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Cambodian Mine Action Centre (CMAC)

peteblight

peteblight

Ordnance Approved
Ordnance approved
Just returned from a short work related trip to Cambodia.
Whilst out there, we were lucky to be able to visit the CMAC in Phnom Penh, below is a selection of the items they deal with on a daily basis.

Vietnamese propaganda mortars.jpgRecoiless.jpgSubmunitions compressed.jpgVarious.jpgCompressed image.jpgDSCF1035.jpgDSCF1029.jpg
 
Hallo,
can anyone explain to me what the 3 items right beside the RPG 2 rounds in the 4th photo above are ?
Regrds,
Bellifortis.
 
They are Vietnamese made B-40 grenades for the RPG-2. The are made of US BLU-24 series bomblets
 
Good evening blu97,
thank you very much for your answer. Meanwhile I searched through the posts here on the network and also on the net about descriptions of the BLU-24, but I could not find a description of the fuze. It must have been quite easy to unscrew the fuze and there must have been huge amounts of duds available to make it worhwhile for the Viatnamese to produce this adaption in local factories. I think they were in beginning made from duds, leftovers in dumps were only available towards the end of the war. What type of fuze did the viatnamese fix to this RPG-2 AP adaption and how were the bombletbodies fastened to the RPG-2 body ? Thanks in advance for your consideration,
Regards,
Bellifortis.
 
Shown are the appearance and approximate dimensions of the Vietnamese modified PG-2 grenadese.

They are high-explosive fragmentation (HE-frag) grenade that can be used with either the U.S.S.R. M-6 point-detonating fuze , the Chinese MP-1 series fuzes, the OG-1M fuze, DK-2M, 42M, or C1M fuzes, depending on which model, where theyw ere made or who made them.

The grenade is painted green. A variation in the round has an unpainted off-white adapter, or reddish brown and yellow. The stabilizer assembly is olive drab with black markings. The fuze found with the grenade is light reddish-brown and has the following marking stamped on it: 60G-1M-08

The adapter can be either plastic or metal. The body is a modified U.S. BLU66 submunition that has had the fuze removed. It is probable that an added explosive charge fills the void left by the fuze. The stabilizer assembly is the same unit found on the U.S.S.R. PG-2 grenade .VN modified grenades 2.jpgVN modified PG-2 grenades.jpg
 
Shown are the appearance and approximate dimensions of the Vietnamese modified PG-2 grenadese.

They are high-explosive fragmentation (HE-frag) grenade that can be used with either the U.S.S.R. M-6 point-detonating fuze , the Chinese MP-1 series fuzes, the OG-1M fuze, DK-2M, 42M, or C1M fuzes, depending on which model, where theyw ere made or who made them.

The grenade is painted green. A variation in the round has an unpainted off-white adapter, or reddish brown and yellow. The stabilizer assembly is olive drab with black markings. The fuze found with the grenade is light reddish-brown and has the following marking stamped on it: 60G-1M-08

The adapter can be either plastic or metal. The body is a modified U.S. BLU66 submunition that has had the fuze removed. It is probable that an added explosive charge fills the void left by the fuze. The stabilizer assembly is the same unit found on the U.S.S.R. PG-2 grenade .

Sorry amde the mistake again when I cut and post,
 
Thank you for your kind explanatory answer and the descriptive pictures. That clears the issue of the Fuze, but how is the round steel body of the Frag-Bomblet fastened to the sheet metal RPG-2 hollow base. I don't think that you could weld a live bomblet. Spotwelding may be, but I don't think that that would hold up to the lateral forces. In the one photo one can discern a narrow sheetmetal ring, but then there has to be some unseen massive round fixture inside that is somehow fastened to the bomblet. Any ideas ?
Greetings,
Bellifortis.
 
The "Locals" also used the BLU-24/BLU-66 bomblets to make stake mines, holding them above ground with a pronged fork type stake made out of metal.
 
I was surprised to see the Russian submunitions in the photos. I had no idea that they managed to find their way into that area.
 
Here's some more pictures of the items they had on display.

Pete
 

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During the Cambodia/Kampuchea border wars with Vietnam in the late 1970's and 1980's, Hanoi basically gave the port of Cam Ranh Bay to the Soviets after they had both signed a friendship agreement of sorts during this time. The Soviets almost immediately poured in weapons, munitions, and air deliverable weapons to the PAVN Air Force. The Air Force then used these submunitions against the Khmer Rouge who were being supported by the Chinese at that time and back during the Vietnam War. This was also when the "Killing Fields"; Pol Pot's extermenation of Khmer forces that were all up and down the eastern border with Vietnam because he believed that the Vietnamese trained some of his cadre during the war and he became panic stricken that "ALL" Khmer people fighting for or with the Vietnamese during the war against us (US) were now traitors that had to be eliminated. It was also against two different beliefs of Communism. The Cambodians were Maoists and the Vietnamese were Socialists. FWIW, this is a very "Readers Digest" condensed version of what happened back then.

....and to reliterate that the PAVN AF had these weapons well into the 1980's and also used them against the Chinese invasion into northern Vietnam. What a big mess it was.
 
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