Each crew added details to the trucks over the years. Wccotv vietnam war documentary grunts little war 1969. A full color version of part 2 was laid out by the publisher but was not printed due to the slow initial demand for part 1. If you remember, the publisher took license to print volume 2 in black and. Join paul shull as he heads to tennessee to help a vietnam vet rebuild a gun truck nicknamed the proud american. From m16 rifles to huey helicopters, the vietnam war launched weapons that went on to become legendary. Afvclub us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam plastic model. On this platform, the soldiers have installed an armored superstructure with carriages for heavy 12,7 mm m2hb machineguns and automatic grenade launchers mk 19. Central highlands 19711972 vietnam war dvd home movies. During wartime the trail was known to the north by many names. Quad 50s at hue by bob lauver i had been in vietnam for 15 months on the afternoon of january 30th, 1968.
In iraq, force protection is now provided by army transportation units driving gun trucks 5ton trucks modified with m60 machine gun mountswith a truck in the front, middle and rear of each convoy. Bellino ensured that all convoys had a radioequipped gun jeep in the lead, followed by a 2 12ton gun truck, with a gun truck in the middle and a third gun truck in the rear with a wrecker. Jan 01, 2006 the result was that many students of vietnam gun trucks and doctrine began to turn to the lessons of the past. With names like the piece maker, eve of destruction, puff the tragic wagon and the bounty hunter the gun trucks of vietnam struck fear into the enemy while protecting supply convoys through some of the most dangerous stretches of roadway in vietnam. The newest entrynumber 184in osprey publishings new vanguard series of concise, profusely illustrated books dealing with military machinery throughout the ages is vietnam gun trucks 48 pp. Since september of 1967 my time had been served as squad leader and acting section chief with battery g, 65th artillery, a quad 50 unit.
Thank you for visiting the vietnam gun truck psychotic reaction web site. There he ran convoys from the port city of qui nhon to the central highlands town of pleiku. Although no two gun trucks were alike and no standards existed for the construction of the trucks, they followed certain patterns. They were deployed on the ground or mounted on trucks to protect convoys. Many of the m35 were quad 50 cal gun trucks and whatever the units came up with armor wise. Eventually the army developed kits to weld on for the trucks and even jeeps. They went to the m54 a little later because it can carry more firepower and could carry much more weight.
A gun trucker on convoys minnesota remembers vietnam. The smithsonian channel explores the untold story of how service members converted transport vehicles into one of the most effective weapons of the vietnam war. The link will try to launch pdf reader and open the file. Adobe acrobat reader dc software is the free global standard for reliably viewing, printing, and commenting on pdf documents. In addition to the efforts of your humble podcast host, the smithsonian channel tv channel is helping out with its national tv series the weapon hunter, which. The ones of little respect and snoopy were taken by john trezzi in 1970. In may 1965, us army combat troops began arriving in south vietnam with the mission of conducting. And the m1070 trucks became objects of conversion to gun trucks as well. Guy was one of the tankers guarding the side of the road, man he went through some adventures. This is a great project if you have an old 21st century toys m151a2 sitting around, collecting dust, or.
Afvclub us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam afv35034 us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam this is the 5 us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam plastic model military vehicle kit from afv. Written by a vietnam veteran, this book traces the development of these gun trucks from the juryrigged originals to the powerful armoured vehicles that appeared later in the war. Jerry served in vietnam in 6970, part of his tour was with the 444 trans company. In the show interview baird reluctantly told about his duty running convoys only a few miles from the dmz. Gun trucks played a vital role in the vietnam war, escorting supply convoys through regions most likely to come under attack. Early m4a3105 sherman assault tank completed kitbash of dragon m4105 and m4a3105hvss sherman model kits.
Afvclub us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam afv35034. Repaints would sometimes even change the name of the truck. M60a2 152mm gun combat tank alvin mitsubishi cj3bj4c jeep. Baird owes life to gun trucks, shares story on tv series submitted by eric bernsee, editor. This is the only picture we know of showing the original pr gun truck in vietnam. There are many drawings and photos of typical trucks and photos of individual trucks. Vietnam gun trucks by james lyles was printed in november 2003 and attached to part 1. G 65th was attached to the 1st of the 44th artillery, a duster twin 40mm battalion.
Vietnam gun trucks, volume 2 in color by james lyles. I model the gun trucks that were in my company, the 444 trans outside of qui nhon, vietnam in 196970. A full list of csi press publications, many of them available for downloading, can be found at. Vietnam era gun truck m151 mutt with armor by point man this is a quick behind the scenes look at my vietnam armored mutt m151. Between 1967 and 1971, the 2 12ton and 5ton guntrucks were used to great advantage by 8th group, first in the highlands and coastal areas of northern ii corps and later at hue and da nang in i corps. Vietnam gun trucks preserved only a single original vietnam gun truck exists. There was a story in pat bairds hometown about his appearance on the tv show. Its the only pdf viewer that can open and interact with all types of pdf content, including. New book on they should be out by the end of the year from squadron. The company was under the 54th trans battalion, 8th trans group, when the truck was built. This is a great story of vietnam gun trucks and the brave men that were part of army transportation. The most popular vietnam war model vehicle kits brands include tamiya, monogramrevell, academy plastics, dragon models, and afv club.
In fact, every us manual on air defense guns, including the. The mp jeeps stopped in front of us and returned fire with their mounted m60 machine gun. My tour of duty with the 666th transportation company. In vietnam this principle worked well and provided convoys a means of selfdefense. I fired my m16 out the window but i released that our standing orders were to accelerate out of the kill zone. Pdf vietnam gun trucks three book set by james lyles the. This is a great project if you have an old 21st century toys m151a2 sitting around, collecting dust, or if you can get your hands on one real cheap. Gun trucks on guard a time and a place in vietnam i had a web site in 1997 i thought it was. Jun 05, 2018 pdf download vietnam gun trucks three book set by james lyles the hard ride the hard ride 2 have guns read full ebook. Here are some 444 gun truck pix i got from fellow members over the years. Trucks that retained the same name would vary somewhat over the years. A gun truck is an armored vehicle with one or more crewserved weapons used by units of regular armies or other official government armed forces to escort military convoys in regions subject to ambush by guerrilla forces, defend airfields, provide perimeter defense, or serve as mobile pillboxes for home guardtype defensive units. Pdf download vietnam gun trucks new vanguard, by gordon l. I thought you might enjoy this video, and the link to their site.
It was in the banner graphic of greencastle, indiana titled. About this site if someone asked me to describe what my idea of a vietnam guntruck web page is about, i would first have to say, even though its been a part of my life for over 43 years, its only been eight years since i learned the story of that huge, little known part of our history. The army had developed the hardened convoy concept to provide security for the convoys. Gun trucks on guard a time and a place in vietnam i had a web site in 1997 i thought it was time to share all the pictures that were sent to me. Youll see footage filmed from the back of a gun truck while moving down paved and dirt roads, through villages and countryside in the central highlands of vietnam. He and james lyleslater author of the gun truck book the hard ride and a vietnam gun trucker himself, came up with master parts for a m54 cab and made molds to cast their parts. Vietnam gun trucks new vanguard book pdf, epub ebook.
Pdf an environmental history of the ho chi minh trail. This is the 5 us m35a1 quad50 gun truck vietnam plastic model military vehicle kit from afv. This specimen got an armored superstructure with two carriages for the 12,7 mm browning m2hb machineguns. Vietnam gun trucks and subsequent convoy doctrine evolved with changing enemy tactics, leaving behind both an answer to the problem of convoy security and a legacy of heroism.
For those interested in gun trucks and their use in the vietnam war period pics included. See more ideas about vietnam, vietnam war, vietnam war photos. Start reading vietnam gun trucks new vanguard book 184 on your kindle in under a minute. Jerry designed and printed the gun truck shirt he is wearing. The m54 was the primary heavy cargo truck of the u. We had several of the apc gun trucks in 27th trans battalion. My brother usmc vietnam vet and i have attended the knob creek, ky, machine gun shoot for several years now. They took some of their trucks to make into gun trucks.
Rottman is type of simple task to do whenever you really want. This unusual vehicle is the lone surviving example of the converted cargo trucks that once provided highway security. And now, its connected to the adobe document cloud. Yeah, saw one with a nice 2 hole on the outside and hundreds of small holes on the inside from the splash of the melted metal. The book covers the inception, development and use of the gun truck during the vietnam war. To counter this, the men begin to modify their trucks, adding upgraded armor and serious firepower. I let any new guy drive for practice, i ordered him to drive around the jeep and take off, i could see the convoy bunching up behind us. Vietnam gun trucks and subsequent convoy doctrine evolved with. Those trucks were driven by a brave and highly resourceful group of people. Show your gun trucker pride with the vietnam gun truck vet performance tshirt. Fast forward to vietnam with this book vietnam gun trucks when logistical trains became targets of opportunity by the viet cong being ambushed with guerrilla hitandrun tactics. For those who fought for it, freedom has a taste the protected will never know.
Rottman entered the us army in 1967, volunteered for special forces and completed training as a weapons specialist. Inn at morro bay 60 state park rd morro bay, ca 93442. The gun truck is equipped with a crewserved weapons system, preferably in a protective position. It was designed to transport a 10,000 lb 4,500 kg, 14footlong 4. Most gun truck names were based on the songsgroupsmoviestv shows of the time. An important part of the us army logistics in iraq was represented by the m915 heavy trucks, acting like tractors, tippers or concrete mixers.
Vietnam gun trucks will include part 1 and 2 as a package. Vietnam gun trucks new vanguard 184 pdf free download. Our gun trucks consisted of a deuce and a half covered on the outside with a 14 armor plating. At first, i was in a reefer platoon pulling refrigerated vans to phan rang from my base in cam rahn bay.
He and james lyleslater author of the gun truck book the hard ride and a vietnam gun trucker himself, came up with master parts for a. A gun truck is an armored vehicle with one or more crewserved weapons used by units of. Other companies in the 54th battalion were building gun trucks at the same time. Reviewing an ebook vietnam gun trucks new vanguard, by gordon l. I had spent a year as a army truck driver in germany before being sent to vietnam. Good view of the psychotic reaction as it was on display in june 2004 at the gathering of vietnam gun trucks in ft. I always liked king cobra, had neat graphics on it.
This is the untold story of one such weapon built not by the pentagon, but by teenage soldiers trying to keep themselves alive. Quite a few guys were wearing them at the last reunion he. The first time i saw the night shoot, i was in shock. Because of those lessons learned on battlefields almost 40 years ago, the military was able to quickly adapt vietnam era doctrine and integrate new techniques to combat the iraqi insurgency.
Up to this point, gun trucks did not have the means to communicate with convoy commanders. To counter this threat the americans began to armor existing vehicles and adding various arms to provide protecting with added offensive capability. Vietnam gun truck question finescale modeler essential. The doctrine for gun truck employment developed as well. On page 200 of the 2d volume of the convoy ambush studies is a section about an action that soldiers from a company from my battalion took part in. M551 sheridan ar aav hard core 7 v100 xm706e1 commando armored patrol car feelin groovy m561 gama goat 6x6 tactical truck.
The 666th built three gun trucks, one for each platoon. This was of necessity a stopgap measure, but it helped to establish the operational idea and, as the war progressed, more gun trucks were used being heavier vehicles, better armour and more weapons, including the 50 cal mg, the mini gun and mortars. Pdf vietnam gun trucks three book set by james lyles the hard ride the hard ride 2 have guns. Watch video below for details instant download pdf file. Home movie footage filmed by a crew member on the gun truck kontiki, with footage of pleiku, artillery hill, lz oasis, nha trang, and more.
Army field manual fm 5530, army motor transport units and opera. He also took the pictures of little respect and moon shiners together, both in the 444. Hobbylinc carries 19 vietnam war model vehicle kits at discounts up to 46%. In vietnam everything last thing that was used in that war was at one time or another moved by truck. See more ideas about vietnam, vietnam war and vietnam war photos. Vietnam paintings to the museum, here he is standing by some of them while at the reunion for vietnam truckers in june, 2006. The biggest gun truck on record in iraq was created as a conversion of the pls truck, very similar to the hemtt, only with two more wheels and a pallet platform. Tom throne 404 e pleasant st bunkerhill il 620141220. During the vietnam war, it was the mission of the us army transportation corps to ferry supplies from the coastal ports of qui nhon and. The eve of destruction, a 5ton m54 of the 523rd trans company, 39th trans battalion, 26th general support group, was returned from vietnam in 1972. Jerry wanted to make models of them, in 5th scale, but discovered that no one made a model of the m54 five ton. As critical as they were, few people know about these amazing vehicles and the people that operated them.