"Australian Fire Support Base - Vietnam" Topic

"Last week I was invited to the Second Battalion, Royal Australian Regimental Museum to view their outstanding collection, which provided the history of the Battalion from 1946 to Present days. However hidden in one of the corners of the museum I found this fantastic diorama portraying an Australian Fire Support Base during the later stages of our countries involvement in the Vietnam War. I also found out that two members of our local wargaming club (Dave Lowe and Terry Moran)had made and donated the diorama to the museum a number of years ago. I have to admit the guys have done a fantastic job. They have even included a small clearing patrol, a section of APC's departing the Fire Base and another section of ACP's loading up with platoon of infantry, supporting tanks and many more small additions."

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Amicalement
Armand

Very nice modelling !

How does he find these things?

Tango, this is one of your 40%….the absolute treasures in the content you unearth, that we would never find

Happy you like it boys!. (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

That's great work.

Glad you like it too my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

Beautiful dio. Those APCs look like M113s but what kind of turrets did they mount, looks like some old Saladin/Fox turrets and a couple look like they were modeled after some French equipment?

The Aussies were clever like that and there are a few runners still seen at shows carrying the old Saladin turret. Well spotted and recognised! (easier for me because I knew about this for years)

The Beast was a fire support vehicle with a Saladin turret, though a later version seen in the 80s and early 90s had a Scorpion turret. (That one didn't last so long…)

There was also an LRV version of the basic carrier, which had a Cadillac Gage T50 turret:

Eureka made one in 28mm.
Also I know the author of the original post; Nathan is the proprietor of Elite Miniatures Australia in Townsville.

Yes, I always though the Aussie conversions of the M113 were great. Even in the late '80 our M113 didn't have a fully enclosed turret like the Aussie version. I commanded an M113 Mech Co at Ft. Benning, GA. Which was part of a Mech Hvy Bde the US 18th ARN Corps. I guess they didn't want to spend the money on a weapon system they were going to phase out eventually.

The best we had in the ROK was the Vietnam vintage ACAV turret. And stateside we still road around in an open hatch behind the .50.

Very nice,…the tank looks good too. Oops sorry, lost my train of thought there for a second. Why didn't the US up gun those bad boys like that?

The US used the M113 as primarily as a troop transport, along with as mortar carriers, ADA weapons carrier, etc.

The Aussies used their M113 with the Saladin Turret as an Infantry direct fire support vehicle. link
The US tactics and techniques were a bit different than the ANZACs. Regardless they were very effective jungle fighters and in some cases the VC thought they were better at this type of warfare than the US.

But the US saw no need for a light Inf direct fire support vehicle. The US would probably use MBTs if available. So basically an up-gunned APC was not required.

As always the US had massive amounts of fire support from many assets. The ANZACs had a much smaller force level in Vietnam. Even if the US did provide fire support to them if needed. And the US did often. But they had their own FA, aircraft etc., in their forces. I believe they thought the extra direct Inf fire support would be helpful in providing immediate fires to the Troops on the ground.

Love this dio!