V40
Well-Known Member
Interordnance,
SOG would carry nothing but High Explosive rounds for their M79. When they needed to use CS they would go to the CS grenades (M7A2-M7A3). The one thing that allot of guys did was to fill up one of their canteen covers with around a dozen or so V-40's. My favorite little grenade along with the M67. John Plaster told me once that he carried all M67's on his person in his gear. The reason why he did this was because they were so much more powerful then anything else they carried and that they were extremely loud under triple canopy jungle which if the enemy wasn't killed or wounded he was left stunned. This is so with the exception of the mortar rounds and LAW's, and M14 "Toe Popper's" that they would carry on a mission into Laos.
There where three types of Recon Teams that ran missions into N. Vietnam, Laos, and Camobodia.
1) Normal Team It has usually three Americans and 5-8 yards or chinese Mercenaries from Cholon. There where also some converted NVA and VC on the teams. Rare, but none the less true in some circumstances.
Anyhow, this was considered a "Normal Team".
2) Heavy Team This is usually three Americans and all of the Indig memebers, usually 3-5 more than a normal team. They carried a 60mm mortar with just a base similar to the the Japanese "Knee Mortar". Everyone carried around 3-4 rounds for the mortar. The rounds they carried were High Explosive with a couple of WP to break contact and run for their lives. There were usually 2-3 M60's also 2-3 RPD's with the barrels sawed of after the gas system, 3-4 drums each if they could. Get them. The RPD gunners also had to pick the belts of the gun to save. They became very scarce later in the late 60's. The Americans would carry, sometimes, a Browning Hi Power with around 3-5 magazines for that. You would also have a couple of Indigs (Chines Nungs, south Vietnamese who didn't want to serve in the South Vietnamese Army, etc., etc, who would carry the RPG-2 with some B-40's carried by almost everyone. The whole idea behind the "Heavy Team" was to have some extra shooters if found by the NVA or the Pathet Lao. It also made the enemy think twice about whether they were up against a small squad of R/T members or a Company sized element.
3) Bright light Team. The were a Company sized element that included 4-6 more Americans a whole compliment of Indigs, usually around 20-50, sometimes even 70 Indigs. These teems were absolutely armed to the teeth. Rations for one day and water for two days. This Team would be inserted into a target area whereby a pilot was shot down, or to rescuing an R/T that is about to be overunned. For example they were there when SSGT Franklin "Doug" Miller won his Medal Of Honor when they were down to a couple of them left, with Miller hit 2-3 times(?) and everyone else was either dead or to wounded to have any fight left in them.:frown: They were rescued by a Bright light team.
Some interesting codes were used to describe how the team was doing on the ground. From right before the drop off in the the twilight of the morning, Covey would fly around the area were the team was at about 5,000 feet to around 7,000 feet above them. He and his Recon Team Member did this until they ran out of gas, went back home to refuel, and were back over the Recon Team within 45-60 minutes. This team they called was Covey FAC. He was the SOG Recon Teams Angel and the only way to get out was through him.
Here is an audio of a two Recon Teams in dire straits:
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...in_trouble.mp3 If you need anyhelp from in interpetation od what is going on ask and yea shall get it. John Plasters voice is all over this. In this tape people are dying and getting wounded. They are surrounded and about to be over runned. People are dead.
Kiwicolin,
Yep, this was yours at one time. Colin, I hope your are not regretting it my friend?:tinysmile_hmm_t2:
SOG would carry nothing but High Explosive rounds for their M79. When they needed to use CS they would go to the CS grenades (M7A2-M7A3). The one thing that allot of guys did was to fill up one of their canteen covers with around a dozen or so V-40's. My favorite little grenade along with the M67. John Plaster told me once that he carried all M67's on his person in his gear. The reason why he did this was because they were so much more powerful then anything else they carried and that they were extremely loud under triple canopy jungle which if the enemy wasn't killed or wounded he was left stunned. This is so with the exception of the mortar rounds and LAW's, and M14 "Toe Popper's" that they would carry on a mission into Laos.
There where three types of Recon Teams that ran missions into N. Vietnam, Laos, and Camobodia.
1) Normal Team It has usually three Americans and 5-8 yards or chinese Mercenaries from Cholon. There where also some converted NVA and VC on the teams. Rare, but none the less true in some circumstances.
Anyhow, this was considered a "Normal Team".
2) Heavy Team This is usually three Americans and all of the Indig memebers, usually 3-5 more than a normal team. They carried a 60mm mortar with just a base similar to the the Japanese "Knee Mortar". Everyone carried around 3-4 rounds for the mortar. The rounds they carried were High Explosive with a couple of WP to break contact and run for their lives. There were usually 2-3 M60's also 2-3 RPD's with the barrels sawed of after the gas system, 3-4 drums each if they could. Get them. The RPD gunners also had to pick the belts of the gun to save. They became very scarce later in the late 60's. The Americans would carry, sometimes, a Browning Hi Power with around 3-5 magazines for that. You would also have a couple of Indigs (Chines Nungs, south Vietnamese who didn't want to serve in the South Vietnamese Army, etc., etc, who would carry the RPG-2 with some B-40's carried by almost everyone. The whole idea behind the "Heavy Team" was to have some extra shooters if found by the NVA or the Pathet Lao. It also made the enemy think twice about whether they were up against a small squad of R/T members or a Company sized element.
3) Bright light Team. The were a Company sized element that included 4-6 more Americans a whole compliment of Indigs, usually around 20-50, sometimes even 70 Indigs. These teems were absolutely armed to the teeth. Rations for one day and water for two days. This Team would be inserted into a target area whereby a pilot was shot down, or to rescuing an R/T that is about to be overunned. For example they were there when SSGT Franklin "Doug" Miller won his Medal Of Honor when they were down to a couple of them left, with Miller hit 2-3 times(?) and everyone else was either dead or to wounded to have any fight left in them.:frown: They were rescued by a Bright light team.
Some interesting codes were used to describe how the team was doing on the ground. From right before the drop off in the the twilight of the morning, Covey would fly around the area were the team was at about 5,000 feet to around 7,000 feet above them. He and his Recon Team Member did this until they ran out of gas, went back home to refuel, and were back over the Recon Team within 45-60 minutes. This team they called was Covey FAC. He was the SOG Recon Teams Angel and the only way to get out was through him.
Here is an audio of a two Recon Teams in dire straits:
http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...in_trouble.mp3 If you need anyhelp from in interpetation od what is going on ask and yea shall get it. John Plasters voice is all over this. In this tape people are dying and getting wounded. They are surrounded and about to be over runned. People are dead.
Kiwicolin,
Yep, this was yours at one time. Colin, I hope your are not regretting it my friend?:tinysmile_hmm_t2:
