While
Vietnam is usually perceived as an
infantry war, with US forces deploying by helicopter, the long supply lines that
led to their inland bases had to be travelled by ground vehicles. The 8th and
48th Transportation Groups were responsible for hauling supplies through the
long, dangerous roads of Vietnam, and they often found
themselves the target of ambushes, attacks, and sniping. In response to this,
vehicle crews began to arm trucks with machine guns and armour them with
sandbags. While these proved less than ideal, the concept was considered valid,
and more and more “gun trucks” appeared, sporting heavier weapons and armour.
Written by a Vietnam veteran, this book traces the
development of these gun trucks from the jury-rigged originals to the powerful
armoured vehicles that appeared later in the war.
Contents
Historical
background and the need for gun trucks * Organization of transportation
units * The Army convoy system * VC convoy ambush tactics * The
2-1 2-ton M35A2 cargo truck * The 5-ton M54 cargo trucks * Gun truck
armament * Examples of gun trucks * Quad .50 machine gun trucks *
Misc. gun truck vehicles * Gun truck employment and counter-ambush tactics
* Landing clearing operations * Counter-mine and mine clearance
techniques * Assessment
