Vietnam - M60 Machine Gun & M79 Grenade Launcher - a short history

[Music] during the Vietnam War the m60 machine gun earned the nickname the pig due to the sheer bulk of the weapon since Vietnam the m60 has served with every branch of the United States military officially adopted in 1957 the belt-fed machine gun was true served and was operated by teams of two or more soldiers as of 2005 the m60 is still in use by the Coast Guard and the Navy the army still uses the m60 on helicopters as a door gun the Marine Corps however has officially phased out the m60 replacing it with the upgraded m240 in the 1980s in the 1950s project Niblick sought to create a weapon for US soldiers that would fire an explosive projectile farther than a grenade rifle but be more portable than a mortar the project was able to create a 40 by 46 millimeter grenade but unable to create a launcher that was effective with more than a single shot the m79 was first adopted by the United States military on December 15th 1960 and saw wide distribution throughout the squads in Vietnam the following year earning the nicknames thumper blooper and the blue tube because of the weapons distinct report the m79 grenade launcher was able to fire a variety of 40 millimeter rounds including explosive smoke and illumination rounds a compact grenade launcher came in handy during the years in Vietnam especially in penetrating doors windows and soft-skinned vehicles as well as causing casualties and groups of enemies either during melee warfare were hidden under cover of dead space the weapon resembled a sawed-off shotgun but even so the Grenadier who carried the m79 shortened the barrel and the stock to make the grenade launcher even more compact while the m79 was accurate at ranges of up to 350 meters the single-shot design of the weapon could prove to be a drawback in a close quarters combat situation especially since grenadiers is often only carried a knife and pistol into battle rather than the standard-issue infantry rifle even if a soldier had the luxury of time to reload during a battle the m79 was at best able to fire about 6 rounds per minute during the Vietnam War grenade launchers such as the m203 were developed as attachments to the m16 family of rifles largely replacing the m79 on the field of battle in recent years the m79 has seen use by the United States Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces because of its greater accuracy and range than the underbarrel attachment versions Operation Iraqi Freedom saw the m79 employed in clearing improvised explosive devices or IEDs from roadways and battlefields the m79 can also be used in a non-lethal capacity for crowd control in riot situations the FBI and other law enforcement agencies use the m79 to fire M 651 CS gas cartridges and other agencies in many other countries use M 1006 sponge grenades and the M 1029 crowd dispersal rounds in an effort to reduce the amount of gear a soldier carried through the harsh jungle terrain of Vietnam the m203 grenade launcher is designed as an attachment to the m16 family of rifles however many variants of the launcher are compatible with a variety of assault rifles a standalone grenade launcher like the m79 might not have been appropriate for a close-range firefight but the unpredictable nature of warfare during Vietnam made such a weapon indispensable the m203 allowed a soldier to readily and easily switch between his rifle and the grenade launcher and most importantly saw that the infantrymen would not have to carry additional artillery in service since 1969 the m203 continues to be used by the Marine Corps Air Force and Navy but the army soon plans to replace the m203 with the updated m3 - oh another underbarrel grenade launcher that boasts a specialized sight for use in light and darkness a sideloading breech and a double-action firing mechanism attachments for other weapon systems have been inspired by the m203 such as the heckler & koch a g36 for use in the german g36 assault rifle family as well as the russian gp-25 for use with the ak-47 and its variants thanks for watching if you'd like to help us produce more compelling historical content like this please like comment below and share this video with fellow history buffs and of course be sure to subscribe to help keep history happening [Music]

Channel: LionHeart FilmWorks

Views: 32,290

Rating: 4.9229536 out of 5

Keywords: 101st airborne, airborne forces (film subject), military history, north vietnam, reel history, south vietnam, us army, us army infantry, us army training, viet cong, vietnam (country), vietnam war, vietnam war documentary, vietnam war footage, M79, M60, machine gun, grenade launcher, m79 grenade launcher, military training, weapon spotlights, heavy gunner, fully automatic, military history visualized, 1957, 1975, MG, m203 grenade launcher, forgotten weapons, military

Id: --bxbHhoLGQ

Length: 7min 5sec (425 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 20 2019