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Vietnam: Weapons And Battle Tactics

Weapons of the Vietnam War

Paul Duris
Nick Gdantz
Due Date: 12/23
Vietnam
Mr. Flanagan
In late 1961, America took physical force in the Vietnam War. War is a complex series of political events that leads to physical involvement in the form of armed combat. Technology is a major deciding factor in war, along with the battle tactics used, terrain, experience and professionalism of the opposing forces. By 1961 both the United States and Vietnam had developed a broad array of guns and weapons to fight off one another. Coupled with battle tactics this provides a deadly and extremely hostile environment.
In the beginning of the war the weapon of choice for the support troops was the M1 Carbine. The carbine was half the weight and held a less powerful cartridge than its brother, the M1 Garand. They M1 carbine later evolved into the M2 Carbine, to support the fully automatic needs of the Vietnam War. The Carbines were mainly used by support troops, and other infantry not directly involved in combat. Staff NCO's and officers carried the carbine until later in the war when it was replaced with the M-16 Rifle.
Until the induction of the M-16 rifle, the M-14 rifle was the standard issue for the United States Armed Forces. The M-14 was the par for the Army in 1957 as the successor to the M1 Garand. The M-14 used a gas system and a twenty round detachable cartridge. It was only semi-automatic and could be fitted with a grenade launcher and bipod. Maximum range was 460 meters fired from the shoulder and 700 meters fired with the bipod. A sniper version was fitted with a silencer and gas suppressor, which made identification extremely difficult as the enemy only heard snaps of the bullets around them and no noise of the gun.
The M-16 succeeded the M-14 as standard military issue. Despite early problems and malfunctions the M-16 was the most common weapon used by the United States. The M-16 was lighter and more accurate than the M-14. The M-16 is infamous for its...