My Vietnam Bring Back

[CAV>SSG]

I hand carried this Chicom Type 53 (See Attachments) back from Vietnam, while serving with The 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division 1967-1968. The carbine has no matching numbers, the vietcong made due with what they had and replaced parts as needed. The T-53 is dated 1960, factory 26 and i made the capture during the 1st Tet offensive. Although copies, i have all paperwork including, American Embassy Export License, Provost Marshal Cleared for CONUS, DD603 Registration of War Trophy and DD603-1 War Trophy Registration Authorization. The originals were either lost or stollen in Florida and i have a police report to that effect. I hope this little bit of information is interesting reading to the sites members. Thanks A.M.

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[browningautorifle]

Welcome to the forum. Nice piece, and glad you made it back.

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

What BAR said & thanks for sharing.

[imarangemaster]

Sweet! That is a prize! Welcome to the forum.

[Peter Laidler]

The most common of them all down in the South East, Nui Dat/Vung Tau area (it was called the special zone for some reason) was the RPD which the crunchies used to call GBF's (for great balls of fire.....). I often wondered why but the intelligence people said that it was because the chicom suppliers were all rearming with RPK's and wanted to get rid of the RPD's. Not sure about that but they were very common captures (and subsequent sea dumps).

I'd prefer an RPD any day!

[Sentryduty]

I often wondered why but the intelligence people said that it was because the chicom suppliers were all rearming with RPK's and wanted to get rid of the RPD's. Not sure about that but they were very common captures (and subsequent sea dumps).

I'd prefer an RPD any day!

That is an odd change, I know the RPD is the older design, 1945 or so, and wikipedia claims the RPK was adapted to attempt standardize their logistics, but a belt fed MG is generally preferable to a box magazine gun, at least in my opinion.

However I can see some benefits in favour of the RPK, it's 6 lbs lighter, and uses nearly all the same parts as a Rifleman's AK, but the long magazine options do keep teh gunner from getting very low to the ground.

[browningautorifle]

but the long magazine options do keep teh gunner from getting very low to the ground.

Remember their doctrine was at the double and firing from the hip. Not stagnating on the ground. A long mag is immaterial...

[Sentryduty]

Remember their doctrine was at the double and firing from the hip. Not stagnating on the ground. A long mag is immaterial...

Truly, the massed frontal, or the flanking while the armour conducted the frontal, they did essentially plan to move masses quickly and overwhelm.

Also artillery, artillery bombardment for everyone.

It's been at least 10 years since I trained to Soviet doctrine, and a lot of that was lost to my immediate memory due to the rise of counter-insurgency experience.

All still in the brain-bucket, just in the foggy reaches is all.

[browningautorifle]

It's been at least 10 years

Me too, it's just that we lived that garbage for years trying to imagine we were actually training for something...like washing and shaving every scalding hot morning only to cam up again... Because in combat we'll be doing this...let's don't get started...

[Peter Laidler]

It turned out that the RPK that replaced the RPD wasn't as good is it seemed. Just a heavy rifle to me! Just another little boy trying to do a grown-ups job. Makes me think of the L86 LSW. Just a little boy trying to be a section machine gun when it's really nothing of the sort. The section needs a REAL machine gun........ like the PKM. That's what I call the only real competition for the GPMG. That's what convinced me that Mr Kalashnikov was a mechanical genius and maestro