had identified 40 rifle/carbine types, 22 machine gun typs, 17 types of mortar, 20 recoilless rifle or rocket launcher types, 9 types of antitank weapons, and 14 anti-aircraft artillery weapons used by ground troops on all sides. Also in use primarily by anticommunist forces were the 24 types of armored vehicles and self propelled artillery and 26 types of field artillery rocket launchers.[1]

Contents

ARVN, US, South Korean, Australian, and New Zealand weapons

Chemical weapons

In 1961 and 62 the Kennedy administration authorized the use of chemicals to destroy vegetation in South Vietnam. Between 1961 and 1967 the US Air Force sprayed 12 million US gallons of concentrated herbicides, mainly Agent Orange (a Dioxin) over 6 million acres (24,000 km²) of foliage 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.

Small arms

1. Edged weapons (Combat knives, bayonet)

2. Pistols & Revolvers

3. Shoulder arms

4. Sniper Rifles

5. Machine guns

6. Grenades and Mines

  • Mark 2 Fragmentation Hand/Rifle Grenade
  • Claymore M18A1 is an anti-personnel mine
  • M61 Fragmentation Hand Grenade
  • is a smoke grenade that uses white phosphorus, which, when in contact with air ignites and creates white smoke. The white phosphorus was also a useful way to dislodge the Viet Cong from tunnels or other enclosed spaces as the burning white phosphorus absorbs oxygen, causing the victims to suffocate or suffer serious burns.

7. Grenade Launcher

Infantry support weapons

Artillery

Artillery ammunition

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

Combat aircraft

Support aircraft

Aircraft Ordnance

See also: List of Bombs in the Vietnam War

Aircraft weapons

Vehicles

  • M38A1 1/4 ton jeep
  • Ford M151 MUTT 1/4 ton Military Utility Tactical Truck (jeep)
  • Dodge M37, 3/4 ton (pick-up truck)
  • Truck, cargo/troops, 2 1/2 ton (deuce and a half)
  • Truck, cargo/troops, 5 ton
  • M520 Goer Truck, Cargo, 8-ton, 4x4
  • Land Rover short and long wheelbase Australian and New Zealand forces.

Armoured fighting vehicles

Tanks

Army and USMC vehicles

Naval craft

  • Monitor, heavily gunned riverine craft
  • Swift Boat, (PCF) Patrol Craft Fast
  • , Assault Support Patrol Boat, (known as Alpha boats)

Gunship

Vehicles (commonly cargo), armed with automatic weapons.

  • Gun trucks, 2 1/2 ton (deuce an a half), and 5 ton cargo trucks with quad .50 cal machinguns mounted in the back
  • M16 Halftracks with quad .50 cal machineguns in the back
  • Gun jeeps, 1/4 tons with mounted M-60 machineguns
  • Land Rover, short and long wheelbase, with single and twin M60 machineguns. Aust. and NZ forces

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 Chinese Communist variants, which were referred to as CHICOM's by the US military. This distinction was in recognition of Taiwan (Nationalist China), a US ally.


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 Katyusha Rockets
  • 120 mm guns

Aircraft

Vehicles

Substitute standard weapons used by Irregular forces

Small arms

Hand combat weapons

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

Citations and notes

  1. ^ Department of Army Pamphlet 381-10, Weapons and Equipment Recognition Guide Southeast Asia, March 1969

See also

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