The U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) used flechettes in mini crossbows and handgun spigot launchers. Spigot launchers were a device that went on the muzzle of the M1911A1 pistol, rather like a rifle grenade launcher. A rod acted as the firing pin extension to transfer the blow to the primer in the device. The cartridge was self-contained, as ignition drove a piston which did not leave the cartridge case, thereby containing the expanding powder gasses so that the cartridge produced little noise. The piston drove a big flechette ahead of it, which shot from the launcher as a projectile dragging the cartridge case with it.

The big flechette had enormous killing power due to its size, which was important when only one shot can be made. The large flechette was more deadly than a small caliber handgun but produced similar or audible less report. This made the spigot launcher a single-shot weapon of great value for covert assassinations where the sound of a gun firing could alert the enemy forces and hinder escape.

This system was used in Vietnam with Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum revolvers bored out to accept this sort of cartridge except that in these, the piston drove a conventional bullet out ahead of it. In these, the case stayed in the gun. These were well appreciated by the “tunnel rats” who had to fire in tightly confined spaces where the noise of a normal gun was greatly magnified to a permanently deafening level. A silent weapon was a necessity if you wanted to avoid deafness. The U.S. Navy also had a revolver firing one large flechette on this principle for underwater use. The Russians copied this design to work with smaller cartridges in a compact automatic pistol also adapted the design for use in an underwater gun.

The need for an improved cannister round for tank guns led to research in flechettes loaded in artillery shells as an alternative. This research bore much fruit during the Vietnam War when flechettes were used in 12-gauge shotguns, 40 mm grenade launchers, 2.75-inch and 5-inch aircraft rockets, 81 mm riverine mortars, 90 mm and 106 mm recoilless rifles, 105 mm howitzers, 120 mm cannon, and in 90 mm, 105 mm, and 152 mm tank guns.

Anti-war protestors, championing the communist side in the Vietnam War, attacked the use of flechettes vehemently as these munitions were devastating to the communist forces attacking American soldiers. The political pressure they brought to bear resulted in a decline in the fielding of flechette systems, which left American forces more vulnerable to communist human wave assaults.

Today, Israel makes a copy of the U.S. 105 mm tank flechette round and both Russia and China reportedly maintaining large inventories of flechette ammunition for their major caliber artillery.

Current U.S. fielded flechette munitions include the 70 mm Hydra rocket (a modernized version of the 2.75-inch rocket), 84 mm Carl Gustov recoilless rifle munitions, and classified defense systems. Both the 70 mm Hydra rocket and the 84 mm Carl Gustov recoilless rifle flechette loads have been used in the Global War on Terror that began in 2001.

FLECHETTE SHOTGUN SHELLS

The use of flechettes in shotgun shells is the most common small arms employment of flechettes and the application of most interest to civilians. Credit for being the first to apply this concept to small arms goes to Irwin R. Barr of Aircraft Armament Co. in the early 1950’s. Originally, the idea was for one flechette per round and this led to the Army’s SPIW program. The first shotgun shells were loaded in 1953. These 32 flechettes-per-round loads were of a smaller size than those of today.

During the Vietnam War, flechette-loaded shotgun shells made kills out to 100 yards, proving their worth as a military weapon. Whirlpool Corporation had done development work on them, also loading many shells. Federal Ammunition made them, loading 25 flechettes per round while Western Cartridge Company’s load held 20 flechettes per round. Both of these rounds had their flechettes in a plastic cup buffered with granulated white polyurethane powder to maintain bore alignment. There was a metal disk at the rear of the cup the prevented the wad from being driven through the sharp tail fins of the flechettes. The tips of the flechettes were exposed and were visible at the mouth of the cartridge case These rounds would ruin a choke if fired through one, and they were only used in cylinder bore riot guns.

SPECIFICATIONS

Sometimes at gun shows, I have seen shotgun shells loaded with surplus artillery flechettes. Typically, some are loaded forwards and some backwards. Do not fire these in anything. They will tear up the inside of a shotgun barrel, as the hard steel of the flechettes will plow furrows in the bore and destroy any choke that gets in their way.

Properly loaded flechette shotgun shells are available from Sabot Designs LLC. The current loads are safe to use in any shotgun and will not hurt even a full choke, as the bore and choke are protected from the hard steel flechettes by a patented sabot that prevents any metal-on-metal contact. This was the invention of the firm’s oner, John Flannigan, and enables them to be used in any shotgun, not just cylinder bored riot guns.

Considered by many to be the greatest expert in flechette design and manufacture, much of Flannigan’s work remains classified, but what we can divulge is impressive. He made experimental tantalum flechettes for the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Cargo Round. He designed and manufactured tungsten flechettes for the NSWC EMRG electro-magnetic rail gun sub-munition. His collaboration with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems on the development and testing of the “High Density Packing” (HDP) cannister for the M1 Abrams tank resulted in his patent for the HDP Cannister round. Lockheed-Martin engaged him as a consultant for the fin design of the flechette projectiles for the Hydra-7 mine clearing system. The Marines Corps had him develop a flechette round for shooting down drones. That’s about all that we are free to talk about though.

FLECHETTES COMPARED TO BUCKSHOT

Comparing flechettes to the old standard, buckshot, reveals the strengths and weaknesses of both. Buckshot depends on its size, weight, and momentum to produce casualties. Of all projectiles, buckshot’s round ball deflects the least when hitting foliage and twigs. For this reason, it was often favored in jungle encounters.

Flechettes have 211% more projectiles per shell than buckshot which greatly increases the chance of a hit at longer ranges. They have 19 projectiles compared to just nine in the military buckshot load. Flechettes are a near perfect aerodynamic shape, whereas the round ball is the least aerodynamic. Furthermore, lead balls tend to deform when fired so they are not even perfectly round anymore. At longer ranges this becomes more of a factor. Additionally, flechette loads weigh about half as much as an equivalent buckshot load, so combatants can carry more ammo into the fight.

The stopping power of flechettes is a result of their velocity, penetration, and energy. Each flechette has the same energy signature as a 9 mm Parabellum round. It will shoot through a car door and produce a casualty on the other side, or it will go through over 20 inches of ballistic gelatin. Its energy is transmitted to a casualty by creating a supersonic cavitation wound channel. It will yaw off course as it penetrates, creating a wound channel approximately 800% larger than the flechette. This averages about .58 caliber for each flechette. Flechettes may also bend or break, creating secondary wound channels. They also typically shatter bones on contact.

ENGAGEMENT RANGES

* This being the longest range that a single flechette will produce a casualty.

CIVILIAN USE

12-gauge shotgun flechette loads are extremely useful to civilians. I’ve heard of a person taking out the heart and lungs of a wild hog at seven yards that was chasing and about to overtake his friend. Flechettes will penetrate the thick skull of an enraged bull or a 1000-pound hog when buckshot may fail. Flechettes have proven effective on deer, turkey, wild hog, and bear and are earning a devoted following among hunters. People depending on a shotgun for home defense are looking to flechette rounds for increased effectiveness.

Ever since the American Derringer Co. first invented the pistol chambering both the .45 Colt and the 2.5-inch .410 shotgun shell in 1980, there have been more companies making pistols that chamber these rounds interchangeably. Sabot designs makes a 2.5-inch .410 flechette load with seven flechettes for these.

Standard flechette rounds may not function reliably in automatic shotguns. Rounds that will reliably function a semi-auto are available under special order from Sabot Designs LLC.

Like birdshot, slugs, and buckshot, the flechette shotgun load has taken its place among the standard loads available for shotguns today.

Mitchell Livingston WerBell III was born on March 8, 1918, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an ethnically Scottish mother and a father who claimed White Russian Cossack roots. He graduated from Staunton Military Academy in Virginia, entering the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. A short time later the United States entered World War II after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After a brief stint in the Signal Corps, WerBell volunteered to serve in General William “Wild Bill” Donovan’s newly formed Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the modern CIA. WerBell was assigned to carry out covert missions behind Japanese lines in Manchuria.

After the end of the war, U.S. Army Captain WerBell returned to the states and was assigned the command of an infantry company in Missouri. Before long, the routine began to bore him, and he resigned from the Army. After the Army, WerBell went into the advertising business, first in New York City, and later with a department store in Atlanta. He did well enough to purchase a large split level ranch house on a sixty-acre rural estate about thirty miles north of Atlanta, near Powder Springs Georgia. The property would become known as “The Farm.”

Sometime during the 1950s, Mitch WerBell decided to get into the clandestine weapons business. His specialty was sound suppressors and he called his company Sionics; an organization that specialized in counterinsurgency equipment. The acronym Sionics stood for Studies in Operational Negation of Insurgency and Counter Subversion.” Sionics was originally established on the Mitchell L. WerBell, III estate located near Powder Springs, Georgia in 1966. Ben Kohler, Eunice Creel and Betty Chatam incorporated Sionics in Georgia during 1967. The corporate address was; Sionics, 1655 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30309. Mr. Fred N. Brown was the president of Sionics and Mitch WerBell served as Vice President, Director of Research and Development.

Sionics Sound Suppressors

When originally established, Sionics was a company that supplied suppressors and similar items for covert operations by military and CIA type organizations. The suppressors that Sionics designed and sold consisted of a series of baffles and replaceable wipes to suppress muzzle blast. The life expectancy was six-months or 200 rounds before the unit’s efficiency deteriorated and the internals required replacement. A wipe replacement kit was available as a separate item. Mitch WerBell’s achievements in suppressor design are often regarded as the most significant advancements since Hiram Maxim’s silencers were introduced at the turn of the century. WerBell was granted three patents covering his suppressor designs. Suppressors were produced for the U.S. M14 and M16 rifles, and other weapons, with the U.S. Government being one of Sionics’ best customers. Sionics also manufactured a number of pistol suppressors in a variety of calibers and applications.

Suppressed Weapons

During the Vietnam War, an entire new class of weapons were fielded, primarily to support the widespread use of unconventional warfare tactics by U.S. Special Forces. These elite troops seldom fielded standard weapons issued to the conventional Army and Marine infantrymen. Prominently featured among the wide variety of foreign and domestic small arms used by Special Forces were silenced weapons.

To generate sales of their suppressed sniper rifles, live fire demonstrations were performed, primarily at the Marine Base at Quantico, Virginia and the Army’s Fort Benning, Georgia. Other times a rifle would be shipped gratis to an influential officer at a military installation for his evaluation. As the Vietnam War began winding down, military sales of suppressors and sniper rifles fell off to almost nothing. At this time, Sionics turned their marketing efforts toward the law enforcement community.

Rifle Suppressors

Sionics sound suppressors were first procured for use in Vietnam during 1969. The Army’s interest in Sionics came from a relationship between personnel from the U.S. Army’s Marksmanship Training Unit, and Sionics engineers, while working to develop an effective and stealthy sniper rifle. The 7.62 NATO, M14 (XM21) rifle fitted with a Sionics suppressor and Starlight night vision scope was a very effective tool for dispatching enemy soldiers at night. A number of Sionics suppressors were purchased by the Army but were never officially adopted.

The M14SS-1 Sionics Suppressor

The Vietnam era Sionics suppressor designed for the 7.62 NATO M14 rifle was the M14SS-1. The outer tube was manufactured from .090-inch thick 6061-T6 aluminum alloy that was anodized a flat black color. The rear retaining collar and many of the internal parts were made of 4130 steel that was phosphated to resist corrosion. A unique feature of Sionics’ rifle suppressors was the implementation of a gas valve. Designed to reduce blowback pressure; it was mounted on the outer case at the rear chamber. A valve was used on early production, but the springs in the valves failed during full-automatic fire. A new spring was made from a heat-resistant super-alloy called Inconel, but these also failed. The valves simply could not hold up to the gas pressure generated by firing and would fail after a short period. To solve the problem, the relief valve was eventually replaced by a simple relief port. The port was designed to reduce blowback pressure and was mounted on the outer case at the rear chamber. To thread the suppressor onto the barrel of the M14 rifle, the flash-hider and front sight assembly had to be removed, necessitating the use of a telescopic sight. A Teflon bushing was placed between the retaining collar and base of the unit that sealed and aligned the suppressor on the rifle. The tube was 12.75-inches long with an outside of diameter of 1.665 inches. The bore was .375-inches in diameter and the assembled unit weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces. The M14SS-1 suppressor was designed for semiautomatic fire only. Nearly all of the M14 suppressor production went to the U.S. Army, Fort Benning, Georgia, the U.S. Army Rock Island Arsenal and the U.S. Navy, San Diego, California. A small number of the suppressors went to the FBI and Aberdeen Proving Center, Maryland.

The Sionics M16 MAW-A1 Suppressor

During the Vietnam War, the small caliber 5.56x45mm M16 rifles were not fielded as part of any known sniper program. However, suppressor equipped M16 rifles were regularly employed by Special Forces for covert operations, long-range reconnaissance missions and ambushes during the war. There were several early experimental M16 suppressor designs made by Sionics. Ongoing testing and research resulted in numerous improvements that were implemented in the production MAW-A1 model (Moderator Automatic Weapon – Alteration 1).

On one early prototype M16 suppressor, a threaded stud was added to the front to attach the M16 flash hider. The attachment of the flash hider made the suppressor equipped M16 excessively long and cumbersome. The production version did not include a provision for a flash hider. The Sionics MAW-A1 suppressor was 12.63 inches long with an outside diameter of 1.235 inches, the bore was .302 inches and the unit weighed 1 pound, 12 ounces. Like the M14SS-1 suppressor, a gas valve was used on early production, but was replaced by a more durable relief port system to reduce blowback pressure; it was also mounted on the outer case at the rear chamber. Most of the suppressor’s internal components were made of stainless steel and less critical components were made of 4130 steel. The Sionics MAW-A1 suppressor was designed to withstand full-automatic fire.

In order to be effective, the internal components of suppressors needed to be manufactured to very close tolerances. On one experimental M16 rifle suppressor design, Sionics engineers attempted to use a powerful coil spring inside the unit to keep all of the internal components in alignment. The spring eliminated the need for the precision machining on those parts. Early testing found the implementation of the spring a viable concept. However, after being exposed to the high temperatures inside the suppressor tube for an extended period, the spring began to lose tension and eventually failed. This allowed the internal components to come out of alignment, creating a dangerous situation as did occur on the firing line at Fort Benning, during a semi-official suppressor testing and evaluation session. After continued full-automatic firing of a suppressor equipped M16 rifle, the spring failed, and a bullet struck one of the baffles. This resulted in the bullet exiting the side of the steel suppressor tube at approximately a 90-degree angle, striking an adjacent shooter in the neck. Fortunately, the bullet had lost most of its energy causing only minor injuries. After disassembling the suppressor, Sionics personnel discovered that the spring had caused the suppressor failure. And it was the last time such a spring was included in any Sionics suppressor designs.

The Subsonic Ammunition Program

During the 1960s, Sionics launched an ambitious program to develop subsonic ammunition for their line of sound suppressors. Sionics relied on the expertise of local ammunition reloaders from the Atlanta area for the project. A few pistol caliber cartridges, such as .45 ACP and .380 ACP, are inherently subsonic, while most others are not. When most ammunition is fired through a sound suppressor, the velocity of the bullet breaks the sound barrier, resulting in a readily distinguishable supersonic “crack.”

The speed of sound at 68 degrees Fahrenheit is approximately 1,127 feet per second; this speed is reduced with cooler ambient air temperature. The program began by experimenting with the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, which has an average speed of 1,150 feet per second when loaded with a 115 grain bullet. The bullet’s velocity is increased with barrel length. No insurmountable problems were encountered developing subsonic 9mm ammunition and the task was accomplished by using a heavier bullet and lighter powder charge. Developing subsonic rifle cartridges from high-velocity 5.56x45mm and the 7.62x51mm NATO military rounds was an entirely different matter.

During the Vietnam War, the largest potential market for sound suppressors was for the U.S. 5.56x45mm M16 rifle, with a secondary market for the 7.62mm M14 rifle. The velocity of the two cartridges was far greater than that of the 9mm pistol round, creating quite a challenge. Development was first focused on the M16’s 5.56x45mm round. When the 5.56x45mm cartridge was downloaded to the point of being subsonic, there was a very small amount of gunpowder, and a lot of empty space in the case. If the rifle was pointed at a downward angle, the powder would shift to the front of the cartridge case, away from the primer. This resulted in very unreliable and inconsistent ignition of the powder charge. If the powder charge was directly over the primer satisfactory ignition resulted. The obvious solution was to add an inert filler in front of the gunpowder to keep it in the base of the cartridge case directly above the primer. Numerous fillers were tried including oatmeal, Cream of Wheat cereal and cotton. While the fillers solved the problem of inconsistent ignition, a new problem arose.

After firing just a few rounds the filler material plugged the weapon’s gas port and the suppressor’s internal components. The next step was to find a filler that would burn and not leave any residue. Nitrate paper and nitrated cotton was tried, but they did not burn completely before reaching the weapon’s gas port or suppressor, resulting in only marginal results. The next experiment was to partially fill the cartridge cases with epoxy, leaving a small centrally located cavity to load the powder in, and allow gas pressure from the burning powder to pass out. Although this method was relatively successful, the method was labor intensive, and the subsonic cartridges made by this method very expensive. The first prototype rounds were fabricated from once-fired military cases. After fully developed and marketed the bullet tips were painted green and the cartridges were packed in special “subsonic” marked 20-round boxes. While the bullets of the downloaded rounds were subsonic, they were so underpowered that they would not cycle the action of the rifles and had very limited range. Both 5.56x45mm M16 and 7.62 NATO M14 subsonic cartridges were manufactured and marketed; however, due to cartridge’s cost (.32 cents each) and poor performance, sales were limited.

The Military Armament Corporation

Soon after Gordon Ingram joined Sionics, Mitch WerBell decided that the company’s current name Sionics was not the best possible name for an organization that would be manufacturing the new Ingram weapon. The company name was then changed from Sionics to “Environmental Industries.” WerBell was not completely satisfied with the new name. A friend and Sionics’ employee, Don Thomas, had his own Class Three business called Military Armament. WerBell liked the name and convinced Mr. Thomas to allow him to use it. On December 21, 1970, the Military Armament Corporation name became official.

Perhaps the best known Sionics suppressors were the two-stage type designed and produced for the Ingram submachine guns. Mitch WerBell III considered the Ingram submachine gun, when fitted with one of his sound suppressors, the ideal covert weapon.

On 19 June 2009, former U.S. Army General Colin Powell cut the ribbon to officially open the New National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center near the home of the U.S. Army’s Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia. The new museum is world class and quite large, with approximately 190,000 square feet dedicated to telling the story and honoring the U.S. Infantryman from 1607 to the present. The museum features six separate era galleries where exhibits are arranged by dates, although many of the early exhibits; “Securing Our Freedom” 1607-1815, and “Defining a Nation” 1815-1898, Manifest Destiny and the Civil War, exhibits are not yet open to the public. Among the many exhibits there are many personal items and stories of individual soldiers, some famous, others just ordinary soldiers who did an extraordinary job.

The International Stage

The gallery exhibits currently open to visitors begin with the “The International Stage” 1898-1920. Upon entering the display area there are many artifacts from the Spanish American War, including a porthole from the USS Maine. The Maine was a U.S. ship that mysteriously exploded and sank in a Cuban harbor, and eventually led to the war with Spain. Moving ahead, the visitor steps into World War I “no man’s land” by entering a sandbag covered trench. Along the walls of the “trench” are artifacts and photos that project the miserable conditions troops endured during the “Great War” (less rats and decaying bodies). Moving further one hears the rattle and sees the muzzle flash of a machine gun reflecting off of the wall. There is also an audio-visual exhibit that tells the story of Medal of Honor recipient, Sergeant Alvin York, one of the most famous Infantrymen of the war.

World at War

One of largest exhibits in the museum is “World at War” representing World War II, to include both European and Pacific Theaters of operations. Summarizing the events that unfolded during the conflict are projected on a rotating globe-like screen on the floor. Vintage films are continually running on screens throughout the exhibit areas. Small arms used by all of the belligerents involved are on display, as well as personal weapons and gear of famous soldiers and generals that include Audie Murphy’s service cap and German Field Marshall Herman Goering’s gem covered baton. Other artifacts are a U.S. Army Jeep and a Japanese gas mask designed for a horse. On display are uniforms of both Allied and Axis soldiers. Several dioramas in the exhibit area depict significant battles.

Cold War

The next chronological exhibit is the Cold War 1947-1989 that includes many artifacts and weapons fielded during the period, from a Browning Automatic Rifle designed during World War I, to the Davy Crockett, a small nuclear weapon developed during the 1960s for Army Infantry use against large Soviet troop concentrations, should the Cold War ever suddenly go hot. Many items from the Korean Conflict are also on display. Visitors can listen to Korean War veterans tell their recorded stories inside a recreated bunker. The Vietnam Gallery allows visitors to experience a search and destroy mission in a hot and humid jungle environment. Many personal effects of prisoners of war are displayed to offer a glimpse of the brutal conditions captured U.S. servicemen endured during their confinement in places like the infamous Hanoi Hilton. The Berlin wall was erected in 1961 by the Communist East German Government to keep East German citizens from defecting into West Berlin. The tearing down of the infamous wall in Berlin, Germany in 1989 marked the end of the Cold War era. On display in the museum are three complete sections of the Berlin Wall covered with graffiti, painted by citizens of Berlin.

Sole Superpower

The Sole Superpower exhibit, from 1989 to the present, was so named to describe the United States’ status after the Cold War ended. The Gallery covers the smaller scale conflicts like Grenada, the War on Terrorism and the two Iraq Desert Wars. On display are many high-tech weapons used by U.S. Forces as well as captured enemy weapons and equipment.

The Hall of Valor

Prominently featured in the Grand Hall is the Hall of Valor, a glass-enclosed space dedicated to recognizing deeds of exceptional bravery. On the outside, quotes are etched in the glass, and inside, plaques honoring each of the nearly 1,500 Infantry recipients of the Medal of Honor line the walls. A computer allows visitors to look up details for each Medal of Honor recipient.

The Last 100 Yards

The Last 100 Yards is one of the museum’s featured exhibits. It consists of a 100 yard long inclined ramp lined with lifelike Infantrymen from all periods. The name “Last 100 Yards” signifies the Infantry’s “boots on the ground” role in closing and seizing the last yards of ground from the enemy. A World War II glider, Huey helicopter and Bradley Fighting Vehicle complete the display.

The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor

The Officer Candidate School Hall of Honor was established to recognize distinguished OCS graduates and as a method to motivate and provide incentive for both candidates and graduates to excel. This gallery honors the over 2,000 Soldiers who have been inducted into the OCS Hall of Fame since 1952. A computer is provided to search for individual inductees. A timeline follows the early beginnings of the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School and chronicles its development and history.

The Ranger Hall of Honor

This exhibit was formed to preserve the spirit and contributions of the Army’s elite Rangers. Honored are nearly 200 soldiers who have been inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame since 1992. A computer allows visitors to search for individual inductees by name. Also featured are U.S. Army Ranger history, its origins, and their role in military history. Several exhibits display uniforms, weapons and other items used by Army Rangers during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and Grenada.

World War II Company Street

Located directly behind the museum building is a complex of seven restored World War II buildings to allow museum visitors a trip back in time. The simple wooden “Series 700? buildings were mass produced in the 1940s to meet the demands of the rapidly growing Army preparing to enter the war. After 1945, the post-war Army was rapidly downsized and the buildings, no longer needed, were being torn down. However, a building of each type; a barracks, mess hall, orderly room, supply room, chapel, and General George Patton’s headquarters building and sleeping quarters were spared and restored. Each of the structures are fully furnished with realistic touches that include 1940 era music, photos and furniture. A Physical Training field, like those used for daily PT by recruits, adds to the realism. A final touch are the period street lights.

Rifle Range

In addition to the era galleries there is an interactive rifle simulator, where for a small fee visitors can experience the feel of firing an M16 rifle. The rifles don’t fire live ammunition, but are fitted with lasers and a recoil simulator. The shooter gets 30 shots to hit 20 targets to “qualify”. It is the same type of device the Army uses to introduce new recruits to the M16.

IMAX Theater

The museum’s unique theater features a large high resolution screen that is five stories high and 70 feet wide. Images are projected in three-dimension that give the viewer the illusion that they are in the film. The 300 seat capacity theater features Hollywood movies as well as military documentaries.

Dining

For lunch or dinner the museum offers fine dining in a causal atmosphere at the Fife and Drum American Bistro located inside the museum.

Gift shop

For souvenir hunters, the Soldier Store offers a large selection of mugs, T-shirts and jewelry – many emblazoned with museum and Army logos. There is also a wide variety of military history DVDs and books, not offered elsewhere.

The Family Support Gallery

This gallery pays homage to the parents, children, spouses and other loved ones who make sacrifices just as important as the soldier’s. It also includes a play space for children where they can try on costumes and role play.

Brief History of Fort Benning, Georgia

Fort Benning is situated near Columbus, Georgia and covers over 182,000 acres. Ninety-three percent of the facility is in Georgia and seven percent is in Alabama. Fort Benning was established by Congress as Camp Benning during 1918, and assigned permanent status the same year. At the request of the Columbus Rotary Club, the Camp was named after Confederate Army General Henry L. Benning, a resident of Columbus. During the Civil War General Benning commanded a Georgia Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. After the war ended, Henry Benning returned to Columbus where he practiced law until his death in 1875.

The first mission of Fort Benning was to provide basic training for U.S. Army troops during World War I. After the war ended, Fort Benning struggled for appropriations. However, by the mid-1930s the post was booming with construction because of the federally funded building projects initiated during the Great Depression. Just prior to the United States’ entry into World War II, the 2nd Armor Division was established at Fort Benning. The facility also became the home of the “Big Red One,” the First Infantry Division. An officer candidate school and airborne training center were also established at the Fort. During 1943, the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the Triple Nickel, was formed and trained at the Fort. Airborne training is still conducted at Fort Benning.

The new museum replaces the old one that was located on Baltzell Ave, which opened in 1958. Although the original museum was located on Fort Benning, the new facility is just outside the gates on South Lumpkin Road, making access easier for visitors. There is no admission fee, but donations are appreciated. Cameras are permitted, but no flash photography is allowed. Adult and school group tours are available.

As part of their Knob Creek, Kentucky experience many enthusiasts have included a trip over to the General Patton museum on nearby Fort Knox. If you have visited the Patton Museum recently, you will have discovered that most of the museum’s exhibits and vehicles are no longer there. As part of the base realignment and closure program (BRAC), the Armor Center has begun to move its headquarters from Fort Knox, Kentucky to Fort Benning, Georgia, where a new National Armor and Cavalry Museum is planned in the near future. The remaining exhibits at Patton Museum at Fort Knox basically are personal and historical items from the famous general.

National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center
1775 Legacy Way
Columbus, Georgia 31903
(706) 685-5800
www.nationalinfantrymuseum.com

The museum is open 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sunday. The museum is closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

As of January 2011, The National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center will be closed on Mondays for general maintenance. The facility will be open during federal holidays that fall on Mondays to include Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Independence Day.

Directions to the National Infantry Museum are to take I-185 south from Columbus, Georgia to exit 1B. Drive west on US 27/280/431 for about a mile, then turn left at the light onto Fort Benning Blvd. The museum will be a little more than a mile south, on the right.

Emergency distress signaling gear has been a standard item of issue since prior to World War II. The large, heavy projectors and shells of that era gave way to the smaller, lighter and more efficient pen-gun types by the time of the Vietnam War. These were characterized by a knurled aluminum pen-shaped launcher with a thumb knob that retracted a spring loaded firing pin. One end of the launcher was threaded to accept the flare cartridge, which was percussion fired upon impact by the firing pin.

The flares would reach an altitude of 200 to 250 feet using this system. Used by the Air Force, Navy and even Army Aviation, the performance of these flares was considered adequate for the expected situations in which they might be used. For some, that all changed with their experiences in bailing out over the jungles of Vietnam. Having to bail out generally meant landing in jungle with a high, dense canopy – often higher than the flares maximum altitude.

At this same time a totally unrelated project was under development: the Gyrojet family of rocket pistols. Though eventually it was deemed inappropriate for its intended use, someone in the right place at the right time, someone who knew of the Gyrojet and understood the problems of jungle search and rescue put the two together, and the Gyrojet Flare Launcher was born. Unfortunately, research was unable to uncover whether it was a military individual or someone from MB Associates who suggested the idea of using a rocket propelled projectile to get the distress signal through and above the canopy of tree tops. Regardless of this, by adapting the miniature rocket technology of the Gyrojet projectile to a flare, this level of performance was accomplished without a needless increase in size and weight of the whole system.

As near as can be determined, the Personnel Distress Kit, Red, A/P25S-5A (also called the M-201 in early editions) was first issued to Air Force and Army aircrew personnel around 1970. Some documents also refer to it as “Foliage Penetrating Signal Kit,” an interesting admission of its purpose. As issued, it was part of the Air Force SRU-21/P Survival Vest, which was also used by Army helicopter crews. It was also part of the unique Army OV-1 Aircraft Survival Vest used by of the OV-1 Mohawk, one of the few fixed wing aircraft in the Army inventory. For some reason, the Navy did not issue the rocket flares, choosing instead to continue using the traditional screw-in percussion fired pen type flares and launchers, though some rocket types have appeared in Navy survival kits. Since Naval aircraft flew missions from carriers, maybe it was determined that it was less likely for pilots to “punch out” over land, thus lessening the need for the performance provided by the rocket flares.

An August, 2004 “Sources Sought/Market Survey” Solicitation from the U.S. Army Field Support Command of Rock Island, IL provides an excellent description of the A/P25S-5A:

“The Personnel Distress Kit, Red, A/ P25S-5A is used by downed airmen or others exposed to emergency escape and evasion situations. The kit includes a hand fired launcher and a bandoleer assembly. The bandoleer assembly contains a plastic molded bandoleer holding seven red signals. The signals consist of small solid propellant rocket motors actuated by a percussion primer, a delay element, and a pyrotechnic candle in a metal case. The surface of the metal case is dyed red to match the color of the candle. The launcher is black anodized aluminum; it has a retaining device and a firing mechanism. The retaining device precludes the signal from falling out of the launcher when the loaded launcher is aimed vertically at the ground. The firing mechanismconsists of a free traveling firing pin with an actuation knob and spring. The launcher is connected to the bandoleer by a lanyard. Physical dimensions for the launcher are Length 5.5 in.; Diameter 0.8 in. Signals are loaded individually into the launcher with nozzle down into the launcher until the signal bottoms out. The firing pin inside the launcher upon firing, strikes the primer in the signal which ignites the propellant. Exhaust gases are expelled through nozzle holes in the signal and propel the flare out of the launcher in a spin stabilized flight. The signal should be able to completely penetrate moderately dense jungle or forest foliage. After traveling approximately 600 feet, the payload ignites causing separation from the rocket motor. Burning time is approximately 9 seconds and provides an average candle power value of 2,500 lumens for the first 7 seconds. Physical dimensions for the signal are Length 2 in.; Diameter 0.5 in.”

References list the maximum height attained by the signal itself as being either 1,100 or 1,500 feet which makes sense with presumed rocket motor burnout (at separation from the payload) occurring at 600 feet. Total burn time of the signal is said to be 9 seconds. The visibility distance is listed as up to 3 miles in the daytime and 10 miles in the dark of night. The retaining device in the launcher mentioned above for keeping the flare in place until the moment of launch is a simple, springy fourfingered collet in which the flare sits fairly deeply. When fired, the only sound is the minor crack of the primer that ignites the solid rocket fuel which overwhelms the subdued “whoosh” of the rocket venturis as the flare speeds on its way while the user also feels a brief wash of warm air from the rocket exhaust.

MB Associates was the supplier to the military for about ten years following the adoption of the Gyrojet Flare Kit. Drawing No. 11-1-1783 from the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories titled Survival Kit Individual; Vest Assembly (the SRU-21/ P), dated 3 May 1972 shows an Item List just above the title block. In that list is Item 4, Signal Kit, Foliage Penetrating. The material (source) column says: MB Associates Model MBA-2016 FSN 1370- 490-7362. “MBA” is engraved on the gripof the launchers made by them along with other information. Flares will have ink stamps on them indicating lot number beginning with “MBA” as well, sometimes with a manufacture date, matching the cardboard instruction sheet packaged with the kits. Lot numbers from subsequent manufacturers use a different code. The latest MBA marked kit observed is dated 11-81. According to samples inspected for this article, another company had taken over by December 1990. The actual date suppliers changed could not be found but it was obviously sometime in the 1980s.

Originally conceived as a more efficient means to kill enemy combatants, the Gyrojet technology found its real home as an aid to saving lives and finding downed airmen. Additionally, the Gyrojet Rocket Flare Kits were not just issued in survival equipment, but used as consumables in SERE schools for familiarity training. It is easy to see that many hundreds, if not thousands, have been manufactured over the years. And the date on the quoted “Sources Sought/Market Survey” makes it clear that the Gyrojet rocket flare system is still an issue item to this day. Not bad for a 40 year old failure.

There were originally two separate Marine Corps museums. One was located in Washington, D.C., the other at Quantico, Virginia. The Marine Corps Air-Ground Museum that was located on the Quantico Marine Base featured displays documenting the Marine’s achievements on the ground and in the air during World War I, World War II and many other campaigns. The museum itself was housed inside one of the early World War I aircraft hangers. The Marine Corps Historical Center and Museum was located forty-miles north of Quantico at the U.S. Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. At this facility there was a standing exhibit that chronicled Marine Corps history from 1775 to modern day with uniforms, weapons, photographs and documents.

On 13 November 2006, after many years of careful planning and hard work, the new National Museum of the Marine Corps opened its doors to the public. This new ultra modern facility is situated on over 135 acres adjacent to the Marine Base at Quantico, Virginia. Currently, the display area inside of the museum building covers approximately 118,000 square feet, with a planned future expansion of over 181,000 square feet. A 210-foot iconic spiral protrudes from the roof of the facility and is clearly visible for miles on Interstate 95, especially when lit-up at night.

The word to describe the new museum is “impressive.” The facility and displays are all first-class, using state of the art multimedia technology to replicate the sights, sounds and even the temperature of being there. When you first enter through the museum doors you will encounter the Leatherneck Gallery. The stainless steel base of the 210-foot spire rises from the center of the gallery and its design was inspired by the famous raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II. On the walls surrounding the display area are the portraits of eight Marines and overhead are four Marine aircraft representing different eras: from the 1920 Banana Wars, a Curtiss JN-4 Jenny armed with a Lewis Gun, two Corsair fighters from World War II and an AV-8B Harrier VSTOL (Vertical Short Take Off and Landing) jump jet that saw action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. On the ground, an LVT-1 (Landing Vehicle Tracked) armed with a .50 caliber Browning machine gun breaches defenses on a Pacific Beach. Across the room a Marine machine gun crew with a M1919A4 Browning, disembark from a Korean War era Sikorsky HRS-2 helicopter to take up positions.

The visitor with a critical eye will notice that careful attention has been given to all of the weapons and equipment in the displays to insure the correct configurations for the time period depicted.

The next gallery on the tour is Making Marines, which conveys the anxiety experienced by recruits during basic training. The display features a Marine Corps bus, from which voices of nervous recruits can be heard, and on the ground are the famous yellow footprints. There is even a military barbershop to bring back memories for visiting veterans. One of the more pleasant displays in the gallery is an M16 laser rifle range where visitors can test their marksmanship skills. In the Marine Corp despite your job description, “Every Marine is a Rifleman.”

The Legacy Walk captures the more than 230 years of Marine Corps history featuring displays of the earliest Colonial Marines atop sailing ships. On a wall above, two-time Medal of Honor recipient Marine Dan Daly struggles with an opponent during 1900 in Peking, China. From World War I, a Marine engages a German soldier in hand to hand combat. During World War II, a Navy Corpsman attends to a wounded Marine. Displayed overhead is the actual UH1E Iroquois “Huey” helicopter that Medal of Honor recipient Marine Major Stephen Pless flew during the Vietnam War. Life-like figures, aircraft, photographs and artifacts create a Marine history timeline from 1775 to the modern day.

World War II Gallery

The story of the U.S. Marines in their Pacific island-hopping campaigns is told with displays of tanks, artillery pieces, aircraft, small arms and personal items that belonged to individual Marines. Highlighted are Marine innovations in tactics, equipment and special units. An excellent display is a Marine aiming his water-cooled .30 caliber M1917A1 Browning machine gun at enemy aircraft. Weapons fielded by the Japanese Imperial Army are also displayed.

One exhibit briefs visitors for an assault landing on Iwo Jima before boarding a Higgins Boat for the hazardous trip to the beach. Sound and video combine to provide a realistic experience. One of the most historically important artifacts in the museum is the actual flag that was raised by Marines atop Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima and photographed by Joe Rosenthal. The resulting image is the most famous and inspiring photograph of World War II, with the image almost immediately becoming a Marine icon. The World War II Gallery honors the sacrifices and accomplishments of America’s Greatest Generation.

Korean War Gallery

This gallery documents the Marine’s involvement in the Korean War that took place from 1950 to 1953. After World War II ended both the Marine Corps and U.S. Army had been drastically reduced in size. On 25 June, 1950, at approximately 4 a.m., a rainy Sunday morning, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Army (North Korea) invaded the Republic of Korea (South Korea). At 11 a.m., North Korea announced a formal declaration of war. An unprepared United States military scrambled to train and deploy troops to Korea. Korea was the first combat action of the cold war era.

Included in the Korean Gallery is a display of Marine positions near the infamous Chosin Reservoir. The temperature in the display area is twenty degrees lower than the rest of the museum, the sky is dark, and voices of approaching Chinese troops can be heard; all contributing to an eerie feeling felt by the visitor. Other displays include a machine gun position in a sandbagged bunker, and a LCVP landing craft representing General MacArthur’s bold plan for an amphibious landing at Inchon to get behind the enemy and cut off his supply lines.

Another display depicts a U.S. Pershing tank moving through the streets of the war-torn capital city of Seoul, about to run over an abandoned Communist 12.7mm DShK machine gun position.

Vietnam Gallery

Marine units were first deployed to Vietnam in 1965, unaware that this would be the longest engagement in their history. Visitors are taken into the fight through a series of displays featuring both enemy and Marine uniforms, weapons and equipment. In one display, a Marine armed with an M79 grenade launcher peers around a wall. Behind him is a rare Marine Ontos tracked anti-tank vehicle armed with six 106mm recoilless rifles. During its service in Vietnam, the Ontos often fired fleshette filled “beehive” rounds to clear paths through the dense jungles. Another display depicts a Marine armed with an M14 rifle patrolling past a series of hooches lead by a German Shepard. Next, one enters a hot landing zone on Hill 881 through the fuselage of a CH-46 helicopter. The floor of the aircraft vibrates and sounds of rotor blades and weapons engulf the visitor’s senses. Scanning the landscape reveals Marines assisting wounded buddies and attending to a dead comrade. One of the many weapons on display in this gallery is the actual 7.62mm M40A1 Remington sniper rifle used by Marine Lance Corporal Benjamin “Chuck” Mawhinney. Corporal Mawhinney scored 103 confirmed enemy kills and 216 probables during his 16 months in country.

Global War on Terrorism

By using combat photographs, art, maps, and text, this gallery features images from Marines serving in ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of the photographs in this exhibit were taken by any one of the 400 personnel serving in the Marine Combat Camera Units today. This gallery was designed to help the families of deployed servicemen and women understand why their loved ones have been called to serve.

When the National Museum of the Marine Corps opens its second expansion phase, it will feature a permanent gallery that highlights Marine contributions during the Persian Gulf wars, and the continuing Global War on Terrorism.

USMC Combat Art Gallery

The Corps’ early association with combat art began during World War I when Colonel John W. Thomason, Jr. drew a series of battlefield sketches. Since that time, art has been used to help convey Marine Corps history. Works in the museum’s display are those of both Marine and civilian artists and illustrators and represents a small sample of the nearly 8,000 pieces in the Marine Corps art collection.

Semper Fidelis Park

Overlooking the Marine Corps National Museum is a three-acre park dedicated to honoring all Marines who have served their country. Throughout the park are many monuments honoring the accomplishments of various Marine organizations. The walkways through the park are lined with special commemorative bricks that have been purchased and donated by family members and friends of Marines.

This article has described but a few of the displays of weapons, vehicles, aircraft and artifacts fielded by both the Marines and their adversaries featured in the museum. This is a tremendous museum with much more to see and experience in a first-class facility and is definitely worth a trip to see.

A special thank you is in order to Al Houde, Ordnance Curator of the National Museum of the Marine Corps, for his valuable time and assistance.

Directions to the Museum

The National Museum of the Marine Corps is located near the town of Triangle, Virginia just off I-95, 36 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 76 miles north of Richmond, Virginia. From I-95, take the VA-619 exit 150 toward Triangle/Quantico. Merge onto VA-619 East. Turn right onto the Jefferson Davis Highway/US-1. Travel approximately 1/4 mile and turn right into the National Museum of the Marine Corps parking lot. Parking is free and there is no admission charge to visit the Museum. The National Museum of the Marine Corps is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day except Christmas.

National Museum of the Marine Corps
18900 Jefferson Davis Hwy.
Triangle, VA 22172
(877) 653-1775
info@usmcmuseum.org

“The one down there with the pistol grip, that was the one I carried in Vietnam; the early version. Andy Grandy of Frankford Arsenal designed that. He called me and I went up there and shot it. He put the loader extension on it so it held eight rounds. With that duckbill at roughly thirty meters you hadda two foot high, twelve foot wide pattern using Number Four buckshot.” Retired US Navy Chief Petty Officer James “Patches” Watson, Curator Emeritus, UDT-SEAL Museum

(Editor’s note: It’s one thing to visit a military museum, but another thing entirely to get one-on-one guided tours by the museum’s Curator Emeritus, as well as its Executive Director. In this report by Military Affairs Editor Robert Bruce, SAR is pleased to provide our readers with what might be considered the next best thing. Small Arms Review is known and apparently respected by influential members of the UDT-SEAL Museum’s board and staff. As a result, our customary request for special access – including a close look at important artifacts currently on display and others in the holding safes – was enthusiastically supported. Special thanks to Association President Willard Snyder, Executive Director Mike Howard, Curator Emeritus James Watson, and Curator Ruth McSween, for taking the extra time and trouble. – Robert G. Segel)

The Chief was standing in front of the museum’s Vietnam War diorama, reminiscing in his distinctively husky and New Jersey-accented voice about three combat tours there, pointing out and describing to this correspondent a particularly important one of the many interesting weapons on display.

While a casual observer might consider the crudely chopped scattergun with only passing curiosity, the bearlike, 69 year old retired SEAL calls it his “Sweetheart.” Watson spoke with great affection about how this beautiful example of deceptively simple form and decidedly lethal function came to be and how it performed in the ultimate arena of combat.

Such a moment is of inestimable value to those who appreciate the presentation of military history through actual artifacts with a direct link to men who carried them in war. This is “provenance” at its finest, a ten dollar word in the museum culture that simply translates to “origin.”

The story of this stubby shotgun first caught our imagination in reading the books Point Man and Walking Point, Watson’s gripping narratives recounting his experiences as a “plank owner” (original member) and combat veteran of SEAL Team Two, written in collaboration with frequent SAR contributor Kevin Dockery.

My duckbill-modified, pistol-grip Ithaca became my “Sweetheart” during my second and third tours in Vietnam. The lack of a stock never bothered me because I would normally carry a shotgun only when I expected to be in close quarters. Close up, I could point my shotgun from the waist and blow away any target I had in front of me out to twenty or thirty yards without any trouble. (Excerpted from the book Walking Point, Copyright 1997, Bill Fawcett & Assoc. Used by permission.)

Now, SAR was privileged to see, and later to handle and photograph, this very weapon in the presence of its near-legendary SEAL owner. Also, to make an audio tape recording that captured for future generations “Sweetheart’s” story and much more in Watson’s own words. This interview, we’re told, will join many other recordings in the museum’s archives, preserving oral history of US Navy special warriors from WWII to the present.

But that’s getting ahead of the main story, a tour of a uniquely fascinating modern military museum.

Birthplace of the Navy Frogmen

Anchored on the very beach where the largely unknown NCDUs – Naval Combat Demolition Units – of WWII began a heroic saga that continues even today, the small but superb UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, opened in November 1985 with Watson at the helm. Now, after twenty plus years of improvements and additions – as well as repairs and restorations following numerous savage storms – visitors enjoy an extraordinary feast of hardware and history.

The museum itself, its original structure a visually striking, brilliant white cylinder with a spiral ramp to a rooftop observation deck, is surrounded by a large fenced compound protecting an exciting assortment of historic vehicles used in naval operations on land, sea, air, and beyond. A pedestal mounted Huey helicopter, icon of the Vietnam War, seems to have just taken off, straining for altitude above mini subs, riverine and oceangoing craft, dune buggies, and – seemingly out of place to those who don’t know why – a pair of space capsules.

The eye sweeps along its virtual flight path toward the nearby Atlantic Ocean, close enough to hear waves breaking and to catch the strong and evocative scent of seawater, carried inland on the steady Tradewinds.

It is from this dazzling white sand beach and clear blue waters that silent sentinels in concrete and rusting steel were recovered from the surf zone. More than a dozen original beach obstacles from WWII, used in demolition training to prepare for the epic invasion of France known as D-Day, now line up alongside the museum.

Wide pathways lead the visitor from one display to another, bordered with hundreds of emotionally powerful memorial bricks. Look closely and find the names of heroes of Naval Special Warfare like Roy Boehm, “The First SEAL.” Additional bricks display other names, and are available to all who support the museum’s mission.

We walked the verdant and well-kept grounds with current Executive Director Michael Howard, a friendly, energetic and wiry 50 year old retired Navy Captain with over 26 years of service including SEAL Team One and command of several Naval Special Warfare units. Howard appreciates this historic location but also notes the daunting environmental challenges that come with it including high temperatures, salt air with humidity, extreme winds, and frequent torrential rains.

Most recently, he said, “Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne hammered us and the whole place was almost destroyed. Boats actually got up and floated. All these are in different positions now than before the hurricanes.”

The Huey was particularly hard hit, he said, with the tail boom breaking off and other extensive structural damage. “New Piper Aircraft, up in Vero Beach, took on the repair project at no cost. They restored it and, with the help of Kauff’s Transportation and Recovery, we got it remounted on the pedestal.”

Pointing to the museum’s two Vietnam War era PBRs (Patrol Boat, Riverine) and a pair of current issue DPVs (Desert Patrol Vehicles), the Captain spoke of plans to improve on these already impressive displays. “One of the projects we’re working on is getting weapons on these boats and vehicles,” he said, hastily adding, “fake weapons.”

“We think that’s important to make the displays a little more dynamic, realistic looking, with more punch,” he said. “That’s what SEALs and boat guys and helicopters supporting them are all about – firepower.”

Since then, we’re told that highly realistic replica .50 caliber M2s have been bought and installed. Wisely, these are made with durable polymer resin that won’t corrode in the harsh salt air and, in this day and times, have the essential advantage of being completely inert.

A Proud Beginning

The Executive Director’s tour moved inside where walls of the main hallway are covered with impressive plaques listing units and personnel from the first NCDU in 1943 to the Plank Owners of SEAL Teams One and Two. These frame the entranceway to the World War Two gallery, heralded by an imposing wall-sized photo enlargement showing men of NCDU 200 during training at Fort Pierce in 1944.

Stepping a few feet inside, Howard paused in an area flanked by illuminated display cases containing individual mannequins representing the rapid evolution in WWII from NCDUs and Scouts and Raiders to UDTs (Underwater Demolition Teams). Each is authentically uniformed, equipped and armed, he said, often with items donated to the museum by actual veterans of the period or their families.

The Hagensen (sic) Demolition Pack is common to all, a generic name given to variations based on a clever field expedient explosive charge with two pounds of pre-rigged C2 packed in a canvas haversack for land or underwater use. The original is credited in official Navy D-Day documentation to Lieutenant (j.g.) C. P. Hagenson (note “son” with an “o”).

Also notable in this section is a tribute to Lieutenant Commander Draper Kauffman, “The Father of Naval Combat Demolition,” who set up NCDU training at Fort Pierce in June of 1943.

Moving around the gallery, Howard acknowledged SAR’s obvious bias by pointing out numerous examples of American and enemy weaponry. All of the standard Navy and Marine Corps small arms have honored places, from the M1911 .45 auto pistol through ’03 and M1 rifles, the M1 carbine, Thompson submachine gun, as well as John Browning’s famous BAR and his unstoppable M1917A1 machine gun.

As counterpoint to standard US firearms, we were pleased to find nice examples of German P38 and Luger pistols, as well as an MG34 machine gun, prominent in the D-Day case.

Japanese weaponry is similarly in evidence, including a representative Nambu pistol and Arisaka rifle. Most impressive to many visitors is the large, radiator-finned Type 92 heavy machine gun, dramatically posed beneath a Japanese battle flag. UDT 24 autographed this flag while occupying Japan, post surrender.

Also prominently displayed is a Samurai sword, formally surrendered by General Tomoyuki Yamashita after losing the battle for the Philippine Islands in 1945. While it was believed for many years that this was the general’s own priceless family heirloom sword, recent expert examination showed otherwise. Howard speculates that, anticipating the inevitable, the canny general sent his home, appropriating one from a junior officer to hand over to the Americans. Both the original surrender document and Samurai sword were presented to the Museum by Draper Kauffman’s family.

North Gallery

Moving ahead in time from victory in WWII and the Occupation of Japan, SAR’s VIP tour continued in the North Gallery with Chief Watson taking over duties at the Korean Conflict wall, fronted by a tripod-mounted .50 caliber Browning M2HB machine gun. This awesome example of John M. Browning’s genius was fielded in the 1930’s, then served with distinction in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Remarkably, it is still going strong today on Naval Special Warfare Combatant Craft.

The large and menacing machine gun is intentionally set on a boxlike riser at knee height. This, the Chief says, encourages visitors to reach out and touch the gun, a significant departure from the rules at most museums and a particularly memorable experience for many in the school groups and others that regularly visit.

Watson told us that Korea was where UDTs started doing many of the things that would later become SEAL missions, “Going behind enemy lines and attacking fuel depots, bridges and railroad yards.”

The North Gallery’s tightly packed displays of photos, equipment and weapons from Korea to the present Global War on Terror are strongly enhanced by a video presentation on Basic Underwater Demolition School. BUDS is the hellish entry ordeal that all aspiring SEALs must successfully complete. Repeating automatically at regular intervals on a wall-mounted monitor, its sounds of pounding surf, straining men, screaming instructors, throaty cadence chants, gunfire, and explosions fill the gallery, bringing to life the harsh world in which these silent artifacts have served.

The evolution of diving gear for waterborne combat operations is well represented and the museum is particularly proud to have a fine example of the Lambertson Amphibious Rebreather. A “closed-circuit rig” that doesn’t release telltale bubbles, it was introduced in the latter part of WWII for OSS Maritime Units and UDTs.

Walls of Weapons

Noting our quick glances over his shoulder during the introduction to Aqua Lungs and such, the Chief – who definitely shares SAR’s intense appreciation for weapons of all kinds – quickly moved on to the primary focus of our visit. Guns are what we want, and the museum has got plenty of ‘em.

Several large Plexiglas-faced displays are filled with 20th Century military firearms, enticing the visitor to move up close for an intimate encounter. The tall, shallow cases allow examination literally inches from exotic and unusual pistols, submachine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and more. Read serial numbers, see selector markings, note mechanical details, almost smell the gun oil….

Standing in front of the first case, containing a variety of allied and enemy weapons from the Vietnam War era, Watson recalled his time in preparation for SEAL Team Two’s deployments when, at the prophetic insistence of Team Chief Bob “The Eagle” Gallagher, “We trained with these because you never know if you’re gonna hafta pick one up and use it because you ran outta ammo or something happened to yours.”

The two weapons at the top were ChiCom copies of the RPG-2 (NVA B-40) launcher and generic AK-47 with underfolding spike bayonet. Four submachine guns lined up underneath; an M45b “Swedish K”, French MAT-49, and a Russian PPSh-41, nicely paired with the North Vietnamese K-50M that’s made from it by chopping the barrel and cooling shroud then replacing the fixed wooden stock with a telescoping wire version.

The Chief doesn’t hold the K-50 in high regard, citing at least one he fired with an apparent sear problem. “Hang on ‘cause it wasn’t gonna stop ‘till it was empty,” he said. “Definitely a piece of junk.”

But a big smile appeared when we stepped in front of the next case and he pointed out several of the US weapons his team and others used in ‘Nam. In addition to an early version M72 LAW (Light Antitank Weapon), there were three grenade launchers on display that he heartily approved of. A 40mm M79 “Thumper” often accompanied the Chief as a STAB (SEAL Team Assault Boat) coxswain on riverine missions, and his team got some of the first underbarrel-mounted CGL-4/XM148 launchers off Colt’s assembly lines.

The last of the trio is the exceedingly rare “China Lake Pump,” serial number 4 of a total run said to be only sixteen guns. This is an imposing cross between an M79 and a pump shotgun that allowed the grenadier four quick rounds when things got really hairy.

Of course the Chief has a story to go with the weapon. “When I went back to Vietnam in 1996, serial number 13 was hangin’ on the wall in their war museum,” then added with a knowing look, “I tried to find out who lost that but was unsuccessful.”

The enthusiasm level kept rising as we moved to behold yet another weapons case, this one filled with belt-fed machine guns. The topmost weapon is an HK 23, a sturdy but heavy West German-made 5.56mm that the Chief notes was combat tested by a Team Two buddy, the late John “Fly” Fallon.

But, he says, it didn’t stack up to Gene Stoner’s lighter, compact and modular guns. “Stoner designed a system – a rifle and machine gun combination,” he said, putting emphasis on the word system.

“When I went into Cambodia … I’d take the stock off it and use the short barrel. You wanted to make everything as light and small as you could.” The system aspect of Stoner’s guns is well presented in the three variants on display, showing how a basic receiver group can be reconfigured with various barrels and feed mechanisms. A 63A assault carbine version with folding wire stock and 30-round magazine is sandwiched between two belt-feds. Above is a Mark 23 Mod 0 with a generous 150-round drum and below is a 63A1 with a 100-round box.

(SAR notes that at least one of the Stoners and a good number of the other weapons on display are on long-term loan from the Naval Historical Society’s fabulous holdings. See Robert Bruce’s NHS feature in Volume 7 Number 1.)

Silencers vs. Suppressors

A bit incongruously sharing this machine gun case is an M16A1 with one mounted suppressor and another below, teamed with its cutaway version to reveal the engineering secrets inside. These prompted a quick lesson from the Chief, enlightening those handicapped by Hollywood-generated ignorance. “There’s no such thing as a silencer,” he declared, “every weapon makes some noise in functioning – even a bow and arrow.”

Pointing to the Mark II suppressor and its cutaway on display, he added, “When you use this one without subsonic ammo you’d hear the crack of the bullet when it broke the sound barrier. But it creates deception in locating the direction somebody’s shooting from. If we’re standing here and (points left) a guy’s out there shooting with a suppressed M16, you’d think he was over there (points right) ‘cause what you’d mostly hear is the bullet breaking the sound barrier.”

Shotguns, Shorties and Starlight

Then, turning to his left, Watson paused in front of the Vietnam diorama, figuratively traveling back in time nearly forty years to a nighttime raid on a bamboo hut on the other side of the world. Dramatic life sized figures of three men with green camo face paint and exotic armament are checking out a Viet Cong guerrilla weapons cache, a variety of weapons of communist bloc and other origin.

“The SEALs here just discovered it,” the Chief says, “the guy on the left is carrying a standard Model 37 (Ithaca shotgun) with a ‘duckbill’ – the later version with the ring around it.”

And there, sitting on a wooden ammo crate in front of the SEAL, was Watson’s own “Sweetheart,” described at the beginning of this feature. But he isn’t pleased that this makes it look like his gun had been captured. “That didn’t happen,” he declared, “we’re gonna get some stuff moved around.”

The SEAL on the right carries another interesting combo, a chopped M16 dwarfed by a big, strange apparatus attached to its topside carrying handle. The Chief shakes his head as he recalls his own brief experience with this ungainly rig.

“Here’s one of the first ‘Starlight Scopes,’ but it was too heavy and cumbersome,” he said. “I used it once mounted on a CAR Fifteen (submachine gun version of the Colt AR-15 rifle)…. Too heavy and when you put it up to your eye to use it there’s a green glow. Take it away and you’re blind; night vision’s gone in that eye for thirty minutes.”

Post-Vietnam to GWOT

The North Gallery continues with exhibits showing activities and operations since Vietnam, overseen by an eerie life-sized hologram with the spectral three dimensional presence of a SEAL armed with an MP5 submachine gun. He tirelessly guards displays showing Naval Special Warfare units in action in Grenada, Panama, Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Noteworthy among the photos and artifacts is another tall case packed with examples of Navy edged weapons from the Mark I KA-Bar of WWII thru the new Gerber Silver Trident, the Chief’s own design in collaboration with Bill Harsey, Jr.

Across the way, visitors can walk right up and touch a battle-damaged 12.7mm ChiCom Type 54 heavy machine gun, a clone of the Soviet DShKM, captured by SEAL Team Two’s Fourth Platoon during a still-politically sensitive operation in the Persian Gulf in the late 1980s. Roughly equivalent to Browning’s M2HB, the exotically configured and impressively large weapon should spark recognition of how lethal is the arsenal of our current enemies.

Operation Desert Storm, the 1st Gulf War, is the final major exhibit, shown in display cases full of captured Iraqi gear dominated by a mannequin in “chocolate chip camo” uniform, representing a SEAL operating far behind enemy lines. Then, the last bit of wall space available in the museum holds a meaningful tribute to the eleven SEALs killed on a combat rescue mission in Afghanistan on 28 June 2005.

Safekeeping

Few museums have everything in the collection on display and this one has packed a small storage room literally from floor to ceiling with rare, unusual and truly exotic artifacts. Stepping up close we encountered vintage tactical radios, diving gear, uniforms, and other interesting items from decades of NSW operations. How about an example of the distinctive XM257 shotgun ammo that goes with the “Duckbills” on display? Got it. “Bazooka” rockets used against beach bunkers? Yep.

Also, three large safes line one wall of the room, jammed with weapons and other high-value artifacts. Their massive doors swing open to reveal an eclectic mix ranging from Great War vintage machine guns to GWOT RPGs. Chief Watson pulled a few out for us to handle (wearing the necessary white cotton gloves, of course) and graciously gave us the opportunity to shoot detailed photos. In addition to a 1917-made Lewis Gun that served in WWII protecting UDT craft, there’s Robert Marshall’s M1 Carbine (UDT 3 and 5) and a ‘Nam era S&W Model 39 auto pistol with suppressor.

But our props really started turning when the Chief set a trio of crude handguns down on the white background paper of our makeshift studio. “These are homemade VC pistols,” he said, “captured by Team Two’s ‘Fly’ Fallon and his PRU (Provisional Reconnaissance Unit) on a Phoenix operation.”

There, right in front of us, were jungle workshop weapons; surprisingly well made by resourceful guerrillas, captured by a real SEAL on a CIA-directed mission, brought back home by him, then personally donated to the museum. This is powerful provenance and future visitors can look forward to the time when space is available to put them and their story on display.

Artifacts Sought

Curator Ruth McSween has recently come on board. With a Masters Degree in Museum Studies, she brings a high degree of professionalism to the demanding tasks of cataloging, preservation, presentation, and much more.

McSween encourages the continued contribution of letters, photographs, uniforms, oral and written histories, weapons, and other memorabilia, relating to the history of Naval Special Warfare of all eras. Like most museums, they have a need for certain historical items to fill important gaps in the collection: OSS Maritime Units, the history and evolution of Special Warfare Combatant Craft, and photographs of UDT platoons executing hydrographic reconnaissance survey work.

Additionally, she says, “We would like to increase the number of artifacts that date to more recent operations including both wars in Iraq as well as the war in Afghanistan.”

Bigger and Better

Available space for major exhibits ends after the first Gulf War. So museum leaders are aggressively pursuing funding for expansion to showcase recent and ongoing NSW operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other battlegrounds of the Global War on Terror.

Howard explained that there are existing architectural plans for a dramatic new addition but day to day operational costs have to take priority. “Right now we’re only making ends meet,” he said.

Association President Willard Snyder, interestingly a retired Army Colonel (Infantry) with service in 12th Special Forces Group (USAR), told us the Board of Directors is working to “get one focus and move ahead financially.” Both Snyder and Howard see corporate donors – such as major defense contractors – as natural sources of funding and other support.

Howard, Snyder and the Chief all emphasize the essential contributions of rank and file members whose dues, volunteer work, donations of artifacts, personal and professional networking connections, are the museum’s firmest foundation. Increasing membership – open to all who wish to support preservation and presentation of the history of Naval Special Warfare – is a top priority.

Find Out More

Membership details and a printable application form may be found on the Museum’s excellent website at www.navysealmuseum.com. Additionally, the site offers a stunning “virtual museum” tour as well as a wealth of information on history, heritage, and links for those interested in SEALs and other current Naval Special Warfare units. Go on-line shopping at The Ship’s Store for an interesting assortment of UDT and SEAL memorabilia including shirts, caps, pens, mugs, patches, stickers, videos, and plenty of books such as Chief Watson’s Point Man.

See For Yourself

No trip to Florida by a modern military history buff or small arms enthusiast would be complete without a side visit to tropical Fort Pierce and its UDT-SEAL Museum on beautiful North Hutchinson Island. Most anytime is fine, but particularly during Muster, the yearly gathering of past and present SEALs and other NSW members. The 21st Annual Muster, featuring spectacular combat demonstrations and other exciting activities, is scheduled for November 10 through 12, 2006. There’s detailed info on the museum website.

UDT-SEAL Museum
3300 North Highway A1A
Fort Pierce, FL 34949-8520
Telephone (772) 595-5845
www.navysealmuseum.com
Other Useful Websites
www.nswfoundation.org
www.navysealteams.com
www.navyseals.com
www.seal.navy.mil
www.realseal.org

(Editor’s Note: SAR recently sent Contributing Editor Robert Bruce to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to do an in-depth report on the training of Army Special Forces Weapons Sergeants. (Vol. 9, No. 9, June 2006) While there, we also assigned Robert to do a feature on the JFK Special Forces Museum to detail some of the exotic and historic weaponry in its collection. With the full support and energetic assistance of Director/Curator Roxanne Merritt and her small but dedicated staff, SAR was allowed not only the opportunity to get in after hours to light and photograph some of the current exhibits, but also to go behind the scenes into the museum’s high security arms vault. This special access has paid off handsomely in the accompanying photos and SAR sends a big THANKS for all the extra work. – Robert G. Segel)

“The mission of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret significant historical property related to the history of special operations in the U. S. Army including the Special Forces and Civil Affairs branches, the Ranger Regiment, the functional areas of Psychological Operations and Aviation, and its predecessor organizations from the American colonial period to the present. As an educational institution, the museum will support training and education for military and civilian personnel.”

The JFK Special Warfare Museum may be relatively modest in size but it is undeniably mighty in the quality of its collection. It is, of course, the official repository for actual items used on missions by U.S. Army Special Forces “Green Berets,” Rangers and other members of the Army Special Operations Forces family. It also preserves the history of a long list of elite Army units that came before such as the legendary Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the First Special Service Force “Black Devils” from WWII.

The impetus for the museum came from the vision of Major General William P. Yarborough in 1961, who was, at the time, the commanding general of the US Army Special Warfare Center. The connection with President John F. Kennedy honors his energetic support for Army “Green Berets” and their unconventional warfare capabilities.

OSS Weapons Exhibit

It is the OSS connection that first caught this correspondent’s eye a couple of years back while doing research for a report on the opening of the International Spy Museum (SAR Vol. 6, No. 4, January 2003). An internet search turned up a procurement notice on a government purchasing website indicating intent to acquire the Brunner OSS Collection.

Subsequent phone calls resulted in confirmation that this effort was successful and the priceless artifacts have found a permanent home with the JFK Special Warfare Museum at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SAR is pleased to report that this remarkable OSS collection is now front and center in a permanent exhibit at the museum.

Dr. John W. Brunner, a retired college professor, served with distinction in the OSS during WWII. His meticulously researched book OSS Weapons is considered by experts to be the best of its kind. Unfortunately now out of print, copies routinely bringing upwards of $200 on the used book market, testifying to their value among scholars and serious collectors.

Many of the items pictured and described in Brunner’s book were from his own collection. Notable among them are close quarter combat firearms from .22 to .45 caliber, some famous edged weapons, and a fascinating selection of spy tradecraft gadgets. As luck would have it, all of these had been temporarily relocated to the vault while the exhibit was being refurbished, and so were readily accessible for the photos accompanying this feature.

The .45 ACP single-shot Liberator pistol is perhaps best known of the WW2 OSS firearms, with over a million produced and intended for airdrop to resistance fighters. Brunner not only had a particularly fine example of this cheap and simple smoothbore weapon, he was careful to also preserve one of the waxed cardboard boxes they were originally packed in.

The Vietnam-era Deer Gun is the CIA’s (Central Intelligence Agency) upgraded version of the Liberator, chambered in 9mm Parabellum. As far fewer of these single shot handguns were made, the one in the JFK SW museum is particularly noteworthy.

While the uninformed may scoff at the effectiveness of weapons firing .22 caliber rimfire ammo, these small cartridges offer several advantages in the arena of clandestine combat. Principal among these are modest recoil, noise and flash, making them particularly adaptable to innovative concepts in weaponry for concealment and killing at close range. The Stinger is one of these, a single-shot device resembling an ordinary pocket-clip pen.

Brunner saved an original box containing ten of the first model Stinger devices and another with the improved Type 2 Stinger. He also made sure that an excellent example was preserved of the .22 cal. High-Standard semi-automatic pistol with a sound suppressor barrel, spare screen and a round of the original T-42 jacketed long rifle ammo.

Although not from the Brunner collection, another firearm that was likely to have been used by the OSS caught our eye in the museum’s arms vault. The British SOE (Special Operations Executive), a partner to the OSS in Europe, fielded a particularly effective single shot handgun usually identified as the Welrod. This sound suppressed 9mm Parabellum pistol features an integral barrel and may be quickly reloaded from a six-round spring loaded magazine in the pistol grip.

Crossbows and Carbon Dioxide

When circumstances call for stealthy dispatch of enemy personnel, the ideal tool is not necessarily a silenced firearm. Consider the medieval crossbow, some types capable of almost noiselessly propelling an armor-piercing shaft with astonishing range and accuracy. This concept made a lot of sense to the British SOE and their cohorts in the American OSS.

Brunner’s crossbow collection included several fascinating examples of modern adaptations of the ancient arrow shooter. While the most commonly used was the pistol-like Little Joe, the rarest is the “Little Joe Pedal” model, firing a particularly impressive ten inch long aluminum bolt at 170 feet per second. Only one example is known to have survived and is now safely housed in the museum’s collection.

Anyone who has had fun with quiet and powerful pump air rifles or CO2 pistols should appreciate the applicability of this sort of propulsion to spy type weaponry. Brunner’s efforts have ensured the survival and display of the only surviving example of the Gun, Dart, Carbon Dioxide Propelled. The OSS gave it the evocative code name “Flying Dragon” and fifteen were available by July 1945. Comparison testing with crossbows and conventional suppressed firearms showed little reason to field it and the Flying Dragon was grounded.

The Cutting Edge

The modern combat value of knives and other edged weapons may be somewhat less easy to demonstrate and document but apparently sufficient for the OSS to field a number of interesting stabbers, stickers, slicers and slashers. Notable among those in Brunner’s holdings are an OSS Stiletto, complete with “pancake flapper” sheath, and a Type 2 Smatchet bolo knife, complete with its original cardboard packing box and the correct plywood-lined sheath.

These join several other interesting edged weapons that were acquired from various sources. We examined a tiny thumb knife, a sleeve or wrist dagger and the wonderfully versatile lock-picking knife. This last is a seemingly ordinary pocket knife that also boasts a set of fold-out picks to facilitate surreptitious entry into locked areas.

Baseball Blaster

Were it not for the device’s destructive intent and unfortunate history, the Beano grenade might qualify as the most amusing of OSS artifacts in the JFK SW Museum. Formally designated as Grenade, Hand, Fragmentation, T13, With Fuze Grenade, Impact, T5, OSS personnel soon nicknamed it the “Beano.” The Beano was developed from a suggestion by Col. Carl Eifler who believed that the standard grenade was ungainly to throw. He asked the R&D branch of OSS to make a grenade the size, shape and weight of a standard baseball. It is speculated that the nickname might have come from the dishonorable practice of some baseball pitchers back then, and even now, to intentionally throw “beanballs,” to hit the batter.

This unusual ball grenade was designed to explode on impact with the target, rather than after the usual three to five second delay. Presumably, this would make it more useful for attacking moving targets and those who might be tempted to pick up the hand bomb and throw it back.

Interestingly, camera and film company Eastman Kodak got the contract to design and manufacture these novelties which soon proved to be unreliable in performance and particularly dangerous to the thrower. According to Brunner’s research, the Beano can be credited with nearly fifty casualties, but none of these were on the enemy side. The project was terminated at the end of the war.

Handmade Firearms

The other end of the weapons spectrum is well represented in some of the museum’s other displays showing guns made in primitive workshops by native populations. These include examples of pistols, shotguns and rifles cobbled together by Philippine resistance fighters, Viet Cong guerrillas and others, determined to do the best they could with materials at hand. It is astonishing what can be done with scraps of tin, bits of wood and hacksawed plumbing pipe. The handmade flintlocks of the Hmong of Laos were family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation as is evidenced by silver bands on the barrel, indicating how long it had been in the family.

Vietnam War

U.S. Army Special Forces “Green Berets” and other Army Special Operations Forces were heavily committed in the Republic of Vietnam beginning around 1961 during the so-called “advisor period” and extending to the fall of Saigon in 1975. So it follows that a large number of the artifacts on display are from this conflict.

The first thing most visitors see when approaching the museum is a full size re-creation of a firebase mortar pit complete with sandbags, log reinforcements and an actual 81mm M29 mortar. Large graphics display boards ring the pit, providing photographs, diagrams and information on how typical firebases were built and defended, often against overwhelming enemy forces.

Following the sidewalk to the main entrance leads past an imposing Soviet 12.7mm DShK-38/46 Heavy Machine Gun, fielded by the Red Army in WW2 then supplied to enemy forces and used against the US from the Korean War to Vietnam and right up to the present day.

Inside the main gallery of the museum are exhibits showing typical weapons, uniforms and equipment used by “A Teams” in Vietnam as well as those of communications, surveillance and Civil Affairs personnel.

Look for the very early AimPoint red dot sight used by MSG (later CSM) Joseph Lupyak, part of “Red Wine” element of the Son Tay Raid in 1970. It was purchased for $59.99 from Sears as the Army didn’t have anything like it in the inventory. The Son Tay Raid also offered such innovations, now considered commonplace, as the use of bullhorns and acetylene torches.

Artifacts From Recent History

For some of us with more than a few gray hairs it is sobering to consider that many of today’s twenty-somethings were still soiling their diapers when Army Rangers and other Special Operations Forces liberated Grenada in 1983. And others weren’t even teenagers when the invading Iraqis were kicked out of Kuwait in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. Thus, “history” is relative and each generation has significant milestones that are meaningful to them.

While it is to be expected that many of the museum’s exhibits highlight activities of Army SOF’s in the Vietnam War, more recent conflicts take front and center in the museum’s many displays.

SAR found it particularly interesting to see the gear worn by Special Operations soldiers during the 1993 shootout in Somalia, often called the Battle of Mogadishu and best known by many from the book and movie “Blackhawk Down.”

The expected and the unusual may be found in any of the displays but a case in point presents weapons brought back by SOF’s from Desert Storm. There are fascinating stories behind most every artifact but what the hell is a Greener Mark 2 Harpoon Gun doing in Iraq?

Global War on Terrorism

The museum’s preservation and exhibition mission comes fully up to date with displays showing Operation Enduring Freedom, launched principally in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the liberation of Iraq which began for US and allied special operations forces well before the official announcement on 20 March 2003.

The museum has items that come from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center including a large twisted steel beam that is right next to the entrance. Also on display is the uniform of Ron Bucca, a former member of the 11th SFG (A) and the only Fire Marshall to have perished in the attack. This is an ongoing process as America’s GWOT continues and artifacts are sent back by participants. Get a close look at gaudy gold plated weapons from Uday Hussein’s Baghdad palace and the imposing gateway sign from Fire Base Tycz in Afghanistan.

The Mitch Lane memorial exhibit is a noteworthy example of most every aspect of the museum’s broad mission statement. Sergeant First Class Mitchell Arthur Lane, an Engineer Sergeant with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, died on August 29, 2003, during a combat air assault on an enemy cave complex in Afghanistan.

According to those who knew him, Lane was extraordinary in every way and will be long remembered for the particularly effective door breaching device he became a master of. The explosive water charge is widely used throughout US SOFs and those of many allied nations. Lane was constantly modifying the charge to fit the situation and made a point of writing clever messages on its support board.

The “Mitch Lane Special” features a spiral of detonating cord, a pair of medical salt water bags, 100 MPH tape, and a wooden board, “about half the height of the door you are going to blow down.” Its dramatic effectiveness comes not only in the ability to instantly vaporize heavy doors but also to allow the assaulting force to remain remarkably close to the blast without injury.

Wish List

While there are currently more than 6,000 artifacts in the museum’s collection, some gaps exist that need to be filled. Highlights from a long list posted at www.soc.mil/swcs/museum/wishlist.shtml include items from Mosby’s Rangers (American Civil War), Alamo Scouts, Merrill’s Marauders and First Special Service Force (WW2), a Stoner assault rifle or machine gun (Vietnam), as well as Propaganda and Psychological Operations materials from all periods. Individuals and organizations wishing to offer appropriate artifacts are encouraged to contact Director/Curator Roxanne Merritt.

Gift Shop

Proceeds from Gift Shop sales go to support museum operations. Available items include a fascinating selection of Special Operations books, souvenirs and apparel. Mail order sales are handled through the website at www.jfkgiftshop.org or by phone at (910) 436-2366.

No-Sweat Visitor Passes

These are tough times for the many museums located on military bases. Attendance is way down due to the strict security measures in response to increased threats from terrorist organizations. Clearance for entering the bases is an unfamiliar task for most civilians who can’t be blamed for being reluctant to undergo the scrutiny necessary to get a visitor pass.

But those with determination and a few simple preparations will find the entry process for Fort Bragg and most other bases rather quick and painless and the payoff will be more than worthwhile:

• Call or visit the museum’s website in advance for directions and hours of operation
• Make sure there are no weapons or ammo in your vehicle
• Have current drivers license, vehicle registration and insurance card
• Watch for signs that direct you to a lane for “vehicles without decals”

Find Out More

JFK Special Warfare Museum is located in the main post area of Fort Bragg, North Carolina (near Fayetteville) at Bldg. D-2502 at Ardennes and Marion Streets. Telephone (910) 432-4272 or (910) 432-1533. Their website is www.soc.mil/swcs/museum.shtml. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays except certain holidays). There is no admission charge but donations are greatly appreciated.

Special Forces Association www.sfahq.org

Ranger Association
www.ranger.org
OSS Society
http://osssociety.org
Central Intelligence Agency www.cia.gov
US Army Special
Operations Command
www.soc.mil

For more than 40 years now, M16 series firearms have been the American military’s weapon of choice. It is fair to say that few small arms have created such a history of controversy, which still persists to this day. What actually happened early in the Vietnam War forms the basis of ongoing misinformation and misconceptions about the M16 & M16A1 rifles. These weapons unfairly “earned” a reputation for malfunctioning when they were “dirty” and for being a lightweight piece of junk to many. The truth, however, is much more complex than the standard line that the gun did not work due to fouling. The M16’s initial reliability issues should not have fallen on the Black Rifle itself, but on the U.S. Army Ordnance Corps which was ultimately responsible for developing and fielding weapons used by U.S. soldiers.

The new lightweight rifle was adopted in 1964 based on its “superior performance” over the heavier M14 with its 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge designed for longer range engagements. The M16 was seen by many, including Special Forces advisors, as a good infantry weapon “nearly perfect” for combat conditions in Vietnam. With a larger “basic load of ammunition,” these small caliber, lightweight, low recoil weapons proved ideal for rapid multiple target engagements and close quarter fighting often encountered in Southeast Asia. Without digging into the early history of the U.S Air Force AR-15’s & M16’s, we will look at what went wrong “in the jungles of Vietnam.”

Soon after the new black rifles were deployed into ground combat with front line Army and Marine units, reports of significant malfunctions began to circulate across Vietnam and back to the States. Many of these problems stemmed from U.S. Ordnance Corps’ defiance, prejudices and outright negligence, which proved serious enough by 1967 to warrant a Special Subcommittee on the M16 Rifle Program in the U.S. House of Representatives. These proceedings within the Armed Services Committee are now known as the Ichord Hearings, after the chairman, Rep. Richard Ichord. The details of the entire M16 program brought out during these hearings showed incredible mismanagement and gross negligence which directly caused weapons to malfunction in the jungles of Southeast Asia. After the real problems were brought to the surface, corrective action was finally taken to develop a weapon system that would function properly with its ammunition and could be deployed reliably in extended combat operations for decades to follow. We will now take a hard look at the errors, oversights, and solutions which lead to the combat proven M16A1.

Fateful Selection of Ball Powder

Most problems encountered with the rifle would be based on the Ordnance Corps’ decision to load 5.56mm ammunition with Ball powder instead of the IMR powder it was designed for. The decision was made carelessly and without testing to see if the Ball powder would have any adverse effects on the rifle. This was a grave error, one that the government would be warned about both by Gene Stoner and by Colt’s.

So what difference does the powder make? All the difference in the world. Auto loading firearms are by far one of the most complex of all machines. The tolerances and manufacturing processes are very unforgiving. A military rifle is a weapon system. That system is made up of a weapon, cartridge, propellant, primer and bullet. Any time one is changed, it must be tested and qualified before a change is implemented to insure the integrity of the weapon is not compromised. It was not.

Ball powder caused a series of malfunctions due to its different burning properties from the IMR powder the rifle was designed around. Keep in mind that the gun and ammunition were designed together. Ball powder has a much sharper pressure curve (burns faster) and increased the port pressure of the rifle. This increases the cyclic rate of the firearm by more than 200 rounds per minute. What this means is the timing of cycling of the firearm was dramatically sped up. The rifle was designed to fire at a rate of 700 to 800 rounds per minute, with ball powder it was increased to nearly 1,000 rounds per minute. This alteration of operation caused numerous problems including exceeding the cyclic rate maximum. It was so bad that Colt (by instruction of the Army) performed acceptance testing with older lots of cartridges loaded with IMR powder so that they would meet the lower cyclic rate as specified in the contract with the Army so the rifles could be delivered to the Army. Ball powder has been used going back to World War II. Large stocks remained from that time period that could be converted into rifle powder. This significantly decreased the cost in comparison to IMR powder. The main problem with IMR propellant was the inability for DuPont to manufacture the quantities needed to the specifications required. The actual decision to use ball propellant for this rifle system was not a bad decision, the problem came into how they implemented it. The rifle/ammunition were not tested and qualified before ammunition with Ball propellant made its way to the jungles of Southeast Asia.

Failure to Chrome Plate the Chamber

The principal and most serious cause of the malfunctions of the AR-15/M16 rifle in Vietnam was the failure to chrome plate the chamber. From experience gained in the Pacific Theater during World War II, it was found that chrome plating a chamber of a firearm would prevent many serious failures to extract. This military requirement was set forth by Ordnance Technical committee since 1957. Corrosion causes pitting in the chamber. When the cartridge is fired, it expands to the walls of the chamber. The cartridge would stick in these pits causing the extractor to tear the rim off the cartridge cases and the only way to remove it was to hammer it out with a cleaning rod. If the chamber was corroded and pitted, no cleaning would make it function properly. The question is, if we learned this lesson in World War II and made it a military specification on all U.S. small arms, why did the AR-15/M16 rifle not have it? The blame here goes not to Ordnance Corp but to the “Wiz Kids” on Secretary of Defence McNamara’s staff who made all the decisions. This micromanagement of money in resources and decisions was made by people who had not the slightest clue about small arms. As stated by William Davis, Jr. about the decision to not chrome plate the chamber, “If the rifle needed a chrome chamber Stoner would have designed it that way. So it did not have one therefore it did not need one.” Despite that fact, the rifle that Stoner and Colt showed the government was not a finalized weapon. It would need development to get ready for the troops to use at large.

This problem was simply corrected. First to appear were barrels with chrome plated chambers only. The barrels were marked “CMPC”(Colt magnetic particle inspected and proof tested). Barrels were also sent to Rock Island to have the chambers modified and chrome plated. This prevented the serious failures to extract and made the chamber easier to clean. Later in the war, the barrels were chrome plated in both the bore and chamber. These barrels were marked “CMPB” or “ CMP Chrome Bore.” With this modification the failures to extract became a thing of the past in the rifle.

Additionally the original gas tube was made from AISI 4130 steel. Due to corrosion issues that came up in the jungles of Vietnam the gas tube material was changed to stainless steel. This was implemented in the 1966 to 1967 time frame. This change eliminated the corrosion issues.

Failure to Extract

Failure to extract problems were due to the bolt unlocking sooner due to the change-over from IMR to Ball powder. There was still high residual pressure in the chamber and the cartridge cases did not have sufficient time to contract to be easily removed from the chamber. Thus, the extractor would slip off the rim or shear part of the rim off leaving the fired cartridge case in the chamber. To clear this malfunction, often the bolt would be closed again and the cartridge would come out of the chamber. If you compounded this malfunction with a corroded and pitted chamber, the cartridge case would become lodged in the chamber and have to be pounded out with a cleaning rod. This was by far the most serious of any malfunctions of the M16 in Vietnam. Chrome plating the chamber cured the extraction ill. The next major improvement to extraction took place in the 1970s with the addition of the rubber extractor spring buffer, which greatly increased extractor force. This particularly helped carbines that had a much higher cyclic rate.

Fouling

Fouling has been played up by many as the main cause of the failures in Vietnam. Many claimed that the gun would malfunction and the only way to get it working again was to tear it down and clean it on the battlefield. This was not the case. The main malfunctions were caused by corroded chambers causing failures to extract. No matter how clean the rifle was, it would not function reliably with a corroded chamber. Cleaning will not increase bolt and fire control group strength to prevent parts breakage due to the significant increase in cyclic rate. However, Ball powder did cause more fouling in the firearm, particularly in the chamber and inside the bolt carrier in between the back of the bolt carrier and the rear of the bolt. Simple maintenance took care of this, but maintenance became a problem of its own. It should be noted that to this very day the military M855 Ball cartridge uses Ball powder and the M16A2 and later generation rifles work very well.

Correcting Slam Fire Issue

One of the earliest problems to surface was slam fire. Slam fire occurs when the bolt is released and the firing pin strikes the primer and that inertia is enough to set the cartridge off. The principal culprit was the inconsistency in the manufacturing of the primers. When soft batches of primers were loaded this was more evident. To cope with this problem, the weight of the firing pin was decreased thus correcting the problem. There was a complete retrofit of all the old firing pins with the new ones service wide. Based on my research, the old firing pins were destroyed to keep them from surfacing at a later date and causing slam fire problems.

The “Light Strike” Problem and Newly Designed Buffer to Cope

The “light strike” was consequence of the higher cyclic rate. This malfunction was only found on fully automatic fire. When the cartridge is fired, the bolt carrier moves to the rear and the hammer is held by the automatic sear. The bolt carrier moves forward by action of the buffer spring, strips a cartridge off the magazine, chambers it, and as the bolt moves into the locked position, the sear trip area on the back of the bolt carrier tips the auto sear releasing the hammer to fire. But when the bolt carrier slammed into the barrel extension, it would momentarily bounce off the barrel extension and when the hammer would strike the bolt carrier, it would not be completely closed. The hammer would ride the firing pin/bolt carrier group forward and by the time it would lock there would be insufficient energy left to fire the cartridge. Thus, there would be a light dent on the primer but the round would not fire.

This problem would be corrected by the redesign of the buffer/spring guide. The original buffer, which utilized the “Edgewater ring springs,” was basically a spring guide that worked well with IMR propellant. For use with ball powder, five sliding steel weights were inserted inside the buffer and in- between them are small rubber disks. The weights would be able to move freely inside the buffer. This accomplished a couple things. First, it slightly decreased the cyclic rate on the closing stroke. Secondly, it prevented the bolt carrier bounce. As the buffer moved rearward when fired, inertia kept all the weights to the rear and when the bolt carrier would move into the locked position the weights would move forward absorbing the energy preventing the bolt carrier bounce.

Excessive Parts Wear and Breakages

The bolt itself would crack and break from the higher velocity and impact caused by the higher cyclic rate. The rear of the disconnector would break as well. These components worked properly at their design parameters but the increase in cyclic rate caused them to be overworked and eventually fail. The bolt catch was found to break with extended use due to the higher cyclic rate. It certainly was not that the rifle would not work with ball powder, it would have to be modified to do so. That was the job of the Ordnance Corps as per directions given by Secretary of Defense McNamara: they failed to do that.

Refining some manufacturing processes and redesigning some components solved these problems. The bolt was shot peened to increase its strength to deal with the higher cyclic rate. The disconnector was redesigned and made stronger to deal with the harder impact. The bolt catch was strengthened to halt the bolt carrier group of the higher velocity caused by the use of Ball propellant.

Other Modifications and improvements

As the war progressed, the rifle was further modified and improved. After first fielding, it was clear that these rifles were corroding. This is called “Intergrandular Exfoliation.” This is a chemical reaction in the aluminum caused by a combination of humidity, body perspiration and other chemicals that caused the receivers to flake off in layers and had a white corrosive substance appearance. This was primarily due to the receivers being made of the lower quality 6061 T6 aluminum forgings. Eugene Stoner himself had pled with Ordnance Corps to use 7075 T6 aluminum and was shot down until 1968 when production changed to the desirable 7075 T6 aluminum, which is used to this very day.

The lower receivers went through three generations as well. The original utilized a removable front pivot pin. The second introduced the captive front pivot pin, which visibly showed a raised area/rib that went straight back behind the front pivot pin and ended near the rear of the ejection port. The third was the addition of the magazine release button fence, which prevented accidental release of the magazine by dropping or dragging.

The bolt and bolt carrier had gone through some changes as well. The original AR-15 had a chrome plated bolt and bolt carrier. The XM16E1 used the same with the addition of the forward assist notches. This was a proprietary “hard” chrome plating process that was quite expensive. It was found that the chrome did wear off and chip and eventually corroded. It had also prematurely worn the internal dry film lube inside the upper receiver. The original purpose of chrome plating was to make it easier to clean. This it did, but there was a better way to go about this.

There are no remaining records that state the exact time when the chrome plating process ceased, but it is safe to say in the 1967 time period the chrome plating was dropped in favor a more durable and cheaper manganese phosphate which was black in color. The inside of the bolt carrier and carrier key remain chrome plated. Both the smooth side as well as the forward assist notched versions of the bolt carrier was produced in chrome plating and eventually both changed to the new finish. In 1966 Colt stopped manufacturing the smooth sided carriers due to lack of interchangeability with the XM16E1/M16A1 rifles.

Additionally, a new firing pin retaining pin was introduced. The original part was a machined retaining pin that came in chrome plated and manganese phosphate finish. A much cheaper cotter-type pin replaced this. The original was a much better component but there was another more inexpensive way to do the same job.

The Self-Cleaning Gun

With the purchase and distribution of more than 85,000 AR-15 rifles in Vietnam, there was not a single .22 caliber cleaning kit, operator’s manual or chamber or bore cleaning brush available. As recalled by Gene Stoner, the Army had no intention of buying the rifle so the government did not want to waste money on cleaning kits and manuals. The AR-15 was supposed to be an “interim” solution until they could get the SPIW (Special Purpose Individual Weapon) finalized and fielded. Therefore, the gun was touted as being self-cleaning. Troops were instructed that it was not necessary to perform any cleaning or maintenance on their weapons prior to going out on patrol or on a mission. Due to lack of reasonable maintenance guns would be fouled, firing thousands of rounds without cleaning. By not cleaning, the humidity and other environmental factors, the gun was even more prone to corrosion in the barrel and chamber. With the lack of availability of cleaning supplies, operator manuals and maintenance training, rifles were found to be in unserviceable condition in the hands of infantry soldiers. Many soldiers in the early part of the Vietnam War received training on the M14 rifle in basic training and when they arrived in Vietnam they were issued an M16. They received no instruction on operation and maintenance. With the introduction of Ball propellant, the fouling became more of a problem without maintenance

It was not until late 1966 that the Army began distribution (small) of the newly designed chamber brush which cleaned fouling out of the chamber as well as the locking recesses in the barrel extension. It was not until 1967 that large scale distribution of manuals, cleaning rods, bore and chamber brushes and lubricant were issued to the troops in the field.

Many have seen pictures, video coverage or heard stories of the flimsy M16 that was so fragile to dirt that condoms were placed over the muzzle to prevent dust from entering the barrel. Once again, a half-truth. The reason for covering the muzzle was to prevent water from entering the barrel. Due to the smaller bore, water enters by capillary action and is retained by surface tension. The gravity overcomes the surface tension in a larger .30 caliber bore and it will run out more easily. This was to protect more so from walking thorough streams and rivers and large amounts of water entering the barrel rather than a few drops of rain. This is a characteristic of a .22 caliber high power rifle. The best way to improve the barrel strength is to massively overbuild it to take severe pressures but the weight would become unacceptable. It should be noted that M1 rifles during World War II also had condoms placed over the muzzle during landings on beaches to keep water out of the muzzle.

The Forward Bolt Assist

Many believe to this day that the forward assist was an improvement to the rifle. The designers contested that it was in fact not an improvement but rather a detriment. Testing performed at Rock Island Arsenal proved this. They were able to demonstrate the detriment of forcing a cartridge into a chamber, and in particular a dirty chamber that can cause serious failures to extract and to open the bolt under adverse conditions. The forward assist was added by the request of the Army so the soldier would have some external link to the bolt carrier to manually close it. Odd, since even the M14 manuals say that you never force a round into the chamber. If it will not chamber, eject it out and load another. As Stoner designed the AR-10 as well as the AR-15, this external link was found not necessary. The forward assist was added to fill a psychological need, not a mechanical one. Eventually, it was added to all production rifles and is still in use today. It is an expensive addition to the rifle that has no practical purpose. Under extreme conditions such as being heavily corroded (not seen since they became chrome plated), or with heavily fowled chambers, the forward bolt assist will aid in chambering the round but will not affect the inevitable failure to extract. In firing hundreds of thousands of rounds out of M16-type weapons, this author has never had a malfunction that the forward assist would have cleared.

The Final M16A1

On February 13, 1967 the XM16E1 rifle was type-classified the M16A1 rifle. The final version would carry this weapon system for the next 18 years until the adoption of the M16A2. The final “A1” would have the enhancements including the magazine fence for preventing the magazine from being accidentally released, the forward assist, the 7075 T6 aluminum receivers, chrome plated bore and chamber as well as the new butt stock with the trap door to hold cleaning equipment. With the development of this rifle in full swing after the hearings, troops who entered into service in late 1968 encountered little trouble and the weapon went on to become one of the most successful small arms the world has even known.

The Carbine

With the introduction of the short barreled XM177 and XM177E2 carbines, a new realm of problems were found. The U.S. Government never officially adopted any 5.56mm carbine until the Colt M4. So, all the carbines used were small runs of guns not fully developed and no final Technical Data Package, and therefore; no true mil-spec like the standard rifle. Due to the shorter distance from the gas port to the bolt carrier, significantly more pressure is created in the carbine increasing the cyclic rate even more than the standard rifle. Multiply this with the use of ball powder. Major problems were more frequent failures to extract and bolt carrier bounce. With refinements such as the new M4 “H” buffer, the bolt carrier bounce problem has been solved and with enhancements to the extractor (stiffer spring and stronger buffer) and the use of the new “O” ring have brought the failures to extract problem to a halt.

Conclusions

Reputation is a funny thing. It is developed by many factors, rarely are they based on fact. It is subjective based on the individual’s perception of the weapon and subjected by prejudices. The AR-15 as introduced by ArmaLite/Colt was an excellent firearm but needed to be put through a proper development program before it was issued to the troops. Through this process, issues such as chrome plated chambers, cleaning equipment and modifications to use the alternate Ball powder would have been addressed. The political infighting between the Ordnance Corps, the U.S. military and congress caused many U.S. servicemen their lives by putting a weapon in their hands that was not properly developed, which Ordnance Corps was responsible for. Development of a weapon should never be conducted in the field. This agenda was for one purpose only, to protect their inferior M14 because it was home grown. Regardless that the M16 was ideal for the combat conditions in Vietnam, it was clear that the increased hit probability due to lightweight and low recoil, controllability on full automatic and ability to carry significantly more ammunition over the M14 were a clear advantage. High volume of fire was required in the dense jungles where clearly defined targets were rare. History has a funny way of repeating itself – One has to wonder what the M4 will compete against.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank to Ken Elmore, President of Specialized Armament Warehouse for his contributions of both intelligence and materials for photography. An avid Colt AR-15/M16 enthusiast and collector, Mr. Elmore is also an instructor for Colt Defence LLC Law Enforcement Training Division. Specialized Armament Warehouse is one of the largest Colt parts dealers in the World located in Chandler, Arizona.

The Vietnam War, plus the rise of coordinated and connected international terrorism in the 1960s and ’70s, along with films and TV shows glamorizing counter terrorists, spooks, spies, and warriors brought firearms sound suppressors to the attention of the vast media audience. In the real world of hushed killing, the design emphasis of the era was the .22 rimfire pistol.

In addition to being a highly controversial war, the Vietnam conflict was also a test lab for myriad ordnance experimentation, some bizarre, some lethally effective. The Ruger/MAC MKI suppressed pistol was among the latter.

An old favorite among target shooters, hunters and plinkers, the standard Ruger MKI was modified, a sound suppressor was added and the pistol went off to war with Army Special Forces, Navy SEALS, plus the CIA and DEA.

Former Special Forces NCO Fred Miller used the weapon extensively during his two tours in Southeast Asia. He told me, “Our units used the MkI for all sorts of sneaky ops, from dumping guards to out and out assassinations. On one cross-the-fence LRRP mission into (forbidden at the time) Cambodia we used MkI pistols for fresh food when our rations gave out…hunting in the bad guys’ back yard without letting them hear the shooting.”

Developed to replace that aging WWII vet Hi Standard HD pistol as a suppressed small caliber special mission weapon, the Ruger/MAC MkI was developed in the middle ’60s for military testing and combat use.

According to a specification sheet from field tests at Ft. Bragg in 1966, “The RUGER/MAC MkI is an excellent close-range Counter-Insurgency weapon with a very high degree of inherent accuracy and an unusually effective integral suppressor. This pistol was selected first because of the inherent superiority of its basic design system.”

In addition to the Ft. Bragg trials, the MkI was tested by the military at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Rock Island Arsenal, Eglin AFB, Ft. Benning, and by U.S. Navy SEAL units at Coronado. The CIA also evaluated the weapon at its covert facility near Camp Perry.

According to the report from the U.S. Army’s Marksmanship Unit, the suppressed pistols were also tested with telescopic sights. Their evaluation noted, “…with the telescope sight, great advantage is added to field versatility…giving the unit mini-sniper capability.” This paralleled the comments of ordnance expert C.E. Harris who tested the MkI for The National Rifle Association. Harris wrote, “In the field, the ‘scoped Ruger performs more like a rifle than a pistol. It is exceedingly accurate when fired from a supported position.”

Ruger introduced its MkI target model pistol, equipped with a Micro-adjustable sight and a 7-inch tapered barrel, in 1950 to sell for a modest $57.50. The new pistol had a 14-inch twist barrel rather than the one-in-16 of the standard model. According to Ruger, the faster twist provided better accuracy.

The bull-barrel model was produced in 1964 and was the weapon used in the suppressor developmental program. Although the American military bought thousands of the Ruger pistols, until the late Mitchell WerBell III entered the story none had ever been successfully sound suppressed. Working within a design dictate that the suppressor must fit within the parameters of the original pistol’s bull-barrel diameter configuration, WerBell and Gordon Ingram, his resident engineering genius at Military Armament Corporation (MAC), came up with the Ruger/MAC MkI.

Their design is such that the suppressed version looks exactly like the standard bull-barrel MkI built by Ruger. WerBell, a colorful ex-OSS and CIA operative, showed me the prototype MkI at his Powder Springs, Georgia plant in 1971, saying, “Our MkI looks just like the regular bull barrel pistol and doesn’t call attention to itself…ideal criterion for its covert role.”

The overall length of the MkI is 11.6 inches, with a widest measurement of 1.1 inches at the receiver. The barrel length is 6.25 inches total, with the integral suppressor at 5.6 inches. The internal suppressor contained a series of stainless steel screening discs, although later production models used centered metal inserts that improved the unit’s life and efficiency. WerBell’s Ruger/MAC MkI weighed a hefty 41 ounces, yet was very well balanced and handled easily. The majority of the design engineering was the work of Gordon Ingram.

The pistol’s sights are adjustable, as each click of the screw moves the impact of the bullet 3/4 inch at 25 meters. Commenting on the accuracy, ordnance consultant and former MAC historian Donald G. Thomas praised the basic design. He told me, “The sights were critically designed for match-accuracy, yet tough enough for combat operations. It’s a great marriage that meant a lot to the men who used the weapon in the field.”

One satisfied user of the suppressed MkI was a Special Forces sergeant who also worked for the CIA during his three tours between 1968 and 1973. He told me, “It was as accurate a pistol as I’ve ever used, which is damned important when you’re using a small caliber weapon for some of our missions. The muzzle noise from the weapon was nil…the bullet crack was never a real problem in any of my operations.”

These missions included guard dog suppression, suppression of personnel during prisoner snatches, and, assassination of target-specific military and political cadre.

Another retired special operations professional, a Korean War vet who landed at Inchon two days ahead of the main invasion (if that gives you some idea of his value, experience and abilities), carried a Ruger/MAC MkI while working in Cambodia in 1969 as a “paid civilian consultant.” Commenting on his MkI, he told me, “I put a telescope on it when I was out in the woods and it was the equal of, and as useful as, the silenced .22 rifles we had…those little Remington 66s. I used that pistol on targets up to 40 meters with very satisfactory results.” Did he consider the suppressor to be effective? “Well, you could say that I’d bet my life on it.”

Another veteran who ran covert operations, including portions of the famed Phoenix program, employed several professional shooters, and among the favored weapons in their toolbox was the Ruger/MAC MkI. Speaking of his former employees, this Special Forces vet acknowledged, “We did some political hits, whacking doubles, couriers, VC tax collectors, and things like that. My guys put their lives on that MkI, because most of those assignments had to be quiet, like in urban areas. Damn fine weapon, that MkI.”

He legally acquired a civilian MkI several years ago for old times sake for quiet, fun plinking, saying, “About the most lethal thing I do with that fun gun is drop the damned squirrels that dig up my wife’s bulbs in the yard. That suppressed pistol loaded with standard velocity ammo is sweet for hitting the pests without scaring my neighbors. I live in the suburbs and have that fine corporate image I gotta protect, you know.”

In 1985, I tested two MkIs, one with the original MAC suppressor unit that had been opened, repacked and replaced as new, and one with a unit designed by noted suppressor savant, Dr. Philip Dater, for his Automatic Weapons Company. I had three observers behind cover 150 feet from the firing line. At that range, none of the men heard any noise from the muzzle of either weapon, reporting only the hiss of the rounds passing overhead.

When I moved to within 50 feet, they reported a sound like that of a cap pistol from the MAC suppressor and a noticeably quieter signature from the Dater unit. At 25 feet, all three noted the report of both weapons, saying it was like that of a pellet gun for the MAC and like a muted hand-slap for the Dater gun. In more scientific and lab-measured testing, the AWC gun measured between 6 and 8 dB less sound than the original WerBell/Ingram design.

The major drawback of the original MAC suppressor was that its useful life was only 400 to 500 rounds before it began to lose its muffling abilities. As the units were sealed and unable to be repacked easily, the entire weapon was simply destroyed after the suppressor’s quieting abilities died. They were considered as field disposable.

Don Thomas told me that the units were cheaper to produce sealed and that the government wanted them that way. For civilian shooter and collector purchase, with the $200 transfer tax, there had to be a better way. That is how Dr. Phil Dater got into the business. He had one of the original Ruger/MAC MkI units and was not about to toss it out, put up with the hassle of paperwork and spent money to rebuild the suppressor.

Phil explained, “I tore it apart rather harshly, I fear, then rebuilt the unit internally and added some improvements of my own including a removable end cap. Now, I had something I could sell to the civilian market. I called my improved version the RST.”

The Dater unit replaced the standard MAC discs and wipe of the original unit with a special copper screening design. It was a major improvement. Phil laughed when he showed me that “special” high tech copper screening all those years ago. It was made from rolled and twisted strands of ChoreBoy sponges. Ever modest, Phil Dater said simply at the time, “I have the advantage of a lot of improved technology that Mitch didn’t have back in the ’60s when he pioneered that generation of sound suppressors.”

Within a short time, Ruger came out with their MkII pistol to replace the old original. Phil Dater’s modifications and addition of his improved Mk2 suppressor to this new Ruger pistol quickly became one of his most popular products for law enforcement and for civilian collector use.

We were then in the generation of that era’s can makers, e.g., Dater, Ciener, Knight, Walsh, et al, and their high design work. Indeed, the old Ruger MkI itself has been superseded by the MkII, which had its own generation of suppressor designs from those gentlemen previously mentioned.

The last time I saw that old veteran of special missions, the Ruger/MAC Mk1, was while I was on assignment in Central America in 1986. I met one of that generation’s young poop ‘n snoop kids who had a vintage Ruger/MAC Mk1 as part of his kit.

I asked him how he liked the weapon. He smiled and said he hadn’t used it in the field for real, only on the range at their small camp near San Pedro Sula. He added, “But, my dad used one when he was in SF in Vietnam in 1970/71 and told me great stories about it.”

In its service, the Ruger/MAC Mk1 has proved that a good bit of silence will go a long way, even if it has museum status today.

Between 1946-1953 French forces in Indo China made great use of American World War II weaponry including the BAR. By the time they left, many BAR’s had been captured from them. Also, Communist China supplied BAR’s that they had captured from the US in the Korean Conflict.

The world held its breath in 1954 with the great battle at Dien Bien Phu. At that time Ho’s forces were armed with everything from World War II Japanese rifles to BAR’s captured from the French. We should have learned from the defeat of the French, who had the toughest troops in Indo China at the time.

From 1959 to 1961 our involvement in the conflict was only clandestine under the auspices of the CIA, the successor of the OSS. By 1961 American Special Forces began the slide into Southeast Asia that lead to our costliest war both in logistics and in world prestige.

The Viet Cong, who supplanted the Viet Minh, used the BAR as effectively as Edson’s Raiders did during World War II. Mounting it on the bow of a rubber boat or a sampan gave the mobile firepower for which the BAR was intended.

Most of my stories come from Vets with fond remembrance of the BAR. One spoke highly of the diminutive Montagnard who saved his life with his agile use of the heavy weapon. Another story involved a pilot flying a Navy Sea Stallion Helicopter on an air sea rescue of a downed aircraft crew. On their way back to base they were hit by AA fire from a Dshk-38 that caused engine failure from the 12.7x108mm round. They auto-gyroed down safely and began the overland trek to the base. They were eventually ambushed from a VC position reinforced with logs. The pilot’s “bail out” gun was a BAR. He made short work of the enemy with well-placed bursts that drilled on through the log barriers. Don’t tell him the BAR was obsolete.

Most BAR’s were employed by ARVN troops under South Vietnam command, but they were reluctant to use them because they were heavy and drew fire. Most photos show them with the weapon carried on their shoulders, muzzle forward.

One e-mail I received related how much the Montagnards loved the BAR. The rifles were issued by the 5th Group Special Forces and had been reconditioned by their armories in Pleiku. The Montagnards were tough, loyal fighters. I did some contract work in Cambodia in 1966-68, and was amazed to see the agility and ease with which they handled the 20-pound weapon.

Another Vet remembered BAR’s aboard the Carrier USS Valley Forge. Possibly these BAR’s were in 7.62x51mm NATO since the US Navy was the last US force to officially have it in their inventory. To accomplish this of course the rifle had to be re-barreled. Since the NATO cartridge is shortened, the magazine-well had to be modified to accept an entirely new magazine that was similar but not identical to the M-14. In addition, the ejection port was elongated and the gas port enlarged to increase the amount of gas pressure impinging upon the piston. This led to the T-34 BAR as described in Springfield Armory Publication, Notes on Development for project TS 2-2015 dated March 16,1949.

Though the M60 was the primary GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun) during the Vietnam War, the BAR was often the primary MG of the diminutive ARVN troops, again proving the BAR was best issued to a smaller man, as he made a smaller target.