WEIGHT (with cover) = 3lb 2oz.

The M-1 steel helmet had changed very little since WW2 and consisted of a steel helmet shell which fitted snugly over a nylon liner. The nylon inner liner replaced the older resin impregnated, cotton duck liner which had poorer ballistic properties. Although an aid for protection the steel pot would not protect it's wearer from a direct hit from a bullet, rather it was designed to decrease the chance of wounds caused by flying shrapnel and ricocheting bullets. In order to break up the conspicuous shape of the helmet a camo cover was designed. This cover was printed in a disruptive pattern and was reversible. One side had summer colors in various shades of green, whilst the other side (fall) was printed in soft browns and varying shades of a light tan. These helmet covers were a tight stretch fit over the steel outer shell of the helmet. Each cover had specially made slits in it, these were for attaching natural foliage for camouflage purposes.

WEIGHT (size Medium Reg) = 1lb 4oz.

The tropical jungle jacket olive green Army shade OG-107 (shirt) was adopted (along with it's matching trousers) as the main field uniform for Vietnam after 1963. This was further expanded upon on 27th October 1967 when USARV (United States ARmy Vietnam) declared that the tropical combat uniform was to be used as the primary duty uniform for all US Army personnel serving in Vietnam.

The new tropical jacket was copied from the US WW2 paratroopers jump smock. The tropical jacket was a sensible and functional piece of field equipment which was made from a tight woven but lightweight rip-stop or twill cotton poplin. This afforded the wearer good protection from biting insects and the strong tropical sun. Being a loosely fitting garment which was meant to be worn outside the trousers it also gave good breathability and ventilation.

The original 1st pattern jacket had two slanted bellowed chest pockets and two bellowed lower pockets, each pocket was secured via two green plastic buttons. Down the front and sewn on the inside of the 1st pattern jacket was a flap of fabric (called a "gas flap") which could be secured via buttons across the opening. This was supposed to afford the wearer some protection in the event of a gas attack. The 1st pattern tropical jacket also came with shoulder straps and side tab pull-ins. During the course of the war the tropical jacket under went several modifications. The exposed buttons on the pocket flaps were found to snag on webbing, this snagging problem also applied to the shoulder straps and the pull- in tabs which would get hung up on twigs and branches. The other main modification made to the jungle jacket was the removal of the gas flap.

The 2nd pattern jungle jacket had concealed buttons on all pocket flaps, the gas flap was removed and the side pull-ins had also been dropped.

The 3rd (and final) pattern jungle jacket had concealed buttons, no gas flap, no pull-in tabs and no shoulder straps.

WEIGHT (size large long) = 1lb 4oz.

The tropical trousers were manufactured of the same tight woven fabric and in the same olive green Army shade OG-107 as the jungle jacket. Like the 1st pattern jungle jacket, the first pattern jungle trousers had exposed buttons on the pocket flaps these were soon changed to familiar concealed button flaps. The tropical trousers had two slash hip pockets, two rear pockets and two leg cargo pockets. Both leg cargo pockets had small reinforced drain holes, the left leg cargo pocket also had a smaller pocket built inside it. The smaller pocket inside the left leg cargo pocket was intended for an individual first aid kit that was never satisfactorily developed. The fly fastening on the tropical trouser was either via a brass zipper or five evenly spaced buttons. The bottoms of the trousers had tunnel draw cords which were used to tie the trouser bottoms over the wearers boots.

WEIGHT (size 9N) = 3lbs 2oz.

The tropical jungle boot was arguably one of the best most innovative things to come out of the Vietnam war. Development of the boot was begun as early as 1955 in an attempt to produce a good combat boot and to overcome the problems encountered in the footwear used during WW2 and Korea. The main problem with the earlier boot was the tendency of the Goodyear welt stitching to fail, causing the sole to separate from the boot. This problem was particularly common in jungle conditions and would often occur after about a month's usage in hot dry-wet conditions.

In Panama during 1960 and 1961 the first 3 types of direct molded sole boots were being tested. These boots were modeled on the WW2, 43 patt combat boot and had a buckled cuff at the ankle, and a Swiss Vibram style mountain boot sole. Three types of boot with different uppers were tested. All leather, all nylon, and a combination of both (leather and nylon).

The all leather upper boots proved to be uncomfortable because they were too heavy and quickly became hot. The nylon upper boot was also unsatisfactory because it did not provide the upper portion of the foot with enough protection. However the combination nylon duck upper, and leather foot portion boot was found to be satisfactory and was the basis for all later boot designs.

The early 1st pattern jungle boots were popular because of their lightness, quick drying capability, and were hard wearing. Problems still arose with a 37 percent bonding failure on the sole, and with the twin leather ankle straps and buckles, which would snag on vegetation and rattled when the wearer walked. In 1962 a new adhesive was developed thus preventing bonding failures on the sole.

The buckled cuff on the ankles was dropped and replaced by a full lace up closure, and the all nylon upper was changed to a cotton-nylon in an attempt to make the boot less flammable. This boot was officially adopted by both the US Army and the USMC on 23rd Jan 1965.

Development of spike protective combat boots was begun in Oct 1961 at the Natick Labs when it was discovered that VC guerrillas were using sharp pointed, poisoned stakes, in ground traps. With this in mind the Army developed a slip-in protective insole which was made from overlapping strips of fabric covered steel which could be slipped inside the boot. These were not 100 percent effective but did at least offer some protection. Later Natick Labs came up with a laminated with woven plastic 0.011-inch-thick stainless steel slip in plate, these insoles were unsuccessful as they became hot and caused blistering of the feet during prolonged walking.

Having failed with the slip in steel plate Natick Labs came up with a spike protective insole which was an integral component of the boot. The leather insole of the boot was split into two pieces and the 0.011-inch steel plate was sandwiched between the layers, this proved a more satisfactory development and the spike protective tropical boot remained virtually unchanged through out the war, the only major change being the adoption of the Panama sole for its non clogging ability over the earlier Vibram sole.

WEIGHT = 9oz.

The M-56 pistol belt was an olive green cotton canvas and webbing constructed belt. The belt was adjustable at both ends unlike it's older WW2 M-36 patt counterpart which had one end permanently fixed. Instead of the "T" shaped fastener on the male portion of the quick release buckle there was now a small round end to facilitate a quick release. The M-56 pistol belt utilized both brass and alloy metal fittings in it's construction. Each belt had 69 brass grommetted holes running it's entire length, these were for the attachment of various pieces of equipment and were evenly spaced in lines of three which ran (when the belt was worn around the waist) from top to bottom.

WEIGHT (full) = 3lbs

The new light weight 1-quart plastic canteen became standard US Army issue on 14th of September 1962. This canteen was made from green polyethylene and was to replace the (essentially) unchanged WW1 metal canteen. Full the new canteen (with nylon cover and cup) weighed in at 3lbs, whereas the older canteen weighed a hefty 4oz more, weighing in at 3lb 4oz when full. The new canteen was made entirely from polyethylene this included it's screw cap which was attached via a strap of plastic. Originally the new canteen was issued in the older M-56 pile lined, cotton duck, canteen cover. This however had largely been replaced by the wars end by the newer lighter nylon M-67 cover.  The new M-67 cover also had a small pocket for water purification tablets "puritabs".   USARV regulations at the time authorized two plastic canteens per soldier.

WEIGHT = 14oz.

The M-56 suspenders were an OG lightly padded canvas "H" shaped harness with alloy fittings which were painted black. The front straps of the harness were attached to the pistol belt whilst the rear straps were attached to two eyelets on the butt pack. If the butt pack was not carried then the suspenders were attached directly to the pistol belt.

WEIGHT (empty) = 10.5oz.  two were carried.

The M-56 universal ammo pouch was a rectangular pouch made from OG canvas. The pouch itself was roughly 16cms long by 11cms wide and 6.5cms deep. The pouch was reinforced on the inside by a plastic stiffener which was located either on the back of the pouch or sometimes on the front. All metal fittings were a mixture of alloy or brass and were painted black, both external sides of the pouch had snap fastening straps which were for securing hand grenades. Two slide keepers on the reverse of the pouch attached it to the pistol belt, whilst a strap with a snap hook attached the pouch to a square ring on the front of the suspenders which helped bear the load. The M-56 universal pouch was as stated "universal" as it could carry:- two M-14 20 round mags, four M-2 carbine 30 round banana mags, four M-16 20 round mags, six M- 1 rifle 8 round clips, or twenty four 12 gauge shotgun shells.

WEIGHT = 1.5oz

This was a light weight, 7 pocket, olive green cloth bandoleer which was a popular way among troops to carry seven M-16 magazines. Once loaded the bandoleer would weigh approx. 4lbs.

WEIGHT (empty) = 11.5oz.

Developed in the 1950s the butt pack (M-56 combat field pack was is correct designation) was never intended for multi day infantry missions. Instead it was developed as a daypack with a mobile armored infantry operations in mind. The pack was adequate in it's "used" roll in Airmobile raids and perimeter security and in small ops where extended battlefield duty was not needed. But was wholly inadequate in it's intended roll whereby it was supposed to eliminate the need for a separate rucksack. The butt pack was a small bag made from OG cotton duck that had a flap that was secured via two straps. The exterior bottom of the bag had a pair of web straps that were used for the attaching of a rolled poncho, on the flap of the bag was a carrying handle and a plastic card holder for the attachment of the owners ID. The bag was secured to the pistol belt by a pair of black metal sliders, and to the suspenders on the back top by a pair of evenly spaced metal eyelets.

WEIGHT (empty) = 15oz.

The second pattern butt pack (M-61), was essentially the same as the first pattern pack except that it now had a rubberized fabric internal collar, larger poncho straps, and it was slightly heavier.

WEIGHT = 2lbs 10oz.

The standard Army nylon coated poncho, in olive green Army shade 207 had been adopted for use in November 1961. The poncho was rectangular in shape approx. 92"x 66" and had a hood which could be tightened by a drawstring under the wearers chin, it could also be tightened around the wearers waist via a drawstring.  By   November 1965 it had seen widespread use in Vietnam and the USARV Tropical Combat Uniform Board had now realized that the poncho was unsuitable. It's two main drawbacks were that because of it's shiny exterior it gleamed when wet, and it became heavy.

WEIGHT = 1lb 4oz.

The new and improved poncho was made from light-weight nylon which had a polyurethane coating. Like it's predecessor it to was rectangular and measured 92"x 66", unlike it's predecessor it was much lighter and could be easily compressed into a small roll, weighing in at only 1lb 4oz a full 1lb 6oz lighter! The poncho was produced in two shades, olive green Army shade 107 or ERDL camouflage. In an attempt to make the poncho softer and reduce the papery noise of the fabric, a transparent coating was applied after the fabric was printed (ERDL) or dyed (OG 107). Like the 1st pattern poncho this new poncho also had drawstring tightening around the wearers chin and waist. The poncho could also be rigged up to a tree to form a one man shelter, and could be used in conjunction with it's liner (poncho liner) to form a sleeping bag; This was done by fastening the side snaps together. Both patterns of poncho's suffered from similar drawbacks, the most notable being that when wet both had a high gloss gleam to them. The 2nd pattern poncho was also found to be extremely flammable. There was also complaints (mainly from the 4th Inf. Div) that the poncho and it's liner gave little or no protection from the night cold of the Western Highlands. Each lightweight rip-stop poncho cost the US govt. $11.39 in 1968. A small size version of the poncho was available for issue to ARVN troops it measured 82"x 60".

WEIGHT = 1lb 3oz.

The light weight quick drying poncho liner which could be laced into the poncho replaced the old Army issue blanket. First issued to Special Forces troops in 1963 the poncho liner was immediately popular and led to the Army issuing over 2,750,000 by 1969. Like the poncho it was designed for, the poncho liner was roughly rectangular and measured approximately 79"x 60". When dry the liner weighed 1lb 3oz although earlier versions were heavier weighing in at 1lb 7oz. The poncho liner was secured inside the poncho by a series of 8 evenly spaced laces, these were positioned on all four corners and centrally between the four corners.

WEIGHT (in cover) = 2lb 6oz.

This shovel was of Korean war vintage and had a pick and a shovel blade. These could be folded down when it was carried in it's olive green canvas cover. The neck of the folding shovel consisted of a screw adjustable collar, un-doing the collar enabled the shovel head to be folded flat against it's wooden haft. To set the blade the collar was tightened up against the blade when the user had the blade in the position he wanted it. Older WW2 vintage shovels were also issued, these did not have the pick blade. By 1967 the Army had come up with the now familiar aluminum lightweight 'Z'- fold shovel which effectively rendered the older M-51 obsolete.

WEIGHT = 7lb 15oz

This was the flak vest most frequently issued to ARMY personnel during the Vietnam war. The vest consisted of 3 panels containing ballistic filler. These panels were spot bonded with a laminated resin, with the filler encased in a waterproof plastic film and inserted into an outer nylon fabric cover. The filler itself was 12 piles of ballistic nylon cloth in the front and upper back of the vest, 10 piles of filler padded out the remaining back area, whilst the wearers spine was protected by an additional 2 piles, 6 inches wide directly down the center back of the vest. The vest's rigidity was provided by plastic stiffeners which were inserted under the fifth layer of ballistic nylon.  The outer nylon cover had a pair of bellowed side pockets, a zipper front fastener, and elasticized side lace ups for size adjustments. On the front of each shoulder was a sewn cloth tape with loops for grenade attachment, the tops of both shoulders had sewn on shoulder straps. The M 1952 flak vest was slightly improved upon (!?) in 1969 by adding a three quarter length 6 ply collar and stitched interior panels, and was redesignated M69 Fragmentation Protective Body Armor. The collar apparently was more trouble than it was worth as it tended to interfere with the wearing of the steel bone dome. The medium size M69 vest weighed 8.5 lbs. and cost $35.00 ea.

WEIGHT (loaded) 6.45lbs.

This weapon first appeared during the Vietnam war and closely resembled a large bore, single barrel, sawn-off shotgun.  The first M79 Grenade launchers were delivered to the US Army in 1961. The M79 was designed as a close support weapon for the infantry, and was intended to bridge the gap between the maximum throwing distance of a hand grenade, and the lowest range of supporting mortar fire. An area of between 50 and 300 meters. The M79 was a single shot, shoulder fired, break-barrel loading weapon which fired a spherical 40mm diameter grenade.  The M-406 40mm HE grenades fired from the M79 traveled at a muzzle velocity of 75 meters per second, and contained enough explosive within a steel casing that upon impact with the target would produce over 300 fragments at 1,524 meters per second within a lethal radius of up to 5 meters (?). Stabilized in flight by the spin imparted on it by the rifled barrel the grenade rotated at 3,700rpm, this in turn after 15 meters(?) of flight armed the grenade.

For close range fighting the Army came up with two types of M79 rounds. The first was a flechette round which housed approx. 45 small darts in a plastic casing, these rounds were issued on an experimental basis.  Later this round was replaced by the M-576 buckshot round. This round contained twenty-seven 00 buckshot which on firing was carried down the barrel in a 40mm plastic sabot, which slowed down in flight so the pellets could travel in their forward direction un-aided. The M79 could also fire smoke grenades, CS gas, and flares.

The M79 had a large flip up sight situated half way down the barrel, with a basic leaf foresight fixed at the end of the barrel. The rear sight was calibrated up to 375 meters in 25 meter intervals.  In the hands of a good experienced Grenadier the M79 was highly accurate up to 200 meters.  Later in the war the M79 was superseded by the M203 40mm launcher which was fixed beneath the foregrip of the M16 rifle.

System of operation Single shot, break barrel.

Caliber 40mm

Length 29"

Weight (loaded) 6.45lbs

Length of barrel 14"

Max range 400 meters

Muzzle Velocity 75 meters per second

Weight of HE rd 8oz.

WEIGHT = 6.35lb.

 The AR15 was conceived and developed by Eugene M. Stoner at the Armalite Co in Costa Mesa, California. A totally new design in rifles it was lightweight, and used plastics and alloys where ever possible. The new rifle was designed to fire the new lighter, high velocity 5.56mm ammo, the AR15 was made under license by the colt Co from July 1959 onwards. The AR15 was first purchased for use by the USAF in 1962 with an initial order of 8000 weapons. Later it was also purchased by the Army as a replacement for the much heavier, awkward M14. Soon after this the pentagon renamed the weapon the M16. Later in 1963 Colts supplied the Army with 85,000 M16s, with a further 200,000 rifles following in the next 3 years. The very first Army issues of the new M16 went mainly to Special Forces units for testing and evaluation, particular emphasis was placed on giving the weapon to those Special Forces units that were already operating in SEA.

The GOOD thing about the M16 was it possessed a high rate of fire, and a high muzzle velocity, approximately 990 meters per second. This meant that in a close range firefight (in the jungle) the bullets would rip into their target at supersonic speed causing fearsome wounds. Once inside the human body the small (high velocity) 5.56 round would whiz about turning internal organs into mush, and upon striking hard bone, the bullet would break up sending fragments into other parts of the body, causing still more damage.

The BAD thing about the early M16 was it had a few teething problems!

Initially upon issue to the troops they were told that it was so efficient it hardly needed cleaning. This and the lack of a cleaning kit to reinforce the idea, was at first taken at face value. Secondly the ammunition spec had been changed and no one was told about it! In the beginning the original AR15 trials were carried out using commercial ammunition. This was based on a propellant known as IMR (Improved Military Rifle), fired in the 5.56 cartridge it burned cleanly and reliably and caused no problems. However the high-residue ball propellant powder was faster (? depending on what reference you use) burning and was notorious for leaving calcium carbonate deposits in the gas chamber which caused pitting/corrosion and lead to jams in the weapon. With the early M16 not having a bolt assist plunger the freeing of a frozen bolt in the heat of battle was almost impossible.

Another nagging little problem was a weak magazine spring, and trying to fill it to capacity could also lead to a jam. Here experience soon told that loading only 17 or 18 rounds into the 20 round magazine, and 27 or 28 in the 30 round magazine would help solve this problem. With the addition of a bolt assist plunger added to the right hand side above the pistol grip. Modifying the gun with an easier to clean chrome chamber. The issuing of troops with proper cleaning kits, and changing the 3 pronged flash suppressor to the now familiar "Bird Cage" type the M16 became more reliable and was redesignated to M16A1. By the end of the war in Vietnam in Apr 1975, the US government had shipped a total of 943,989 M16 and M16A1s to the ARVN.

Length 39"

Weight 6.35 lb.

Barrel length 20"

Cal 5.56mm

Feed 20 or 30 rd mag

Loaded mag 18rds 9oz

Cyclic Rate 800 rpm

Muzzle Vel 3,250 f/s

Canvas M-56 sling 4oz

Nylon M-67 sling 4oz

WEIGHT (in M-8 scabbard) = 15oz.

This particular bayonet was first produced Between 1961 and 1962 and had a one-piece grip which was made from green plastic, this early M-7 resembled the older leather gripped M-2 carbine bayonet. These first M-7 bayonets were produced for Colt by Universal Ind West Haven Connecticut, apparently Universal made 20,000 of this first type of bayonet most of which went to the USAF.

Colt themselves experimented with their own M-7 bayonet. This was very similar to the Universal bayonet with the exception that their (Colt's) bayonet had black two-piece plastic grips, these were secured to the tang of the bayonet via two brass rivets.

By 1964 the standard M-7 bayonet was introduced. This bayonet was just an updated version of the M-2 carbine bayonet made to fit the M-16 rifle. The new bayonet had a blade length of 6 7/8" and a two piece black plastic checkered grip, this was secured to the bayonet through it's tang by two evenly spaced screws. All metal portions of the bayonet were blackened (parkerised) in an attempt to reduce glare and prevent rust. Each bayonet came with it's own M-8 scabbard which was constructed from a green colored plastic-like substance, each scabbard had it's own webbing frog riveted onto the scabbard above the throat via two metal rivets.

Universal Ind.

Colt.

Colt: Subcontracted to Carl Eickhorn Inc, Germany.

Milpar.

BOC: Bauer Ord Corp, Detroit, Michigan.

Conetta.

Imperial.

FZR: Frazier MFG Co.

WEIGHT = 1lb 13oz.

The M-42 machete as it's designation suggests was a throw back to WW2, in fact some of the machetes issued for use in Vietnam were WW2 items. The basic M-42 machete was an 18" bladed knife normally fitted out with a black plastic handle. The blade on the machete - like the bayonet blade - was parkerised with a smooth black finish. The grips were normally of a two piece black plastic construction which were held in place by three evenly spaced rivets. The grips on these machetes are almost always left loose, i.e. not riveted to the tang tight. The idea behind this was to give sweat and moisture that would accumulate behind the grips a chance to evaporate, thereby reducing the rusting effect it would have on the metal tang. The earlier issue M-44 machete sheaths were constructed from a flexible duck fabric and featured a metal throat, the throat incorporated the scabbard's brass retaining spring. Later in the war an olive green polyethylene scabbard (M-67) with a built in blade sharpener of tungsten carbide was introduced.

MAKERS OF THE M-42 MACHETE:

Queen City.

Disston.

True Temper.

Collins and Co.

SWI.

Clyde.

Ontario knife Co.

Marsden Sydney.

Weyersberg Solingen Germany.

WEIGHT = 15.1oz

The M-26 hand grenade was a smooth bodied offensive grenade which had a four to five second fuse. When it exploded was capable of spraying an area within a 10 mtr radius with 1000 fragments. Upon bursting this grenade was supposed to have had a 50 per cent hit probability against targets standing out in the open.

US M-26:

WEIGHT 15.1oz.

BLAST RADIUS 10 mtrs.

FUSE DELAY 4-5 sec.

AVERAGE THROWING DISTANCE 40 mtrs.

SOURCES:

Personal Firepower E.C.Ezell

Small Arms of the World E.C.Ezell

Nam Orbis Publishing

Modern Small Arms F.Myatt

Combat and Survival Mag Aerospace Publishing

Vietnam Mission Pilot Communications Inc

Collectors Pictorial book of Bayonets F.J.Stephens

US Military Knives Book III M.H.Cole

US Army Combat Equipments 1910-88 G.Rottman and R.Volstad. Osprey

Vietnam, US Uniforms in color photo's K.Lyles

 Article created and originally posted to alt.war.vietnam newsgroup by Martin Tingey. Many thanks to Martin for his work and permission to use his article on the Skytrooper webpage.

MARTIN...........A NON vet and interested party.

Subject: Best dressed grunt in the boonies!

Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 13:57:18 +0000

From: Martin Tingey <martin@diddybop.demon.co.uk>

Organization: Who Knows!!

Newsgroups: alt.war.vietnam

---------------------------------------------------------------

Martin Tingey , Got Zips in the wire!!!/ Phu Bai is alright !!!

www.diddybop.demon.co.uk/index.htm