M113s and Variants in Vietnam

[papabear]

A good friend sent me this link showing around 200 pics of M113s and variants and some other vehicles in Vietnam.

A few of the pics show the "Zippo" flame thrower.

There are even a few pics of Guntrucks!

Hope you enjoy:

Flickr: zippo132's Photostream

 

[battlecr]

Loved the 113, proably the funnest vehicle I ever drove.

Don G.

 

[zout]

Should ask Mahala how it feels to knock your head on the inside of one of these - cool pics.

 

[B3.3T]

Awesome photos!! Holy cow!

 

[mkcoen]

What kind of trucks are these behind the track?

 

[RedbeardTheZombieHunter]

When I was 10 years old, I wore a set of fatigues and rode on an M113A1 in the 1979 Gardena, California Loyalty Day Parade with the National Guardsman down the street from the house I grew up in. Those pics brought back some memories!

 

[mkcoen]

The first thing I learned to drive in the Army was a 113. They were great fun until you were sitting out at NTC, -10, and no frigging heater.

 

[maddawg308]

What kind of trucks are these behind the track?

Could be Australian trucks - the Aussies also served in Vietnam with us, they used M113s as well.

 

[sigo]

Excellent photo album. Thanks for posting. I dig the 1st Battalion 5th Infantry "Bobcat" photos, I was a Bobcat for a few years and always like seeing historic photos of Bobcats in action.

 

[Blueduce]

The first thing I learned to drive in the Army was a 113. They were great fun until you were sitting out at NTC, -10, and no frigging heater.

I feel ya. Try Yakima, WA in Jan in the drivers hull of an M1A1 with no heater. We had the same POS heater that the 113's did. If it worked it would cook you out of the turret. If it was dead lined you felt like a frozen Christmas turkey. My favorite time was in the early morning when we would fire up the turbine engine of the Abrams and all the 11 B's would come running out of there shelter half's to warm up. We'd trade hot coffee for smokes.

 

[mkcoen]

I feel ya. Try Yakima, WA in Jan in the drivers hull of an M1A1 with no heater. We had the same POS heater that the 113's did. If it worked it would cook you out of the turret. If it was dead lined you felt like a frozen Christmas turkey. My favorite time was in the early morning when we would fire up the turbine engine of the Abrams and all the 11 B's would come running out of there shelter half's to warm up. We'd trade hot coffee for smokes.

Well believe it or not I was at the Yakima Training Center (used to called Yakima Firing Center). First with the WA National Guard (where I learned to drive the 113) then with the 9th ID out of Ft. Lewis, then again with the WA Guard where I was a M1 gunner and THEN the company I worked for transferred me to Yakima to manage an office (it's a much nicer town when you live there).

 

[papabear]

Well believe it or not I was at the Yakima Training Center (used to called Yakima Firing Center). First with the WA National Guard (where I learned to drive the 113) then with the 9th ID out of Ft. Lewis, then again with the WA Guard where I was a M1 gunner and THEN the company I worked for transferred me to Yakima to manage an office (it's a much nicer town when you live there).

I spent alot of time in Yakima Firing Center 1976-1979 and was part of some AWESOME Combined Arms Livefire Exercises.

It was there that I got to see an AC130 workout on a hill top....HOLY CHIT!!!
It was also there that a 4 deuce mortar round landed about 300 meters from our defensive positions (Light Infantry)...HOLY CHIT AGAIN!!!

Never got to go into any town but we had some pretty darn good beer parties when we went admin after training exercises.

 

[Blueduce]

I was 2nd ID mechanized out of Lewis. We went to the Yak to shoot our tank gunnery 1995 - 98 It was the Yakima firing center when I was there as well. I can't believe you lived out there. It is beautiful country but if I remember correctly there is jack nothing out there. Of course all I ever saw was the rail head and the field.

Its been a while but do you remember a big hill out there with a tank trail going straight up it. I think it was by where they used to shoot tank table eight. My gunner and I tried to drive our track up it as a shortcut to the fuel point and got stuck sideways half way up trying to back down. We spent 18 hours recovering the tank. We had thrown track to the outside of the idler wheel, the inside of the road wheels and outside of the sprocket.

 

[rickf]

I was 2nd ID mechanized out of Lewis. We went to the Yak to shoot our tank gunnery 1995 - 98 It was the Yakima firing center when I was there as well. I can't believe you lived out there. It is beautiful country but if I remember correctly there is jack nothing out there. Of course all I ever saw was the rail head and the field.

Its been a while but do you remember a big hill out there with a tank trail going straight up it. I think it was by where they used to shoot tank table eight. My gunner and I tried to drive our track up it as a shortcut to the fuel point and got stuck sideways half way up trying to back down. We spent 18 hours recovering the tank. We had thrown track to the outside of the idler wheel, the inside of the road wheels and outside of the sprocket.

I can pretty much guess how the ensuing conversation with the OC went!

I was in Yakima installing a piece of equipment in a printing plant ,5/18/80. The day Mt. St. Helens decided to blow off. Another of those Holy Chit moments as everything went gray, dark, black! I was stuck there for three weeks because nothing was moving or flying. I STILL have that **** dust in my ears!

Rick

 

[silverstate55]

What kind of trucks are these behind the track?

Look like Australian International ACCOs, 6x6 even. Pretty rugged trucks, popular in the 60s and 70s Down Under.

 

[Srjeeper]

Here's a rare piece...M-163...gives new meaning to the word 'Weedwacker'......Go to picture #8

Vietnam War Photos - Vehicles

 

[mkcoen]

Its been a while but do you remember a big hill out there with a tank trail going straight up it. I think it was by where they used to shoot tank table eight. My gunner and I tried to drive our track up it as a shortcut to the fuel point and got stuck sideways half way up trying to back down. We spent 18 hours recovering the tank. We had thrown track to the outside of the idler wheel, the inside of the road wheels and outside of the sprocket.

There was one lone hill called Squaw's Tit. Not sure about a tank trail on it though. It was off limits when I was there.

Every time I changed components (Guard, Active, Guard, civilian) I told myself "at least I'll never have to see Yakima again" and I kept winding up back there. When I was transferred from Yakima to San Antonio I made sure not to say that. Maybe I'm safe now.

 

[Blueduce]

Here's a rare piece...M-163...gives new meaning to the word 'Weedwacker'...

Vietnam War Photos - Vehicles

That's a bad a** pick. Man the driver just looks cold. You know the kind of cold I mean where you just keep wiggling your toes to make sure they are still there. I experienced cold like that in Germany as a new recruit. I thought it would be cool to wear Vietnam style jungle boots in the field. The boots wound up freezing to the back deck of my Abrams. I had to unlace them and left them there till we got back to the wash rack. You can guess the razzin' I got for that.

 

[Blueduce]

There was one lone hill called Squaw's Tit. Not sure about a tank trail on it though. It was off limits when I was there.

Every time I changed components (Guard, Active, Guard, civilian) I told myself "at least I'll never have to see Yakima again" and I kept winding up back there. When I was transferred from Yakima to San Antonio I made sure not to say that. Maybe I'm safe now.

Couldn't agree more. I had the same "Twilight Zone" issues with Ft. Hood. Once you get stationed there you never leave. I knew a fella from my old unit that spent his entire 12 year career at Hood. An E-6 that had never been over seas except for the sand box a few times. He even tried to reclassify and take a grade drop in pay to get out of Hood.

 

[Srjeeper]

That's a bad a** pick. Man the driver just looks cold. You know the kind of cold I mean where you just keep wiggling your toes to make sure they are still there. I experienced cold like that in Germany as a new recruit. I thought it would be cool to wear Vietnam style jungle boots in the field. The boots wound up freezing to the back deck of my Abrams. I had to unlace them and left them there till we got back to the wash rack. You can guess the razzin' I got for that.

That wasn't the photo I thought would come up....I was refering to photo #8...the 113 with the M-61 Vulcan mounted on it.....now that's 'Bad Azz'....