Great video, I was Infantry and we were always taught to take the compass out of the case and carry it in the upper pocket with the cord looped through the button hole, also carried the plastic grid square reader and a pen in the same pocket. Canteens we always carried two, always in case one got nicked by a bullet or we just needed extra water. I carried a lifer pocket knife in my pants pocket and a Cammilus Or Gerber fighting knife on my web gear. I also had a small riot gas mask pouch on my belt, because they were waterproof and rugged. My field dressing was carried in a compass pouch on the harness strap near your neck. I carried a spare dressing in my pocket. I wore my entrenching tool on my belt, I cut the Grenade straps off the grenad pouches and carried them in a small canvass bag. I would never have left the butt pack straps dangling like that, you fed them through the buckle, so that the metal tab was inside the created loop and could be tightened up like a little wheel, so the metal tabs didn’t bang and make noise. I carried a poncho and poncho liner. The poncho liner kept bugs off you when sleeping. The butt pack had my meals , broken down and dumb shit thrown out, the cans were inside of spare socks. If the Ammo pouches were the later ones I cut out the dividers that held up the magazines. While walking I usually left the belt unfastened , so the swinging gear did not tire me or cause heat rash where they trapped sweat. The material of the uniform was rip stop and had little squares of nylon in the fabric. The jungle boots and uniform were excellent. The canvas gear got wet and was vastly improved by the nylon replacements. I carried a COLT .45 Calibre pistol that was excellent and saved my life. All of it was pretty good, if a little heavy when ammo was added. We always carried at least twice the ammo and socks they said to bring.
Excellent video! LOTS of memories about this! The slanted chest-pockets were extremely useful, but the joke is the generals hated it because it gave them away when they tilted their head to scope out your name-tape and pretend they remembered your name. So the name-tapes had to be sewn-on level. The Battle Dress Uniforms (B.D.U.) had the pockets level (yet again, the Army chose "looks good" over usefulness). We were still wearing this in Ranger School in 1977, but only Ranger School and Jungle School (in Panama) were allowed to wear the Jungle Fatigues. Notice that the pockets cover the buttons. The top-flap was two layers; with a button-hole in the deeper layer. This avoided having something catch on your buttons and/or tearing them off. For everything else we went back to the stupid "pickle suits" which looked good when standing at attention but were basically useless in the field. We were issued "Field Pants" which had the thigh-pockets and were baggy. But the Army hates useful things; so we had them but were told to not wear them! But in the Korean winter I had them over my 'skinny-jeans' fatigues, anyway (and still froze my butt off!). "NEVER hold the rifle by the aiming line!" (can't remember the official name). We did it anyway, and got corrected every time. I still don't know why they hated us doing that, but it is NOT a handle. I wouldn't put a pouch on the right-shoulder of my web-gear (Load Bearing Equipment / L.B.E.); that's where the butt of the rifle goes when firing it. On the ammunition pouches, there is a wooden tab encased in the green cloth; which fit snugly and didn't accidentally come out. Those are M14 pouches (each held three 20-round magazines); which a lot of us had. You can fit four 20-round M16 magazines (smaller bullets) and one sideways across the top. So, 100 bullets of 5.56mm versus 60 bullets of 7.62mm The smaller M16 magazine pouch held three 20-round magazines and was closed with a plastic dual-headed clip. The ammo bandoliers had two 10-bullet stripper-clips in each pouch (that single 5-bullet stripper-clip pouch goes back to WWI). Each bandolier came with a small metal loader which attached to the magazine. The stripper clip fit into that and you pushed down with your thumb to force the bullets into the magazine (stripped away the bullets). Then you threw away the 'clip' (the small metal strip). This quickly wore out your thumb because the spring in the magazine pushed back. Everyone put a boot-blousing strap around the bottom of the flashlight to keep it from swinging back and forth. The pin on a grenade is the Safety. You hold down the "spoon" and pull the pin; then you allow the spring in the spoon to flip it away. Count enough before you throw it; so the grenade blows up before the bad guys have time to kick or throw it. Remember... that 5-second fuse is an approximation! Most guys wrapped tape around the spoon and, as mentioned in another comment, carried extras in a bag. The boots were great in Swamp Phase (dried quickly). But the lack of support for your ankles sucked when patrolling horizontally along the side of a mountain (avoid all trails / ambushes) in Mountain Phase. Your feet were parallel to the ground but at an angle to the rest of your body. I wore a soft ankle-support in my boots. There are straps on the bottom of the butt-pack, but we strapped the poncho across the top; the arrangement shown here would have bounced off the bottom of your ass with ever step (NOT comfortable). We ditched the entrenching-tool for a second canteen, (Rangers don't dig-in; they leave in a hurry!). When in a line-unit, I had extra canteens on the side of my ruck-sack. The plastic canteens didn't give that metallic taste to your water, but in the Korean winter mine became a block of ice and I was VERY thirsty. When I got home, I bought an aluminum canteen so I could put it over a fire to melt the water. You would use a beer-can opener to punch holes in the side of a used small C-ration can (the pound-cake was great!). Then put a heating-tab inside and light it. This is also how we warmed up water, in the canteen-cup, for the instant coffee or hot-chocolate. The entrenching-tool shown is a WWII/Korea version. Ours was completely metal, and both the shovel/pick, and handle folded. It was kept in a rubbery plastic case. In the video, there is a tab (with snap) to hold the bayonet to the cover of the entrenching tool. I've never seen that before. Ours was hooked onto our web-belt. The bipod and case would have only been issued to the Automatic Rifleman (full-auto capable M16). I never saw one of those cases before. Our cleaning kits were MUCH smaller. "Flak vests" were used by bomber crews in WWII to protect against shrapnel from anti-aircraft fire. They are NOT bullet-proof, but don't have to be. Something like 80% of all casualties in WWII and Korea came from artillery/mortar shrapnel and not bullets. (Wow, this has gotten long!) It was called a radio-telephone because what you listened to and spoke through looked like a telephone. The original had a separate head-set and a microphone. The Radio-Telephone Operator (R.T.O.) was usually standing next to the platoon leader (me, the guy yelling at people and pointing at where I want them to go). So when the Commies sprang their ambush, those were the first targets.
The British OG trousers with cross over straps and buckles and the airtex shirts were excellent, still sought after in the 70s. the 44 pattern metal water bottle and mug were also prized items.
When I was in the jungle in Malaysia, my uniform looks not unlike the American one. I removed the rank chevrons from my epaulettes. We had somewhat similar canvas jungle boots, but the leaches got in through the lace holes. Subsequently, they were too fat to escape through these holes, so when the boots came off, we had Meticide on hand to kill them. One morning, I discovered that I had been sleeping on a nest of young scorpions all night, but came to no harm. I doubt that two ants would have fitted into a Swan Vestas matchbox, we used to jokingly compare them to lions.
Very nice collection. I have some Vietnam era items, but tossed a lot over the years (regrettably). I was in High School when the war ended, and the surplus stores here were overflowing with boots, mess kits, uniforms, helmets, cammo paint sticks, canteens, you name it. And all for super cheap prices. We didn't think to save or collect. I still have my helmet with Mitchell cover and a bayonet. Here in San Diego are major Navy and Marine Corps bases, but lots of the stuff in the stores was US Army as well.
I bought a Vietnam era US M1 helmet off a SAS weapons Instructor in '77, whilst at Crickhowell as a grunt. Transferred to another regt, prior to a posting to NI I was on exercise in southern Germany where I managed to get a pair of US leather lightweight boots, lovely, like carpet slippers. I wore them in Ulster for almost 2 years, along with the M1 on occasion as we weren't issued with any head protection for the first 8 months. I knew one guy who actually had a German helmet he wore in BAOR covered in British scrim and hessian.
American gear: Compass was never worn in the pouch on the shoulder. That would be where the field dressing was carried. Carried there so it could be accessed regardless of whether you were face up or face down as a casualty. Pretty much a standard position - LEFT shoulder (so as to not interfere with shouldering the weapon). Flashlight, if carried, would be below the dressing pouch. If you had a compass, the pouch for it would be worn on the belt, near the center, either side - or carried in a pocket. The stripper clips for 5.56mm ammo were 10 rounds and there were two to the insert that went in each pouch on the bandolier. I assume the cardboard you have there is for the M14. The bipod was almost never issued or carried.
I used to do Vietnam war living history and in my attic is all that kit...I'm not sure it fits me anymore! My webbing loadout didn't include the bipod pouch; I left that in the camp as part of the display, but I would wear the 2 quart canteen which was worn slung across the body. An optional extra was the thigh mounted gas mask pouch. Mine's dated 1968 and it's in pristine condition as it was never issued and I bought it for £10 in a market in South London! One item that was popular with troops in the field was to wear the small, olive green issue towel around the neck. The ends would slot in under the yoke straps. I notice the angle head torch has the thumb guards on them. That's post Vietnam War but as the originals without the guards are so rare these days...and almost none you find are in working order...so most living history societies that cover Vietnam and the Cold War make an exception and allow the more modern design. You've got a great collection there and seeing it brings back a lot of good memories of doing the War and Peace living history show down in Kent and other military history festivals over the years.
I was a US Marine from 1988-92, and our field equipment was pretty much the same, except we had the "Y" harness instead of the "H" harness. I was in the National Guard from 1992-1996 and we were issued the Vietnam-era flak vest! Nice video, one note is that the camouflage band for the helmet was not to hold down the cover, but to hold leaves, twigs or fabric to disguise the shape of the helmet. Also, that bandolier is likely for the M1/M14, as the 5.56 rounds for the M16 came in 10-round clips, not 5.
A great video, and I will say the jungle boots were great, and a design of the jungle boot was still being issued when I got to the 75th Ranger Regiment in the mid 2000s and used as part of the duty uniform, though for field use other boots were mainly used
Really interesting video, thanks for the upload. At 1:04 when you spoke about the spike protective soles, the French in Indochina faced exactly the same problems 20 years earlier. They often wore Pataugas/chaussure de brousse which are similar to 'grunge' era converse trainers made from canvas and rubber.
I will try again.....😊😊great video and reminds me that I've got the same usa equipment belt, unsure of the date....very well displayed. The British set up is also first rate and its good to compare the brit kit against the American.....it is often forgotten that Britain was involved in a campaign similar to the vietnam war, jungle fighting, around the same time as the United States....cheers 😊😊😊
Britain fought in Vientnam in 45/46 as well, pacifying the country for France who couldn't resource the conflict and defeating the Viet Minh. Unfortuntely the British handing back to the French led ultimately to the later war.
@@nickwake5484 Yes. The Vietnamese liked the British control a lot better than the French one. Down to the British practice of prefering more native rule to the French. very different idea's about how to govern a colony.
Ref the British Army shirt. We had two shirts that were dress shirts with 28th Anzuk Brigade patches on the shoulders. The rest of the shirts had no flashes and were for the jungle. We carried three complete water bottles, and the tin mugs were popular. The Jungle boots were rubbish, we carried shorter, green hockey boots I think they were called to change into at night with dry socks.
@rex-y7v Probably was, back then. When I was stationed in Singapore, after the emergency, we had the same uniforms but 28th Anzuk Brigade along with our Australian and New Zealand comrades.
@@stephen2429 They left Terendak for Singapore in 1970. By that time much of the British kit had changed from the 50's stuff here. Commonwealth brigade became Anzuk brigade once in Singapore.
The ammo in the bandolier came in 2 10rd stripper clips in a cardboard case. The bandolier had seven pouches. The twenty round mag would fit in this pouch. the standard ammo pouch would hold 4 mags; so 8 mags were on the pistol pelt. To increase the carry load to a full combat load of at least 20 mags, bandoliers loaded with full mags were additionally carried. The average rifle man carried 30-40 mags between what was on his person and what was attached to his rucksack. 11B2P A/4/503 173Abn 68-69
We were on a 7-day resupply cycle II Corps in the Central Highlands to Cambodian border (lol) no organic chopper unit. If you didn't hump it you didn't have it. The combined weight of LBE and rucksack was 90-110 lbs on day one, expended munitions, our 81 motors humped with us so you either carried a round or an extra can of 7.62 for the M60, and eaten C-rats could bring the weight down.
Our uniforms had nylon fabric in them , the Jungle boots were the best, the poncho liner and the "Boonie" Hat the best .I have never been a devotee of the Cult of Eugene Stoner. But,I carried it.
@@militarymad2840 The US army jungle uniform of the era is really comfortable to wear and is hard wearing. You have guys doing living history and some of their uniforms date from the late 60s, early 70s and in good condition, if a little faded.
As said by others, a comparison between what US and Australians in Vietnam had would be fascinating. A much more direct comparison of different way to approach same problem.
A big mistake collectors and living history enthusiasts make when trying to collect Australian Vietnam war era kit is that it's "just like British Army lightweights". They certainly aren't! The basic uniform is similar to the US Army green temperate uniform but with a thigh pocket on the trousers. The boots are soft black leather, the hat (not helmets, Aussies didn't like wearing helmets in the field) was similar in shape to the British army lightweight hat but made from the same cloth as the uniform. Webbing was US 56 pattern but with SLR ammo pouches. Canteens were the US design.
And also the commonwealth army was more experienced in jungle warfare due having perfected the tactics they used against the japanese including ex chindit instructors
IIRC the spike protected boots had metal plates in the soles to protect against 'punji sticks' sharpened sticks in holes that were covered with camouflage, usually the usual forest 'litter' of leaves etc. Often also smeared with human excrement to give anyone unlucky enough to stand on one an infection, alongside an horrendous wound, that if untreated would lead to gangrene... Unfortunately the metal plates had the effect of turning into shrapnel for the wearer, and anyone nearby, if you were unlucky enough to stand on an AP mine exacerbating any injuries and potentially causing even more casualties nearby so were removed from later production...not sure if they were replaced by another material, I suspect not.
An excellent book that compares and contrasts USA to UK, 'Nam to Malaya is by a bloke called John A. Nagl and titled " Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam "
As Australia and New Zealand were also fighting in Vietnam, I think it or if you're also doing comparison between the British Malaya infantry uniform and Australian and new Zealand soldiers or in malaya and also in vietnam.
The Aussies wore dark green cotton uniforms, a mix of us and uk webbing and wore initially black ankle boots with jungle gaiters then black leather high leg boots.
Later mark #44 pattern bottles replaced the metal cap with a rubber one. Along with the chain removal, the metal cap made a very distinctive sound when openned and closed.
The spring-loaded bipod was pure crap. I was an automatic rifleman when we arrived by troopship to Quin-hon on 23 Oct. 1967. All auto riflemen were issued the bipod in our battalion (3/503 Airborne Infantry). My problem with them was when you needed a steady shot to make, the bipod as you leaned into it would slip off my rifle. After one or two mishaps, they were thrown away!
@@MrKen173 Thanks for the information, it was such a weird thing to see. I had never heard of these things before so good to know it was another "Good idea in theory, but ditched in practice" item
You might know the vents in the boot let water in as well as out. Not a problem when you're slogging through the jungle, but not so much for every day wear.
My uncle served in malaya as a Bren gunner , he got busted twice , once for fighting and another for having sardines and curry powder in his ammunition pouch , leaving a Bren magazine back at base so he could take more food.
@@militarymad2840: I have a pair of the UK ones (almost certainly ex 45 RM Commando, the modern US copies) they're actually extremely comfortable for dry summer hiking; not so much in a Scottish summer (but it can happen 😉)
My dad served out in Borneo [even though he was a CPO in the FAA I don't know why] for some years after he used to wear green underpants and vest which us kids thought was hilarious - don't no what happen to his kit from those years. I do still have, and use, his tools which are still in the service issue tool box [I believe they had to buy these as part of their job] Dad died in 1972 before I became interested in military things.
@@militarymad2840 Yes that is interesting. Mt father is said to have sercved in the Dublin Home Guard before he was 17 when he came to England to join the RN. Must hve been a Home Guard in neutral Ireland I suppose.
Martindale sold many tools and machetes in Venezuela. Still today it’s common practice to refer to any hand tools for farming or land clearing as “macundales”.
Our webbing was 37 pattern, refilling the water bottle was a marathon with a Millbank bag and tablets, we needed two water bottles due to the time taken to purify the water. We Brits always wore the sleeves rolled down and buttoned in the jungle in an attempt to protect from mosquitoes. The Malaysian jungle was no fun, anybody that wanted it could have it for me!
I used 2 '44 pattern ammo pouches (with belt loops) in place of the awful '58 pattern kidney pouches on my belt kit, plus 2 '44 pattern canteen covers with the later plastic 1L bottles. The 1958 pattern equipment had some serious drawbacks.
Another amazing collection! For folk of my age here in the U.S. this is still the mental image we have of a soldier. Funny thing about your cleaning kit. Originally, soldiers were instructed NOT to clean their m16s. You can imagine how well that worked out...
@@militarymad2840 , sheer luck. It was around this time that the Polyester uniforms were introduced... Imagine that in the jungle heat! Further, Stoner never meant the AR to be a battle rifle, it was meant to fill the role of an Air Force security weapon. By the way, have you ever seen the comic book the U.S. military put out, finally to cover the care and feeding of the M16? Yes... I said comic book.
After week on on jungle exercise (Malaysia) or operation ( Vietnam) none of this kit would be like this. The secret of jungle warfare is adaptability. I can assure you that having done both as an infantry private in 1967-69 that no one went came out of the bush looking like that. Grenades were not carried exposed unless there was photographer around . The radio ( 1962) which was the equivalent of the British A10 and changed in 64 to the PRC25 does not match the M16 flash eliminater (1968)
Radio for the US uniform is AN/PRC 8/9/10 (cover different frequency bands - went out of service in mid-1960s and replaced by the much smaller and lighter (and more reliable AN/PRC 25 set). The problems of cleaning the M16 were related to a failure by Remington to produce enough of the correct powder for the new round and the substitution with an Olin produced powder that produced greater fouling. The Army believed the change in powder would produce no problems so continued to not design or supply a cleaning kit ! It was not until later in 1960s that they started to do so. Handled and used the AN/PRC9, 25 and 77 sets and M16A1 (amongst other weapons in the Army of Oz). US Belt Buckle in M1967 version not used for much of the Vietnam War (as there was stocks of the earlier M1956 version - in fact most of the rest of the kit shown is M1956 version) The conflict with Indonesia was called "The Confrontation" (or "Konfrontasi") and even included planning by the UK for possible nuclear strikes on Indonesia.
"Ruled by England" I love it when the contributions of the Scots, Irish and Welsh and in many cases republic of Ireland troops are totally dismissed by people that have never done anything more dangerous than cross a busy road, there is and was at the time no such thing as the English army and the empire was not the English Empire, and no country is actually ruled by an English government.
The US Army didn't want the M16. It was forced upon them by McNamara. The rifle got the green light from the USAF and USMC, but the army misrepresented its field test data to justify its rejection. For a number of factors, McNamara told them where to go, and they got it. However, the army insisted on changing the charge from smokeless (which required little to no cleaning - of soot) to black powder (which produces a lot of soot and requires a lot of cleaning). The army made other changes which proved detrimental to the tropical climate of Vietnam too. As a result, troops were being issued with the M16 in-country, after training with the M14, which created some confusion, as they went straight out on patrol. Further confusion came from there being no cleaning kits issued, because of the claim that it didn't need cleaning. In the field, the guns jammed. The army blamed the soldiers for not cleaning their rifles with the cleaning kits that weren't issued. Quite a clusterfuck.
"charge from smokeless (which required little to no cleaning - of soot) to black powder" In the 1960s, nobody was using black powder in military weapons. The US military switched the power from a capsule shaped type of powder manufactured to a granular ball shaped type of powder (same powder used in the 7.62x51mm at the time, I believe).
I wore those British jungle boots before, and as stated by yourself, it is a horrible piece of footwear. It get soaked very easily, but doesn't dry as fast especially when you get water inside. It's also flimsy and the sole is a bit too soft. One good thing bout the soles is that it has excellent grip. Nowadays, I've upgraded to just regular boots or just some converse-like boots, which works for me.
British malaya accesories more quality..thats why win..bullet more accurates.tactic bunker to bunker no open war in vietnam..at last many vietnam betrayed usa..same china
My old man was in Malaya I still have his shirt, in fact I wore it in 1982 in the FALKLANDS.
Great video, I was Infantry and we were always taught to take the compass out of the case and carry it in the upper pocket with the cord looped through the button hole, also carried the plastic grid square reader and a pen in the same pocket. Canteens we always carried two, always in case one got nicked by a bullet or we just needed extra water. I carried a lifer pocket knife in my pants pocket and a Cammilus Or Gerber fighting knife on my web gear. I also had a small riot gas mask pouch on my belt, because they were waterproof and rugged. My field dressing was carried in a compass pouch on the harness strap near your neck. I carried a spare dressing in my pocket. I wore my entrenching tool on my belt, I cut the Grenade straps off the grenad pouches and carried them in a small canvass bag. I would never have left the butt pack straps dangling like that, you fed them through the buckle, so that the metal tab was inside the created loop and could be tightened up like a little wheel, so the metal tabs didn’t bang and make noise. I carried a poncho and poncho liner. The poncho liner kept bugs off you when sleeping. The butt pack had my meals , broken down and dumb shit thrown out, the cans were inside of spare socks. If the Ammo pouches were the later ones I cut out the dividers that held up the magazines. While walking I usually left the belt unfastened , so the swinging gear did not tire me or cause heat rash where they trapped sweat. The material of the uniform was rip stop and had little squares of nylon in the fabric. The jungle boots and uniform were excellent. The canvas gear got wet and was vastly improved by the nylon replacements. I carried a COLT .45 Calibre pistol that was excellent and saved my life. All of it was pretty good, if a little heavy when ammo was added. We always carried at least twice the ammo and socks they said to bring.
Wow thanks for all that info 👍
Excellent video! LOTS of memories about this!
The slanted chest-pockets were extremely useful, but the joke is the generals hated it because it gave them away when they tilted their head to scope out your name-tape and pretend they remembered your name. So the name-tapes had to be sewn-on level. The Battle Dress Uniforms (B.D.U.) had the pockets level (yet again, the Army chose "looks good" over usefulness).
We were still wearing this in Ranger School in 1977, but only Ranger School and Jungle School (in Panama) were allowed to wear the Jungle Fatigues. Notice that the pockets cover the buttons. The top-flap was two layers; with a button-hole in the deeper layer. This avoided having something catch on your buttons and/or tearing them off.
For everything else we went back to the stupid "pickle suits" which looked good when standing at attention but were basically useless in the field. We were issued "Field Pants" which had the thigh-pockets and were baggy. But the Army hates useful things; so we had them but were told to not wear them! But in the Korean winter I had them over my 'skinny-jeans' fatigues, anyway (and still froze my butt off!).
"NEVER hold the rifle by the aiming line!" (can't remember the official name). We did it anyway, and got corrected every time. I still don't know why they hated us doing that, but it is NOT a handle. I wouldn't put a pouch on the right-shoulder of my web-gear (Load Bearing Equipment / L.B.E.); that's where the butt of the rifle goes when firing it.
On the ammunition pouches, there is a wooden tab encased in the green cloth; which fit snugly and didn't accidentally come out. Those are M14 pouches (each held three 20-round magazines); which a lot of us had. You can fit four 20-round M16 magazines (smaller bullets) and one sideways across the top. So, 100 bullets of 5.56mm versus 60 bullets of 7.62mm The smaller M16 magazine pouch held three 20-round magazines and was closed with a plastic dual-headed clip. The ammo bandoliers had two 10-bullet stripper-clips in each pouch (that single 5-bullet stripper-clip pouch goes back to WWI). Each bandolier came with a small metal loader which attached to the magazine. The stripper clip fit into that and you pushed down with your thumb to force the bullets into the magazine (stripped away the bullets). Then you threw away the 'clip' (the small metal strip). This quickly wore out your thumb because the spring in the magazine pushed back.
Everyone put a boot-blousing strap around the bottom of the flashlight to keep it from swinging back and forth.
The pin on a grenade is the Safety. You hold down the "spoon" and pull the pin; then you allow the spring in the spoon to flip it away. Count enough before you throw it; so the grenade blows up before the bad guys have time to kick or throw it. Remember... that 5-second fuse is an approximation! Most guys wrapped tape around the spoon and, as mentioned in another comment, carried extras in a bag.
The boots were great in Swamp Phase (dried quickly). But the lack of support for your ankles sucked when patrolling horizontally along the side of a mountain (avoid all trails / ambushes) in Mountain Phase. Your feet were parallel to the ground but at an angle to the rest of your body. I wore a soft ankle-support in my boots.
There are straps on the bottom of the butt-pack, but we strapped the poncho across the top; the arrangement shown here would have bounced off the bottom of your ass with ever step (NOT comfortable).
We ditched the entrenching-tool for a second canteen, (Rangers don't dig-in; they leave in a hurry!). When in a line-unit, I had extra canteens on the side of my ruck-sack. The plastic canteens didn't give that metallic taste to your water, but in the Korean winter mine became a block of ice and I was VERY thirsty. When I got home, I bought an aluminum canteen so I could put it over a fire to melt the water. You would use a beer-can opener to punch holes in the side of a used small C-ration can (the pound-cake was great!). Then put a heating-tab inside and light it. This is also how we warmed up water, in the canteen-cup, for the instant coffee or hot-chocolate.
The entrenching-tool shown is a WWII/Korea version. Ours was completely metal, and both the shovel/pick, and handle folded. It was kept in a rubbery plastic case. In the video, there is a tab (with snap) to hold the bayonet to the cover of the entrenching tool. I've never seen that before. Ours was hooked onto our web-belt.
The bipod and case would have only been issued to the Automatic Rifleman (full-auto capable M16). I never saw one of those cases before. Our cleaning kits were MUCH smaller.
"Flak vests" were used by bomber crews in WWII to protect against shrapnel from anti-aircraft fire. They are NOT bullet-proof, but don't have to be. Something like 80% of all casualties in WWII and Korea came from artillery/mortar shrapnel and not bullets.
(Wow, this has gotten long!) It was called a radio-telephone because what you listened to and spoke through looked like a telephone. The original had a separate head-set and a microphone. The Radio-Telephone Operator (R.T.O.) was usually standing next to the platoon leader (me, the guy yelling at people and pointing at where I want them to go). So when the Commies sprang their ambush, those were the first targets.
Wow yes that was very long but really really interesting glad you survived and a privilege to hear from you thanks
Watched a number of your videos. Really interesting and subscribed 👍
Thanks very much
The British OG trousers with cross over straps and buckles and the airtex shirts were excellent, still sought after in the 70s. the 44 pattern metal water bottle and mug were also prized items.
When I was in the jungle in Malaysia, my uniform looks not unlike the American one. I removed the rank chevrons from my epaulettes. We had somewhat similar canvas jungle boots, but the leaches got in through the lace holes. Subsequently, they were too fat to escape through these holes, so when the boots came off, we had Meticide on hand to kill them. One morning, I discovered that I had been sleeping on a nest of young scorpions all night, but came to no harm. I doubt that two ants would have fitted into a Swan Vestas matchbox, we used to jokingly compare them to lions.
Just discovered this channel...Great video , nicely done ✔️
Very nice collection. I have some Vietnam era items, but tossed a lot over the years (regrettably). I was in High School when the war ended, and the surplus stores here were overflowing with boots, mess kits, uniforms, helmets, cammo paint sticks, canteens, you name it. And all for super cheap prices. We didn't think to save or collect. I still have my helmet with Mitchell cover and a bayonet. Here in San Diego are major Navy and Marine Corps bases, but lots of the stuff in the stores was US Army as well.
We loved the aluminium water bottles and cups , the pouches as well. I continued using them for many years after. Also we obtained a Kukri
The canteens were a big step up from the old enamel steel ones with a cork in
I bought a Vietnam era US M1 helmet off a SAS weapons Instructor in '77, whilst at Crickhowell as a grunt. Transferred to another regt, prior to a posting to NI I was on exercise in southern Germany where I managed to get a pair of US leather lightweight boots, lovely, like carpet slippers. I wore them in Ulster for almost 2 years, along with the M1 on occasion as we weren't issued with any head protection for the first 8 months. I knew one guy who actually had a German helmet he wore in BAOR covered in British scrim and hessian.
Great video loved it very informative and nicely presented.
Thank you 👍
American gear: Compass was never worn in the pouch on the shoulder. That would be where the field dressing was carried. Carried there so it could be accessed regardless of whether you were face up or face down as a casualty. Pretty much a standard position - LEFT shoulder (so as to not interfere with shouldering the weapon). Flashlight, if carried, would be below the dressing pouch. If you had a compass, the pouch for it would be worn on the belt, near the center, either side - or carried in a pocket. The stripper clips for 5.56mm ammo were 10 rounds and there were two to the insert that went in each pouch on the bandolier. I assume the cardboard you have there is for the M14. The bipod was almost never issued or carried.
I used to do Vietnam war living history and in my attic is all that kit...I'm not sure it fits me anymore! My webbing loadout didn't include the bipod pouch; I left that in the camp as part of the display, but I would wear the 2 quart canteen which was worn slung across the body. An optional extra was the thigh mounted gas mask pouch. Mine's dated 1968 and it's in pristine condition as it was never issued and I bought it for £10 in a market in South London! One item that was popular with troops in the field was to wear the small, olive green issue towel around the neck. The ends would slot in under the yoke straps. I notice the angle head torch has the thumb guards on them. That's post Vietnam War but as the originals without the guards are so rare these days...and almost none you find are in working order...so most living history societies that cover Vietnam and the Cold War make an exception and allow the more modern design. You've got a great collection there and seeing it brings back a lot of good memories of doing the War and Peace living history show down in Kent and other military history festivals over the years.
I was a US Marine from 1988-92, and our field equipment was pretty much the same, except we had the "Y" harness instead of the "H" harness. I was in the National Guard from 1992-1996 and we were issued the Vietnam-era flak vest!
Nice video, one note is that the camouflage band for the helmet was not to hold down the cover, but to hold leaves, twigs or fabric to disguise the shape of the helmet.
Also, that bandolier is likely for the M1/M14, as the 5.56 rounds for the M16 came in 10-round clips, not 5.
Thank you for confirming with what I have been thinking for many years.
The M1 helmet was a smaller profile than the ones from the Second World War.
There is a big difference when you put the two side by side
A great video, and I will say the jungle boots were great, and a design of the jungle boot was still being issued when I got to the 75th Ranger Regiment in the mid 2000s and used as part of the duty uniform, though for field use other boots were mainly used
Fantastic. Your an inspiration to every collector.
Thanks that’s very kind
Really interesting video, thanks for the upload. At 1:04 when you spoke about the spike protective soles, the French in Indochina faced exactly the same problems 20 years earlier. They often wore Pataugas/chaussure de brousse which are similar to 'grunge' era converse trainers made from canvas and rubber.
I will try again.....😊😊great video and reminds me that I've got the same usa equipment belt, unsure of the date....very well displayed. The British set up is also first rate and its good to compare the brit kit against the American.....it is often forgotten that Britain was involved in a campaign similar to the vietnam war, jungle fighting, around the same time as the United States....cheers 😊😊😊
It is good to compare two different uniforms
Britain fought in Vientnam in 45/46 as well, pacifying the country for France who couldn't resource the conflict and defeating the Viet Minh. Unfortuntely the British handing back to the French led ultimately to the later war.
@@nickwake5484 Yes. The Vietnamese liked the British control a lot better than the French one. Down to the British practice of prefering more native rule to the French. very different idea's about how to govern a colony.
Great video loved it 😊
Thanks makes it all worth while 👍
Ref the British Army shirt. We had two shirts that were dress shirts with 28th Anzuk Brigade patches on the shoulders. The rest of the shirts had no flashes and were for the jungle. We carried three complete water bottles, and the tin mugs were popular. The Jungle boots were rubbish, we carried shorter, green hockey boots I think they were called to change into at night with dry socks.
I have heard about changing the boots at night thanks 👍
It was the 28th Commonwealth brigade stationed at Terendak.
@rex-y7v Probably was, back then. When I was stationed in Singapore, after the emergency, we had the same uniforms but 28th Anzuk Brigade along with our Australian and New Zealand comrades.
@@stephen2429 They left Terendak for Singapore in 1970. By that time much of the British kit had changed from the 50's stuff here. Commonwealth brigade became Anzuk brigade once in Singapore.
1978 I was Jungle Warfare instructor in Brunei in training Team Brunei. We were still issued these boots which were 💩 so we bought the yank ones
That’s incredible they were still being used by then ☹️
@@militarymad2840 I was issued a pair in 79.
The replacement radio was the 25 set. AN PRC 25.
Called "pricks" (among other things) by the Grunts.
DOUG out
In jr highschool we would wear those jungle boots. They were comfy and durable.
Great kit as usual, well displayed.
Thank you very much appreciated
Yes.
Subscribed tonight.
DOUG out
Very nice collection
Just started watching your videos you have some amazing gear all the the small bits and pieces make it a real cool collection 👍
@ thanks so much you too man love all the kits so cool!
The ammo in the bandolier came in 2 10rd stripper clips in a cardboard case. The bandolier had seven pouches. The twenty round mag would fit in this pouch. the standard ammo pouch would hold 4 mags; so 8 mags were on the pistol pelt. To increase the carry load to a full combat load of at least 20 mags, bandoliers loaded with full mags were additionally carried. The average rifle man carried 30-40 mags between what was on his person and what was attached to his rucksack. 11B2P A/4/503 173Abn 68-69
That was a lot of weight to carry around 😮
We were on a 7-day resupply cycle II Corps in the Central Highlands to Cambodian border (lol) no organic chopper unit. If you didn't hump it you didn't have it. The combined weight of LBE and rucksack was 90-110 lbs on day one, expended munitions, our 81 motors humped with us so you either carried a round or an extra can of 7.62 for the M60, and eaten C-rats could bring the weight down.
Our uniforms had nylon fabric in them , the Jungle boots were the best, the poncho liner and the "Boonie" Hat the best .I have never been a devotee of the Cult of Eugene Stoner. But,I carried it.
US uniforms are usually better than ours
@@militarymad2840 The US army jungle uniform of the era is really comfortable to wear and is hard wearing. You have guys doing living history and some of their uniforms date from the late 60s, early 70s and in good condition, if a little faded.
As said by others, a comparison between what US and Australians in Vietnam had would be fascinating. A much more direct comparison of different way to approach same problem.
I don’t have any Aussie gear I’m afraid and the video is to show the difference between the two different campaigns
A big mistake collectors and living history enthusiasts make when trying to collect Australian Vietnam war era kit is that it's "just like British Army lightweights". They certainly aren't! The basic uniform is similar to the US Army green temperate uniform but with a thigh pocket on the trousers. The boots are soft black leather, the hat (not helmets, Aussies didn't like wearing helmets in the field) was similar in shape to the British army lightweight hat but made from the same cloth as the uniform. Webbing was US 56 pattern but with SLR ammo pouches. Canteens were the US design.
And also the commonwealth army was more experienced in jungle warfare due having perfected the tactics they used against the japanese including ex chindit instructors
IIRC the spike protected boots had metal plates in the soles to protect against 'punji sticks' sharpened sticks in holes that were covered with camouflage, usually the usual forest 'litter' of leaves etc. Often also smeared with human excrement to give anyone unlucky enough to stand on one an infection, alongside an horrendous wound, that if untreated would lead to gangrene...
Unfortunately the metal plates had the effect of turning into shrapnel for the wearer, and anyone nearby, if you were unlucky enough to stand on an AP mine exacerbating any injuries and potentially causing even more casualties nearby so were removed from later production...not sure if they were replaced by another material, I suspect not.
An excellent book that compares and contrasts USA to UK, 'Nam to Malaya is by a bloke called John A. Nagl and titled " Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam "
As Australia and New Zealand were also fighting in Vietnam, I think it or if you're also doing comparison between the British Malaya infantry uniform and Australian and new Zealand soldiers or in malaya and also in vietnam.
The Aussies wore dark green cotton uniforms, a mix of us and uk webbing and wore initially black ankle boots with jungle gaiters then black leather high leg boots.
Later mark #44 pattern bottles replaced the metal cap with a rubber one. Along with the chain removal, the metal cap made a very distinctive sound when openned and closed.
Never seen the spring-loaded bipod, I wonder how often they were used?
I have never seen one used in photos or film from the time so not sure
The spring-loaded bipod was pure crap. I was an automatic rifleman when we arrived by troopship to Quin-hon on 23 Oct. 1967. All auto riflemen were issued the bipod in our battalion (3/503 Airborne Infantry). My problem with them was when you needed a steady shot to make, the bipod as you leaned into it would slip off my rifle. After one or two mishaps, they were thrown away!
@@MrKen173 Thanks for the information, it was such a weird thing to see. I had never heard of these things before so good to know it was another "Good idea in theory, but ditched in practice" item
Very nice examples. I’m assuming the clothing is genuine surplus and not reproduction but either way they look great.
Yes the clothing is original along with all the the equipment
What interesting material that British shirt is made out of
It’s a loose weave to let air in think that first started in India
You might know the vents in the boot let water in as well as out. Not a problem when you're slogging through the jungle, but not so much for every day wear.
Great vid
Muy bueno.👍
Had those green boots issued to us in Brunei in 1981, was there for 6 weeks and got through a pair a week, US boots were in a different league.
The Americans ignored absolutely everything the British had done and learned about jungle warfare
My uncle served in malaya as a Bren gunner , he got busted twice , once for fighting and another for having sardines and curry powder in his ammunition pouch , leaving a Bren magazine back at base so he could take more food.
If he was a bren gunner, he couldn't get busted as he would have been a private
And b. Bren magazines were distributed throughout the sectoon
Fun fact: the gulok which is a farming tool in the philippines was also used by the katipuneros was a weapon during the rebelion against spain
Thanks for the info
Use to have a pair of those jungle boots😊
Hope you don’t mean the Brit ones 😂
@@militarymad2840: I have a pair of the UK ones (almost certainly ex 45 RM Commando, the modern US copies) they're actually extremely comfortable for dry summer hiking; not so much in a Scottish summer (but it can happen 😉)
My dad served out in Borneo [even though he was a CPO in the FAA I don't know why] for some years after he used to wear green underpants and vest which us kids thought was hilarious - don't no what happen to his kit from those years. I do still have, and use, his tools which are still in the service issue tool box [I believe they had to buy these as part of their job] Dad died in 1972 before I became interested in military things.
Buying their own equipment is typical of the military and like you my father served in the Home Guard during WW2 and didn’t ask him enough about ☹️
@@militarymad2840 Yes that is interesting. Mt father is said to have sercved in the Dublin Home Guard before he was 17 when he came to England to join the RN. Must hve been a Home Guard in neutral Ireland I suppose.
Martindale sold many tools and machetes in Venezuela. Still today it’s common practice to refer to any hand tools for farming or land clearing as “macundales”.
Our webbing was 37 pattern, refilling the water bottle was a marathon with a Millbank bag and tablets, we needed two water bottles due to the time taken to purify the water. We Brits always wore the sleeves rolled down and buttoned in the jungle in an attempt to protect from mosquitoes. The Malaysian jungle was no fun, anybody that wanted it could have it for me!
I used 2 '44 pattern ammo pouches (with belt loops) in place of the awful '58 pattern kidney pouches on my belt kit, plus 2 '44 pattern canteen covers with the later plastic 1L bottles. The 1958 pattern equipment had some serious drawbacks.
The 44 pattern pouches were massive, what did you store in them?
@@Tsamados small mess tin with brew kit & hexi in one, waterproof jacket in other. Worked very well. Nothing ever fell out of those pouches.
Another amazing collection! For folk of my age here in the U.S. this is still the mental image we have of a soldier. Funny thing about your cleaning kit. Originally, soldiers were instructed NOT to clean their m16s. You can imagine how well that worked out...
That’s the Military for you at least you had some decent boots not like ours
Nor were the barrel were not chromed.
@@militarymad2840 , sheer luck. It was around this time that the Polyester uniforms were introduced... Imagine that in the jungle heat! Further, Stoner never meant the AR to be a battle rifle, it was meant to fill the role of an Air Force security weapon. By the way, have you ever seen the comic book the U.S. military put out, finally to cover the care and feeding of the M16? Yes... I said comic book.
US Army always carried at least two canteens. In Vietnam.
I did mention that but only have one in my collection
We carried 6
After week on on jungle exercise (Malaysia) or operation ( Vietnam) none of this kit would be like this. The secret of jungle warfare is adaptability. I can assure you that having done both as an infantry private in 1967-69 that no one went came out of the bush looking like that. Grenades were not carried exposed unless there was photographer around .
The radio ( 1962) which was the equivalent of the British A10 and changed in 64 to the PRC25 does not match the M16 flash eliminater (1968)
The British Army wont have high boots until 1984. Insanity
Radio for the US uniform is AN/PRC 8/9/10 (cover different frequency bands - went out of service in mid-1960s and replaced by the much smaller and lighter (and more reliable AN/PRC 25 set). The problems of cleaning the M16 were related to a failure by Remington to produce enough of the correct powder for the new round and the substitution with an Olin produced powder that produced greater fouling. The Army believed the change in powder would produce no problems so continued to not design or supply a cleaning kit ! It was not until later in 1960s that they started to do so.
Handled and used the AN/PRC9, 25 and 77 sets and M16A1 (amongst other weapons in the Army of Oz).
US Belt Buckle in M1967 version not used for much of the Vietnam War (as there was stocks of the earlier M1956 version - in fact most of the rest of the kit shown is M1956 version)
The conflict with Indonesia was called "The Confrontation" (or "Konfrontasi") and even included planning by the UK for possible nuclear strikes on Indonesia.
"Ruled by England" I love it when the contributions of the Scots, Irish and Welsh and in many cases republic of Ireland troops are totally dismissed by people that have never done anything more dangerous than cross a busy road, there is and was at the time no such thing as the English army and the empire was not the English Empire, and no country is actually ruled by an English government.
Glad you loved it 👍
You should listen and pay more attention right at the beginning I say COMMONWEALTH troops and you ever tried to cross the roads near where I live 😮
Why not compare AUSTRALIAN infantry in Vietnam?
Australian gear is hard to come by in the UK but will keep looking
11.35 North Borneo "ruled by England" is incorrect. Ruled by the UK or Britain would be politically more accurate.
As much as I’d love to make these kits, I literally only have enough money to do vc or malayan insurgent kit 💀
Ngl, I love jungle drip
The Armalite better knowen as the Plastic Spastic
The US Army didn't want the M16. It was forced upon them by McNamara. The rifle got the green light from the USAF and USMC, but the army misrepresented its field test data to justify its rejection. For a number of factors, McNamara told them where to go, and they got it. However, the army insisted on changing the charge from smokeless (which required little to no cleaning - of soot) to black powder (which produces a lot of soot and requires a lot of cleaning). The army made other changes which proved detrimental to the tropical climate of Vietnam too.
As a result, troops were being issued with the M16 in-country, after training with the M14, which created some confusion, as they went straight out on patrol. Further confusion came from there being no cleaning kits issued, because of the claim that it didn't need cleaning. In the field, the guns jammed. The army blamed the soldiers for not cleaning their rifles with the cleaning kits that weren't issued.
Quite a clusterfuck.
"charge from smokeless (which required little to no cleaning - of soot) to black powder"
In the 1960s, nobody was using black powder in military weapons. The US military switched the power from a capsule shaped type of powder manufactured to a granular ball shaped type of powder (same powder used in the 7.62x51mm at the time, I believe).
I wore those British jungle boots before, and as stated by yourself, it is a horrible piece of footwear. It get soaked very easily, but doesn't dry as fast especially when you get water inside.
It's also flimsy and the sole is a bit too soft. One good thing bout the soles is that it has excellent grip.
Nowadays, I've upgraded to just regular boots or just some converse-like boots, which works for me.
I believe the Vietnamese were the Viet min ,the term Viet Cong was a American term to make the Vietnamese sound extra bad
Ah thanks for that 👍
The Viet Minh was the predecessor to the Viet Cong. They had a nationalist, not communist ideology and fought the French in the 1st Indochina War.
@Tsamados from what I've read the Vietnamese did not consider themselves to be Viet con ,that term was made up by the USA with reference to communism
British won malaya. The Great USA lost vietnam😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Well America shouldn't have been in Vietnam in the first place.
British malaya accesories more quality..thats why win..bullet more accurates.tactic bunker to bunker no open war in vietnam..at last many vietnam betrayed usa..same china