What heavy machine guns were used in Vietnam?
One of the most common infantry weapons used by U.S. troops in Vietnam was the M-60 machine gun, which could also be used as an artillery weapon when mounted or operated from a helicopter or tank.
Are there machine gunners in the Army?
Almost 50 Soldiers from 1-24th weapons squads completed a four-day classroom course and two-day machine-gun range to train and test machine gunners April 1 through 9. “This is a machine-gunner course for the whole battalion,” said Sgt. 1st Class Mike Barrera, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-24th.
How many machine gunners are in a platoon?
A total of 36 men in each machine gun platoon.
What was the life expectancy of a machine gunner in Vietnam?
seven seconds
What he was trying to tell me is the average life span of the machine gunner in Vietnam was seven seconds from the moment you pulled the trigger. There were three individuals that the Viet Cong would shoot for. Of course the officer, the radio man, and the M60 machine gunner.
What are machine gunners called?
The Marine Corps Infantry Machine Gunner — known as MOS 0331 in the Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) — handles large machine guns in direct combat.
What do machine gunners carry?
Machine gunners have to carry the heavy stuff. While riflemen just have to carry their puny rifles and tiny bullets, machine gunners have to lug around a 24-pound (when unloaded) machine gun on top of their big bullets.
What rank is the squad leader for a machine gun squad?
staff sergeant
The squad leader is a staff sergeant (E-6) and the two fire team leaders are sergeants (E-5).
What counts as a heavy weapon?
According to U.S. Army regulations 320-5 (AR 320-5) “heavy weapons” are all “weapons such as mortars, howitzers, guns, heavy machineguns and recoilless rifles which are usually part of infantry equipment.”
What is the life expectancy of a Machine Gunner in combat?
He said a machine gunner’s average life expectancy was three minutes, because once he fired, he became a target.
What does a Machine Gunner do in the army?
The Machine Gunner is responsible for the tactical employment of the 7.62 mm Medium Machine-Gun, the 50 cal., and 40mm Heavy Machine-Gun, and their support vehicle. Machine Gunners provide direct fire in support of the Infantry Rifle squads/platoons/companies.
Are machine gunners bigger?
Machine gunners have bigger muscles Riflemen are generally skinny guys because, as you probably guessed, they don’t have to carry such large weaponry most of the time. Machine gunners, on the other hand, carry the big guns, and they have the big guns from lugging them around.
How many machine guns are in a squad?
The two-man medium machine gun team is comprised of a gunner and an assistant gunner. The weapon squad has two medium machine gun teams.
Who was “No 1 gun” in Vietnam?
Victor Renza poses with “No. 1 Gun” in Vietnam, one of eight machine gunners in his company. / Courtesy Victor Renza In the hands of a well-trained machine gunner, the M60 was a devastating weapon—so feared by our opponents that they usually aimed their first shots at the machine gunners, who were often in positions exposed to enemy fire.
Why is the M60 machine gun called the pig?
A Marine on patrol crosses a rice paddy in Vietnam holding an M60 machine gun in 1966. Nicknamed “the pig” due to its size, weight and sound, the gun struck fear into enemy troops. Most war stories are about soldiers and battles. Rarely do we examine war through the unique bond between a man and his weapon—in this case the M60 machine gun.
How much did a machine gun weigh in Vietnam?
It weighed 24 pounds, was 43.5 inches long and had bipod legs that folded down to stabilize the weapon when firing from a prone position. The gas-operated, belt-fed gun had a maximum rate of fire of 550-650 rounds per minute. Victor Renza poses with “No. 1 Gun” in Vietnam, one of eight machine gunners in his company. / Courtesy Victor Renza
How many M60s were in the Vietnam War?
Each company had eight M60s. The machine gun was also mounted in the UH-1 Huey helicopter and other Army aircraft. It weighed 24 pounds, was 43.5 inches long and had bipod legs that folded down to stabilize the weapon when firing from a prone position.