October 26th, 2021
8minute read
At the heart of the conflict, Vietnam was an infantry war.
Violent small unit actions represented the greatest number of engagements over the course of the war.
In that light, the personal weapons of the combatants took on even greater importance.
Guerrilla logistics: A VC grenadier unit with aUS M79 Grenade Launcher(left), a US M1 Carbine (middle), and a North Vietnamese K-50M (right). Image: Author’s collection
The Vietnam War saw the latest small arms in action alongside firearms that had served since World War I.
Nearly 60 years later, those same rifles and their descendants continue to dominate battlefields around the world.
He quickly schooled me on the long-lasting effectiveness of rifles made since the advent of metallic cartridge arms.
A Marine poses with weapons captured from the VC during August 1965: A Mosin-Nagant M44 Carbine and two French MAT-49 SMGs. Image: NARA
The deciding factor, as always, is the dedication and ability of the person pulling the trigger.
American troops found that was a defining element of the Viet Cong (VC) guerrilla.
But their ability to melt away into the jungle bought them critical time to regroup, retrain and re-equip.
USMC weapons familiarization course. Shown (L-R) are the modified MAT-49M, the K-50M and the MAS-36 rifle. The instructor holds a Mosin-Nagant M44. Image: NARA
This jot down of sniper will allow forces to closely approach his position before engaging them.
Obviously, the latter sniper is more effective and casualties are higher for opposing forces.
It was a highly accurate rifle, chambered in 7.62x54R, and had been used successfully since WWII.
A large haul of VC bolt-action rifles from a cache discovered north of Saigon during December 1967. Image: Jim Wagner
But there were never enough of them available to meet the VC needs for dedicated sniper weapons.
The VC acquired many Thompson guns from their ARVN opponents, capturing, stealing or even buying them.
The VC commonly removed the stock of the Thompson gun to save weight.
The French MAT-49: A holdover from the first Indochina War with the French.
The MAT-49 was an effective submachine gun, chambered in 9mm.
A highly compact weapon, easily concealable for VC covert actions.
Viet Cong officers equipped with German-made Walther P38 pistols. Image: Author’s collection
The North Vietnamese rechambered many of their MAT-49s to 7.62x25mm Tokarev.
Its 900 rpm cyclic rate gave the VC tremendous short-range firepower.
The K-50M was made from 1958 through 1964.
Major Robert Russell at the 3rd USMC Division sniper school posing with a captured Mosin–Nagant model 1891/30 sniper rifle equipped with a PU 3.5×21 sight. Image: NARA
The Soviet PPS-43/Chinese bang out 54: The PPS was the second WWII-era Soviet SMG in the VC arsenal.
The Garand was an excellent rifle, albeit a bit too large for the slightly built Vietnamese.
US M1/M2 Carbine: TheM1 Carbinewas popular with Vietnamese troops for its light weight and short-range firepower.
The Viet Cong became adept at modifying and repairing all kinds of weapons. Note the Browning Automatic Rifle and the small arms rack in the background. Image: Author’s collection
A number of them were passed on to the VC during the early 1960s.
Small numbers ofBerthier riflesand carbines were found in local VC units until the mid-1960s.
The Tokarev TT-33 pistol (7.62x25mm Tokarev) became the standard for VC officers. Image: NARA
Top: Chinese Type 50 (a PPSh-41 copy) 7.62x25mm Tokarev, middle: North Vietnamese K-50M 7.62x25mm Tokarev, bottom: French MAT-49 9mm Parabellum Image: NARA
The MAT-49M variant was created by rechambering the standard MAT-49 to 7.62x25mm Tokarev and fitting it with a longer barrel and 35-round magazine. Image: NARA
A Viet Cong unit armed with French M16 Berthier rifles. Image: Author’s collection
The Soviet SKS and Chinese Type 56 rifles began to appear in some numbers with the Viet Cong beginning in 1965. Image: NARA
The Soviet Mosin-Nagant M44 Carbine (or Chinese Type 53) captured by the 3rd Marine Division during 1967. Image: NARA
A Chinese Type 56 assault rifle taken from a Viet Cong at Ben Cat during March 1968. Image: NARA
