"ROK in Vietnam Questions" Topic

So, at one point they had something like fifty thousand troops and another hundred thousand civilians in the country, including two army divisions,a marine brigade plus and even some odd air force and navy support. So I have a question or two.

What uniforms did they wear?
Korean War style green utilities, that funny Korean style duck hunter pattern or the olive drab jungle fatigues????

At what point did they reciev M16s? Was it army marines or both?
Did they totally replace their Garands and BARs?

Do I really need separte figures for ROK?
I am thinking that the current ARVN ranges that have exploded my interest might be a tad short for ROK. So, if they're standard uniform, helemt and weapon like US troops, I can just use US figures.

Da TMP Bug strikes!!

I think so.

As far as I know, the ROK Army wore US OD uniforms, and the marines and SF wore the duck hunter camo.

Korean War style green utilities, that funny Korean style duck hunter pattern or the olive drab jungle fatigues????

generally during the war the ROKs had green fatigues. And US type equipment.

At what point did they receive M16s? Was it army marines or both?

IIRC they got M16s before or during Vietnam. Both the Army and Marines.

Did they totally replace their Garands and BARs?

I don't think they had M1s or BARs during Vietnam.

I am thinking that the current ARVN ranges that have exploded my interest might be a tad short for ROK.

The ARVN and ROKs are generally short by Western standards.

I found some footage on YouTube. They are armed with M1 rifles, BARs, M1 carbines (sometimes in large numbers), and.30 cal Browning machine guns. I didn't see any carrying an M16. A few guys were humping 75mm recoilless rifles on their backs. Overall, very evocative of WWII GIs.

That is how I understood them to be armed for their first year at least of participation.

The troops armed that way, what were the uniforms?

OD green, and a lot of camo helmet covers.

Any US carbines seen in VN may well be M2's rather than M1's. The M2 version (first issued in the Korean War) was selectable between semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. It is almost impossible to distinguish between the two types from a distance. The M2 fire selector lever was located inside the stock close up against the left side of the receiver and is hard to see unless you are looking for it.

One hint that you are looking at an M2 is to check the type of ammunition clip fitted. If it has a 30-round banana clip, you are probably looking at an M2. TTBOMK, the WW2-era M1's were only issued with the straight 15-round clips. The 30-round banana clips came with the M2's. But type of clip is not a 100% certain indicator, as both clips were interchangeable between the two model types.

FWIW.

B

Sure. There were 15 and 30 round magazines pictured, and there were both M1s and M2s used in-country. I didn't think it was a distinction worth noting since a figure carrying an M1 isn't going to look any different than a figure carrying an M2. It is certainly reasonable to assume that some of the carbines were M2s. As to the prevalence of one over the other, I am afraid that I don't have any idea. In game terms, you are correct, it may be something to consider if playing small actions.

Hi 79th,
Sorry if I sounded like I was criticizing your opinion on the figure quality. That was the furthest thing from my mind. Just had the M1 semi-auto versus M2 full-auto thing on my mind and was focused upon the different effects of the two weapon types from the table-top gaming perspective.

B

Oh my. No offense taken at all. I hoped that I wasn't coming across as an azz. It's all good.

Works for me, 79thPA

Remote fist bump.

B