173rd Airborne Brigade Sky Soldiers: M113 Gavins in Combat in Vietnam 3/3

Also notice how upon arrival, the Sky Soldiers wore full-color patches and insignia but as combat experience prodded them they were removed. However, bad camouflage OD green UH-1 Huey helicopters organic to the 173rd were still operated. In addition to seeing the Sky Soldiers skillfully employing M113A1 Gavins, youll see jeeps with 106mm recoilless rifles, joint operations with crack Australian infantry and extremely rare footage of the 173rds combat parachute jump during Operation Junction City in 1967:

http://www.combatreform.org/paratrooper.htm

Note the parachute dropped M102 105mm towed howitzers. If this amazing video was not enough, notice the CH-37 Mojave piston-engined, heavy-lift helicopter landing and a M274 MULE 4x4 platform truck roll off! At one time each rifle company had several MULES to avoid having to foot-slog--the 173rd of yesterday was better equipped and more capable than today's "Herd" that humps at less than 1 mph with a pathetic Humvee truck and trailer for 100+ men.

Here's an U.S. Army Command & General Staff College School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) report by Infantry officer, Major William Sutey on the need for cross-country MOBILITY (XCM) from M113 Gavin light tracked tanks to improve LIGHT INFANTRY FORCE mobility, protection and firepower. READ IT.

http://www.combatreform.org/M113GAVINSforLIGHTINFANTRYmajorsutey1993.pdf

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• paratroopers

[BLP173rd]

This is some great old footage, but it's a bit too sterile.

[forcerecon85]

I love the 173rd as they really were one of the elite units in Vietnam and I'm a Vietnam War re-enactor. I'm glad you show pride in them, but I don't support your dislike for the modern 173rd or the US Marine Corps as both are good, maybe not as elite as the first Sky Soldiers in this video but still damn good fighting men and women. Regardless, Thanks for posing that video :)