Could a M151A2 with TOW have been used in Vietnam ?

TOW was deployed to Vietnam on Jeeps during the 1972 Easter offensive. But I dont know if they were on 151A1 or 151A2 Jeeps. I have a photo or two of them in Vietnam in one of my books.

Here is a liink to shot of 151A1s with the original long barrel launchers in Pleiku, 1972

http://www.olive-drab.com/images/m825_pleiku_1972_700.jpg

As Gino already stated. the M151A2 if it saw VN service, would have been limited and late in the war Maybe with a 106mmRR.

The A2 was deployed in Europe and stateside before it was possibly sent to VN

Rounds Complete!!

The pic does look like M151A2 TOW MUTTs.  Can't confirm it is Vietnam though.  If so, they were possibly a few that were test trialled in VN.  None were deployed operationally.

OK, here is the photo out of a book I have on Vietnam. The caprion states this was taken in Pleiku. They are certianly TOW systems. The troop sitting on the hood of the 2nd 151 appears to have a 1st Cav shoulder patch

I found the following info on the web about TOW ground system usage in Vietnam:

30 April 1972  DA ordered the deployment of the ground-based TOW system with instructors to train U.S. and South Vietnamese crews to operate the weapon.

May 1972  An 82^nd Airborne antitank task force was airlifted to Vietnam with 24 jeep-mounted launchers, 500 missiles, and two ¾-ton trucks from the maintenance contact team. The task force consisted of a 48-man crew plus a maintenance contact team of 10 personnel from the 763^rd Ordnance Company. In Vietnam, units of the task force were attached to the 3^rd Brigade, 1^st Cavalry Division (CD), whose personnel were trained to operate the TOW weapon system

10 May 1972  TOW training for South Vietnamese Marine Corps personnel began on this date and continued through 22 July. They fired a total of 163 TOW missiles. During the course of this training program, the first ground-based TOW was fired in actual combat.

21 May 1972  By this date, 28 missiles had been expended in training personnel of the 82^nd Airborne Division and the 3^rd Brigade/1^st CD on the ground-based TOW weapon system. Gunners of the 82^nd Airborne task force fired 12 training rounds against an artillery bunker at a range of about 2800 meters and scored 12 direct hits. Gunners of the 3^rd Brigade/1^st CD fired 16 training rounds, with 1 missile malfunction, 9 target hits, and 6 misses due to poor lighting conditions.

22 May 1972  The first tank kill by the ground-based TOW deployed with the South Vietnamese Marine Corps occurred when an NVA combined tank-infantry force with 9 tanks and about 200 troops attacked the 369^th Brigade command post (CP). When the battle ended 2 hours later, all 9 tanks had been destroyed and 117 enemy were confirmed dead.

26 May 1972   The 82^nd Airborne Division task force, previously moved from Bien Hoa to Pleiku, was rushed to positions around Kontum to help counter the NVA tank assault launched on this date. PFC Angel Figueroa scored the division's first tank kill with the ground-based TOW during the main battle for Kontum that raged until 31 May. About a week later, the 48-man task force turned over their TOW equipment to the 3^rd Brigade/1^st CD, then returned to the United States.

25 June 1972   A limited number of U.S. ground-based TOW missile systems saw combat in Vietnam. These systems destroyed 12 tanks, including 9 in a single action northwest of Hue on this date.

19 August 1972   By this time, a total of 23 ground-based TOW missiles had been fired in combat engagements, destroying 11 tanks and 6 bunkers.

 No date is listed in the article for the withdrawal of the 1st Cav TOW units.

HeavyArty wrote:

Very few M151A2s were deployed to Vietnam.  None with TOW.  The pic you have linked is of an M825 Recoiless Rifle Carrier, which is an M151A2 w/ 106mm recoiless rifle.

that's correct. I did see a few Jeeps with the 106mm recoiless rifles mounted on them, and even then they were few and far between. Jeeps were really only good for the Highway One areas and inside base camps, and were prone to tucking in the rear wheels and doing a roll over. MP's used a lot of them with M60 machineguns mounted on a post behind the driver in the middle. Never saw one with a fifty caliber, but have seen pics of them

gary

stikpusher wrote:

OK, here is the photo out of a book I have on Vietnam. The caprion states this was taken in Pleiku. They are certianly TOW systems. The troop sitting on the hood of the 2nd 151 appears to have a 1st Cav shoulder patch I found the following info on the web about TOW ground system usage in Vietnam: 30 April 1972  DA ordered the deployment of the ground-based TOW system with instructors to train U.S. and South Vietnamese crews to operate the weapon. May 1972  An 82nd Airborne antitank task force was airlifted to Vietnam with 24 jeep-mounted launchers, 500 missiles, and two ¾-ton trucks from the maintenance contact team. The task force consisted of a 48-man crew plus a maintenance contact team of 10 personnel from the 763rd Ordnance Company. In Vietnam, units of the task force were attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division (CD), whose personnel were trained to operate the TOW weapon system 10 May 1972  TOW training for South Vietnamese Marine Corps personnel began on this date and continued through 22 July. They fired a total of 163 TOW missiles. During the course of this training program, the first ground-based TOW was fired in actual combat. 21 May 1972  By this date, 28 missiles had been expended in training personnel of the 82nd Airborne Division and the 3rd Brigade/1st CD on the ground-based TOW weapon system. Gunners of the 82nd Airborne task force fired 12 training rounds against an artillery bunker at a range of about 2800 meters and scored 12 direct hits. Gunners of the 3rd Brigade/1st CD fired 16 training rounds, with 1 missile malfunction, 9 target hits, and 6 misses due to poor lighting conditions. 22 May 1972  The first tank kill by the ground-based TOW deployed with the South Vietnamese Marine Corps occurred when an NVA combined tank-infantry force with 9 tanks and about 200 troops attacked the 369th Brigade command post (CP). When the battle ended 2 hours later, all 9 tanks had been destroyed and 117 enemy were confirmed dead. 26 May 1972   The 82nd Airborne Division task force, previously moved from Bien Hoa to Pleiku, was rushed to positions around Kontum to help counter the NVA tank assault launched on this date. PFC Angel Figueroa scored the division's first tank kill with the ground-based TOW during the main battle for Kontum that raged until 31 May. About a week later, the 48-man task force turned over their TOW equipment to the 3rd Brigade/1st CD, then returned to the United States. 25 June 1972   A limited number of U.S. ground-based TOW missile systems saw combat in Vietnam. These systems destroyed 12 tanks, including 9 in a single action northwest of Hue on this date. 19 August 1972   By this time, a total of 23 ground-based TOW missiles had been fired in combat engagements, destroying 11 tanks and 6 bunkers.  No date is listed in the article for the withdrawal of the 1st Cav TOW units.

looking at the photo, I can say your right. Time frame is after I left country. Think those guys are AirCav folks, and not armored Cav. Area looks tobe coastal and maybe down south. I gathered thish by the CJ5 Jeep painted grey. It's Navy. Interesting thing about this is that the AirCav was up in the far northwest corner of RVN at the time this photo was taken, so why would they have enterd way down south? They're probably prepping for the LST ride to Chu Lai or Da Nang

the 22nd of May party was probably up near Quang Tri, but the SVN Marines claimed they used LAW's (I doubt that!) and recoiless rifles to knock out a handfull of T59 tanks inside the city. (note: seems to me that I've seen photos of Jeeps with 106's mounted on them in Quang Tri)Also I have a problem with the very idea that an 82nd unit was operating northwest of Hue!!! Nope! Nada! Not the slightest chance that an 82nd unit would ever be located in home turff of the 101st, but the 101st did do several ops with the 1st Air Cav up in that area (Ripcord comes to mind). Still that very area makes the use of a Jeep very limited unless maybe they had them located at Khe Sahn (major home base for the 1st AirCav).

gary

I was part of the tow missile team from the 82nd airborne div.that deployed durring the easter offensive.You won't see an 82nd patch on any of the men because we cut them off in the plane on the flight over there and they gave us all 1st Cav patches to sew on our fatigues. The Brass did not want us getting off the plane with our 82nd patches showing. President Nixon said he would not send anymore ground troops to Vietnan on tv May1st of 72. We left Ft Bragg on May 2nd