"The M79 Grenade Launcher Had Its Benefits and Drawbacks" Topic

"The M79 grenade launcher was known by many names, including the "Thumper-Gun" and the "Bloop Tube" – Australians even called it the "Wombat Gun." Resembling a shotgun, it was used by US troops serving in Vietnam during the 1960s. While it had its positives, its drawbacks eventually led to it being replaced by the M203.

The M79 was developed during Project NIBLICK, the US Army's attempt to increase an infantryman's firepower by using an explosive projectile that was more portable than a mortar and had more range than rifle grenades. It was also important the new weapon be accurate when fired…"

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Armand

I turned 19 on the flight to Viet Nam. My birthday lasted 17 hours! The shortest birthday I ever had!
I was on perimeter duty and the sergeant said to fire a round into the bush. It was a little early morning routine to "clear the bush".
I had fired a couple of blooper grenade rounds and the recoil was about like an M14. Solid but not too bad. Well not paying attention to the round codes, I loaded a flechette round.
That dam thing nearly took my shoulder off! I had a bruise for a week!

Thanks

Armand

It's always instructive to hear personal notes from the field.

Bet you didn't make that mistake again.

No, not with the M79. However.
Even more embarrassing, one night I had perimeter duty right off Ql1, the main (2 lane) road thru Northern I Corps, right next to an MP guard shack.
It was about 10 or 11 PM and one of the MPs asked me to pop a flare over the papa san's hooch, about 50-60 meters out. Maybe he saw some activity or maybe he just wanted to annoy the poor papa san.
So, I carefully removed the cap and placed on the bottom (I had never popped a flare before and I was kind of excited about doing it. Usually the "bunker commander" got to do it.)
I had it in my hand and slammed it down on the sandbag in front of me AND my wrist broke! The flare shot out about 5 feet above the ground, went about 30 yards, popped and settled to the ground about 2 seconds later!
So as this bright campfire burned itself out, the MP hollered over," Hey! Can you pop another one a little higher?"
Well, blushing brightly, I managed to get the next one over the intended target.
Another little bit of trivia about flares: Most of us GIs over there were teenagers and we loved to play with things. Flares have parachutes in them! So, guys would take out the parachutes and play with them, of course replacing the colored disc on top that indicated what color it was.
Sometimes a flare would be popped and it went up, arced and would come straight down.

Armand,
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread. I spent a year over there, June of '69 to June of '70, and have many stories.

He will welcome them. We all do and frankly any response encourages him these days. But first hand accounts from those who were there are invaluable.

Especially today I think of how many of Pearl Harbour (Harbor) survivors are still alive after so long. Their accounts are almost lost now. It will be our turn all too soon.

07 January….I wonder how many survivors there are from Kota Bahru, the first battle of the war with Japan.

d88mm1940 … far away to hijacking … you really enlight it… the idea is the participation of the greatest amout of our fellow members… so… many thanks again!…

Armand

Good point about Malaya and Thailand 7/12 (or was it still 6/12 there? First battle against Japan? Tell that to the poor Chinese.

I agree with Tango. Conversation can drift off topic, but that is what chat is all about, it develops and can always return.

Thanks d88

In May 2004, US Marines with Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division then deployed to Iraq, were reported to have tested M79 grenade launchers as a possible answer to neutralizing improvised explosive devices. The M79 was seen as potentially allowing the Marines the stand-off distance they needed to eliminate the threat and keep roads open for convoys. Having a single, dedicated weapon to handle IEDs would allow a "comfort" factor which Marines were looking for when it comes to defeating the explosive threat.

Wolfhag

Thanks also…

Armand

In the early 1970s, our squad leader carried the Blooper. They didn't have a blank round for it so to "simulate" firing the squad leader opened it and someone else stuck the muzzle of his M16 in the breech and fired a blank round. It actually sounded pretty cool.

Wolfhag

Any thoughts as to the effectiveness of the round for applying to wargames?

Keep this going.

This is history unrecorded….seriously. One day this will be debated on TMP 2053 and, like Waterloo, the answer will be…who knows?

(smile)

Armand

ugly,
This should help: link

Compare it to the current hand grenade: link

FYI: I've been told the Russian 30mm grenade used in Ukraine is mostly just for harassment as its causality effectiveness is very limited. However, it is good for suppression during a counterattack or trench raid and can perform indirect fire.

As far as war games I'd say it is like a single shot direct fire weapon with a better chance to hit and wound.

Wolfhag

Cheers Wolfhag – much obliged yet again!

ugly,
One last thing that I've read about VN AARs with the M79. When firing it into a tree line or jungle gunners could fire it into the tree branches over the enemy to create an airburst. Grenades are small enough that the result will mostly be suppression and wounds rather than killing unless it's almost a direct hit.

Wolfhag

Another thing to consider, UFB, is that the HE round arming distance means firing HE into a room from the window will usually be a round wasted. With an effective point target (ie being able to put it through a house window) range of only 150m the weapon was used for suppression fire in the Australian army.

It was usually carried by the No. 1 rifleman or the Section 2IC (until M203's came in, in about '70 or '71- but CMF/ARes units were still using M79 in the early 80's). The M79 was a support weapon and their main weapon was their L1A1 SLR, which they also carried and used. So the M79 spent most of the time unloaded and slung muzzle down on your back, beside your pack, with an old sock jammed in the muzzle to keep dirt, etc, out.

All very helpful chaps- cheers!

I understand that the arming of the spin action safety fuse was an addition after some nasty surprises when fired at either things too close or hitting leafy shrubs too close.

Some prefer the M79 over the M203 because they claim better accuracy with it. Being a designed specifically and lighter on its own, that makes sense.

The XM148 was considered limited production at 20,000 being produced.

Having a HE round you'd fired go off a couple of metres away would probably have most people doing a bit of thinking, troopwo. :-)

I used both, though I had the 203 for a lot longer. The 79 was a pain and, on exercises, just so much more dead weight to drag around and get in the way on work parties.

Accuracy didn't seem much different. On the range I could fairly reliably put prac rounds from both through the target frames at roughly 175m, if the wind wasn't too bad. Gusting winds were the main problem- you couldn't predict the wind and aim off to compensate for it.

never really cared that much about the bloop. Our units were mostly on the coast (around Chu Lai) and everything was sand, which seemed to absorb a lot of the effectiveness :/ My corpsman usually carried it at K3 <lol>