jtward01 said:
All,
I'm looking for information on the types of small arms used by US, ARVN, VC and ANV soldiers during the period the US was involved.
I know, of course, about the 1911A1, M1A1/M14, M16A2, M1 carbine, M3 "grease gun" and BARs. Were Thompson's still used? Garands? I know there were sniper rifles used, but I don't know types or model numbers. Anything else?
I believe the SKS was used by the communist forces but I don't know anything about what else they used in significant numbers.
Standard weapons were the M16A1, the M1911A1 and the M60 machinegun. The M79 grenade launcher was standard until replaced late in the war by the M203, which mounts under the M16A1 rifle.
The M14 and M14A2 were used early in the war -- 'til about 66 or 67 in some units. The standard sniper rifle was the M21. My company had two pre-M21s, accurized M14s (since I had only one trained sniper, I kept the other for myself.)
As an adviser my previous tour, I was issued an M2 carbine, which got wrapped around a tree. After that, I carried an M1 rifle I bummed from the ARVN. ARVN units of that era carried the M1, with officers being issued the M2 carbine, the M1911A1. The M1918A2 BAR was standard, as was the M1919A6 machine gun.
Lots of older weapons floated around, including the Thompson (which was not standard issue with either US or ARVN) and the M3 grease-gun (standard with tankers and often found in other units.) I sometimes saw S&W copies of the Swedish K submachine gun. My company had two Winchester Model 12 shotguns, as well.
The VC had a hodge-podge of weapons -- mostly WWII vintage early in the war -- I saw a US M1917 captured from the VC once. I also saw a captured hand-made M1911A1 pistol. Very crude. As you can imagine, they had a lot of French weapons and some Japanese, too.
I once killed an NVA lieutenant who had a Browning Hi-Power, made by Inglis of Canada, complete with shoulder stock and cleaning rod.
The M1944 Moisn Nagant was not uncommon among VC, and by '66 the SKS and AK 47 began to appear in numbers. The MN sniper version was also used -- my battalion killed an NVA sniper near Con Thieu in '69.