A question for the Vietnam Vets among us.
In my unending quest for military history, their is a couple questions I have, and it is about the rifles the NVA and the VC used.
It appears that the NVA used primarily AK-47's with a minor splattering of SKS Carbines thrown it. This is what period photos and practically all the vets, that I have spoke to and read from, agree too.
Now the confusion starts (for me anyway), In most accounts that i have read of state clearly that the VC was most heavily armed with Mosin Nagant rifles, SKS's, captured American weapons, with a few Jap rifles, French weapons, and even WWII era Soviet capture German Mauser's and Machineguns thrown in for good measure..
Even the vets I have spoke to disagree on this subject.. One says..."They ALL had AK47's" too " The VC used mostly old bolt action rifles that where long as hell" <---excuse the solder language, but that is what he said.
And about every point in between.
It has baffled me.. Did the VC's weapons depend on WHERE they where in Vietnam, and year??
As the war drug on, did they get up gunned to AK-47's or was their primary weapon the bolt action rifle till the end of the war?? Or did that too depend on "WHERE" they where in country?
Boiled down, what I am asking is..
Just how COMMON, where Mosins, and other bolt action rifles where in the hands of the VC? Did they use these till the end of the war, or where they being phased out in favor or automatic arms?
Where WWII era submachinguns in much us by the irregular forces?
Where German, Jap, and French Weapons encountered, much, if at all.
The reason I am asking this here is, I know we have more than a few vets among us, and sometimes I feel that when I talk to the "local" vets, I get a bit of "marshal embellishment" All I want is the "straight poop" on this and personal experience.
For the record, I do have a very close friend that is a Vietnam vet, but he does not like to talk about it, and I will not ask him about it out of respect.
Thanks in advance!!
It appears that the NVA used primarily AK-47's with a minor splattering of SKS Carbines thrown it. This is what period photos and practically all the vets, that I have spoke to and read from, agree too.
Now the confusion starts (for me anyway), In most accounts that i have read of state clearly that the VC was most heavily armed with Mosin Nagant rifles, SKS's, captured American weapons, with a few Jap rifles, French weapons, and even WWII era Soviet capture German Mauser's and Machineguns thrown in for good measure..
Even the vets I have spoke to disagree on this subject.. One says..."They ALL had AK47's" too " The VC used mostly old bolt action rifles that where long as hell" <---excuse the solder language, but that is what he said.
And about every point in between.
It has baffled me.. Did the VC's weapons depend on WHERE they where in Vietnam, and year??
As the war drug on, did they get up gunned to AK-47's or was their primary weapon the bolt action rifle till the end of the war?? Or did that too depend on "WHERE" they where in country?
Boiled down, what I am asking is..
Just how COMMON, where Mosins, and other bolt action rifles where in the hands of the VC? Did they use these till the end of the war, or where they being phased out in favor or automatic arms?
Where WWII era submachinguns in much us by the irregular forces?
Where German, Jap, and French Weapons encountered, much, if at all.
The reason I am asking this here is, I know we have more than a few vets among us, and sometimes I feel that when I talk to the "local" vets, I get a bit of "marshal embellishment" All I want is the "straight poop" on this and personal experience.
For the record, I do have a very close friend that is a Vietnam vet, but he does not like to talk about it, and I will not ask him about it out of respect.
Thanks in advance!!
so I will have wheels, So unlike a lot of my posts, their will be a lot of "copy and pasting" from Wikipedia. In this one!
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