Smaland
08-09-2011, 01:16 AM
On this occasion of the current London Riots, I am reminded of a weapon system that proved its worth in the Vietnam War.
http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/guntrucks/destruction.jpg
At the time this photo was taken, "Eve of Destruction" was armed with four 0.50 cal. (12.7mm) machine guns in an automatic turret. Image displayed at garbee.net.
http://images.wikia.com/tractors/images/4/4a/Eve_of_Destruction_Exterior.jpg
"Eve of Destruction" on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustice, VA. Image displayed at tractors.wikia.com
A gun truck is an improvised light armored vehicle, built on a cargo truck chassis. Historically, they have been armed with various weapons, ranging from the 0.55 cal. Boys anti-tank rifle up to 40mm Bofors AA guns. Perhaps the most effective weapon was the XM-134 minigun, which is a 7.62mm caliber Gatling gun with a rate of fire that ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute. Viet Cong/North Vietnamese units would usually break off contact when they encountered one.
During the Vietnam War, large convoys of the U.S. Army's Transportation Corps transported supplies from coastal ports to inland bases. Naturally, they were tempting targets for Viet Cong guerrillas and units of the North Vietnamese Army. Ultimately, it fell to the Transportation Corps itself to provide convoy security, and the American gun truck was born.
How effective were they? The North Vietnamese offered bounties on the gun trucks by name, which had other "... colourful nicknames such as 'Duce is Wild,' 'Cold Sweat', 'Iron Butterfly' or 'Pandemonium' that were often painted on the sides in large letters. (Wikipedia article)"
Wikipedia article on gun trucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_truck)
http://www.garbee.net/~cabell/guntrucks/destruction.jpg
At the time this photo was taken, "Eve of Destruction" was armed with four 0.50 cal. (12.7mm) machine guns in an automatic turret. Image displayed at garbee.net.
http://images.wikia.com/tractors/images/4/4a/Eve_of_Destruction_Exterior.jpg
"Eve of Destruction" on display at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum, Fort Eustice, VA. Image displayed at tractors.wikia.com
A gun truck is an improvised light armored vehicle, built on a cargo truck chassis. Historically, they have been armed with various weapons, ranging from the 0.55 cal. Boys anti-tank rifle up to 40mm Bofors AA guns. Perhaps the most effective weapon was the XM-134 minigun, which is a 7.62mm caliber Gatling gun with a rate of fire that ranges from 2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute. Viet Cong/North Vietnamese units would usually break off contact when they encountered one.
During the Vietnam War, large convoys of the U.S. Army's Transportation Corps transported supplies from coastal ports to inland bases. Naturally, they were tempting targets for Viet Cong guerrillas and units of the North Vietnamese Army. Ultimately, it fell to the Transportation Corps itself to provide convoy security, and the American gun truck was born.
How effective were they? The North Vietnamese offered bounties on the gun trucks by name, which had other "... colourful nicknames such as 'Duce is Wild,' 'Cold Sweat', 'Iron Butterfly' or 'Pandemonium' that were often painted on the sides in large letters. (Wikipedia article)"
Wikipedia article on gun trucks (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_truck)