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“The Great War” Russia; The Crumbling Empire
The U.S. Army has never been a particularly agile beast when it came to bold new technologies. Horse cavalrymen were dragged kicking and screaming into tanks during World War II, and the grunts and tankers of the ’50s viewed the helicopter with a tolerant skepticism at best. In 1963 the 11th Air Assault Division was testing the practical aspects of air mobility at Fort Benning, Georgia. Two years later the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) went to war.
This WW2-era Smith and Wesson Victory .38 revolver is typical of the sorts of double action .38 revolvers issued to Army aircrews in Vietnam. Simple and stupid-proof, this basic wheelgun is easily operated one-handed.
The war in Vietnam saw the introduction of a wide array of new technologies. From smart bombs to night vision and lightweight assault rifles, Vietnam was a proving ground for countless new weapons and the tactics that drove their employment. As a result, flight crews operating Army rotary-wing combat aircraft frequently made up the rules as they went along.
There really was no precedent for what those guys were doing. UH1 Hueys and CH47 Chinooks carried troops, ammunition, equipment, and supplies into places that would have otherwise been inaccessible. The use of massed helicopter assets allowed Army commanders unparalleled mobility around and above a non-linear battlefield. Light and agile aeroscout aircraft like the OH6 provided responsive intelligence gathering. Armed versions of the UH1 and later dedicated AH1 Cobra gunships offered responsive and overwhelming aerial fire support. Throughout it, all Army flight crews operated in the treetops engaging the enemy face to face in a pitiless close range fight to the death.
The OH6A Loach (a colloquialism for Light Observation Helicopter) flew down in the treetops gathering intelligence and rooting out the enemy.
The Whirlybird Becomes a Warplane
The M3A1 Grease Gun was in common use by the Army of the Republic of South Vietnam. The gun was therefore available for barter among US forces in Vietnam.
For better or for worse the M60 was our standard belt-fed light machine gun at the time. This basic gun saw action in the D-model configuration with spade grips on a pintle mount in the doors of Hueys and Chinooks. As a flexible weapon crew chiefs frequently simply suspended their standard ground guns on bungee cords for maximum maneuverability. Solenoid-fired versions in pivoting mechanical mounts armed the first Huey gunships.
The M134 minigun saw its baptism by fire in Vietnam as well. While a few of these electric-powered Gatling guns were mounted as door guns, most saw action in the chin turrets of AH1G Cobra gunships. In this configuration, the M134 alongside the M129 automatic grenade launcher reaped a bloody harvest from the Viet Cong and NVA.
The 1911A1 pistol carried generations of GIs through several major wars. Its single-action trigger meant that the 1911A1 was not typically an issue aircrew weapon, but many were utilized for this purpose nonetheless.
One aspect of the helicopter’s low and slow operational environment was that these early aircraft were mightily vulnerable to ground fire. Heavy machineguns like the DSHk were murder on low-flying helicopters while shoulder-fired small arms were also quite effective at the sorts of ranges these engagements demanded. As a result, the Vietnam War saw an unprecedented number of survivable aircraft crashes. When faced with the prospect of personal defense while awaiting air support and extraction many of these early Army aviators acquired some unusual small arms.
The UH1 was the archetypal utility helicopter used in Vietnam. Employed as troop transports, Medevac aircraft, and gunships, the Huey transformed the battlefield in Southeast Asia.
GI-Issue Personal Defense Weapons
There is an adage in Army Aviation that you will leave a burning helicopter equipped solely with what is affixed to your body. Throughout most of the Vietnam War the standard issue handgun for Army aircrews was the double action .38 revolver. In the event of a crash pilots and aircrewmen needed to be able to operate their handguns one-handed if they were injured. As Condition 1 carry was not authorized for troops armed with the 1911, the double action .38 offered easy one-handed operation and foolproof reliability. Countless Army aviators nonetheless acquired 1911 pistols through means both official and otherwise.
Helicopter cockpits were cramped so small lightweight rifles that were easy to stash behind seat armor became a great boon. The M16 found its way into Aviation units as it was issued to other branches. Despite the relatively small size of those early M16’s, they still did not ride well in the front end of a helicopter. The solution was something somewhat stubbier.
In 1967 Colt developed a shortened version of the M16 called the XM177. There had been several lesser efforts previously, but the XM177 was the first Carbine version of the M16 to see large-scale production. Early versions sported a 10-inch barrel tipped with a sound moderator. Later versions extended the barrel to 11.5 inches for greater reliability as well as diminished muzzle flash and noise. These guns were universally referred to in theater as CAR-15’s.
While technically this little chopped-down M16 was designated the XM177E2; the troops who used it called it the CAR15. Sporting either a 10 or 11.5-inch barrel and a sound moderator, the CAR15 was the submachine gun version of the M16 and a popular aircrew weapon.
The CAR-15 weighed 5.35 pounds and was 29.8 inches long with its stock collapsed. These little rifles could subsequently fit inside the cramped cockpits of Cobra Attack and Loach Observation helicopters. While problems with range, poor accuracy, excessive fouling, and erratic performance with tracer rounds plagued the guns, they saw widespread service with Army aviators.
The M134 Minigun had its baptism by fire in Vietnam. While these electrically powered Gatling guns were occasionally used as helicopter door guns, they were most commonly encountered in the chin turrets of AH-1G Cobra gunships.
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
A protracted war such as the one in Vietnam saw the proliferation of small arms from a variety of nations and eras. Friends who served in theater have related stories of obtaining everything from World War II-era submachine guns to civilian shotguns to captured Combloc weapons by barter, purchase, or theft. As a result, in these heady days before so much standardization, Army aircrews frequently flew with an amazing amalgam of defensive small arms.
The M1A1 Thompson and M3A1 Grease Gun were readily available as they were in widespread issue with South Vietnamese forces. These guns both launched heavy .45ACP rounds and had the added benefit of sex appeal to young soldiers who grew up on gangster movies. However, the Thompson, in particular, was brutally heavy. Many sky soldiers who acquired Thompsons soon grew weary of them after packing them for a time.
The M60 belt-fed machinegun was the standard light machine gun for US forces in Vietnam. As aircrew weapons, they were suspended on bungee cords, fitted with spade grips and mounted on a pedestal, or fired from mechanical mounts via solenoid.
Captured Iron
Fixed stock Kalashnikovs are compact and powerful making them suitable defensive tools in close quarters. This is a new stamped receiver PSAK47 from Palmetto State Armory.
The argument has frequently been made that the enemy’s AK47 was a better Infantry weapon than our M16. The Russian AK47 and its Chinese counterpart the Chicom Type 56 were robust, reliable, hard-hitting rifles. When they could be obtained AK47’s, particularly the compact folding-stocked versions, were popular aircrew guns. AKs fed from reliable 30-round magazines and carried the extra benefit of producing a common muzzle report with the enemy’s weapons. When down and evading in hostile territory it is not good to sound strange, distinctive, or foreign.
The Combloc RPD was also a superlative weapon for its time. Firing the same M43 7.62x39mm round the AK ran from non-disintegrating 100-round belts, the RPD was remarkably lightweight and effective. Though it suffered from the lack of a quick-change barrel and a tedious reloading protocol, the RPD offered a great deal of firepower for its 16-pound weight. By contrast, our M60 weighed 23 pounds. The RPD carried its onboard ammunition in a pair of connected 50-round belts connected and wound into a pressed steel drum.
The belt-fed RPD was prized for its large volume of onboard firepower. While the RPD would not fit in the most spacious helicopter cockpit, they were used on occasion by crew chiefs as survival weapons.
Practical Tactical
The CH47 Chinook provided heavy lift support to troops on the ground and could carry outsized cargo as a sling load.
The Smith and Wesson Victory Model .38-caliber revolver is indeed stupid-proof. Reliable and soft shooting, the .38 Special caliber has proven itself in countless police shootings over the decades. However, reloading is tedious and carrying spare ammunition loose in a survival vest is a suboptimal solution.
The 1911A1 hits like a freight train downrange, and its single action trigger is the standard by which all others are judged. A friend who carried a 1911 for two years as an Infantryman in World War II told me he carried his pistol with a round in the chamber, the hammer at half cock, and the safety on. With practice he could get his weapon into action both quickly and one-handed. The GI-issue 1911’s that I used operationally back in the day were all fairly long in the tooth. The loose tolerances that kept these guns in action in the face of dirt and grime typically came at the cost of accuracy.
The many-splendored ills of the M16 have been thoroughly explored in other venues, and most of the same problems apply equally or worse to the CAR15. However, aircrews typically had the luxury of keeping their weapons clean and in good repair. In my prime, I could consistently hit a man-sized target out to 400 meters with an M16A1. Having run a lot of rounds through the CAR15 over the years I would not trust it much past a football field.
Folding stock AKs were relatively unusual but popular among aircrews when they could be scrounged. This is a stamped receiver Chicom Type 56-1. Almost all AKs encountered in Vietnam had forged receivers.
The 5.56mm round relies upon velocity for effectiveness. As the CAR15 barrel in its earliest iterations was exactly half as long as that of the M16 the CAR15 offers questionable wound ballistics at long ranges anyway. Spare 20-round magazines typically rode in bandoleers draped over the seat armor.
The AH1G Cobra gunship was fast, sleek, and lethal. Cobras operated in concert with OH6 Loaches to form what was called a Pink Team. This combination of gunship and observation helicopter found, fixed, and destroyed enemy troops and equipment.
The M60 is a monster of a gun that is pure torture on a long forced march. When kept clean and run from fixed mounts the M60 was relatively reliable in my experience, but I never had one run really well in the dirt. Personally, I would leave the Pig, the affectionate term all soldiers used for this beast of a gun, in the aircraft. I’d grab something lighter with which to escape and evade.
The AK, particularly in its folding stock guise, is a superb aircrew weapon. The steel struts on the underfolding stock are uncomfortable, but they remain fully serviceable. You can wrap the stock struts in 550 cord to improve your cheek weld. The AK jumps around a bit on full auto, but its heavy 123-grain bullet carries energy well out to 300 meters or so. The sliding tangent sights are yesterday’s news but remain thoroughly effective.
The RPD would never ride in the cockpit of a Cobra or Loach but would easily tuck behind the sling seat in the crew compartment of a Huey or Chinook. The RPD offers massive short-term suppressive firepower during an extraction, though reloading is a pain. Additionally, any full auto belt fed gun runs through ammunition at a frightful rate.
Ruminations
When I flew for Uncle Sam we packed M9 Beretta pistols that offered both high capacity semiautomatic firepower along with one-handed double-action operation. A colleague indeed scrounged an M3A1 Grease Gun and flew with it during the First Gulf War. However, for the most part, Aviators of my era were expected to make do with a handgun. Much of my career was spent flying CH47D Chinooks so we had plenty of space. Nowadays the widespread issue of the M4 Carbine allows most Aviators to pack the same weapon used by his or her ground-pounding brethren.
Dedicated Huey gunships mounted a variety of machineguns, automatic grenade launchers, and unguided rockets for their aerial fire support role.
On the modern battlefield, a soldier’s personal weapon is but the smallest part of the overall tactical equation. However, for a downed aviator that handgun or rifle become his entire world. A friend who was shot down in Mogadishu actually had to rely on his handgun for real. While it was not a decisive tool, it did buy him some time. When he got home he made a point to impart to those with whom he served the importance of range time with your assigned defensive weapon.
As of 2013 a CH47F helicopter cost $38.55 million. The investment required in training up the pilots and flight crewmembers to operate these complex aircraft is comparably substantial. However, when evading in hostile territory everything comes down to a basic rifle or handgun. Starting back in the 1960’s Army Aviators have carried a wide variety of personal defense weapons. In today’s non-linear battlefields these lessons learned still carry exceptional gravitas.
Sometimes the affairs of nations, and indeed the world, can turn on the most curious details. In October of 1896, an English cavalry officer was posted to Bombay, India. While disembarking from the boat that had borne him to his new posting, the young man badly wrenched his shoulder. This injury never fully healed. Where previously he had been one of the most adroit polo players in his regiment, from that point forward he was forced to play the game with his arm strapped securely to his side.
In the waning years of the 19th century, a cavalryman’s primary weapon remained the saber, and this particular young soldier’s injury made effective use of such a heavy blade impractical. In desperation, this lieutenant borrowed money from his mother and perused the wares at Westley Richards & Company in Birmingham, England, an esteemed gun shop of the era. He settled on an odd-looking handgun imported from Germany and purchased it for use on his subsequent military forays.
Battle of Omdurman
The young officer found himself under fire for the first time in Cuba on his 21st birthday. After numerous subsequent martial encounters within various English-held territories, the officer was posted to the army of General Sir Herbert Kitchener in the Sudan. Kitchener’s forces were arrayed against the army of Abdullah al-Taashi, the successor to the self-proclaimed Mahdi, Muhammad Ahmad.
Kitchener’s force numbered some 8,000 British regulars along with roughly 17,000 Egyptian and Sudanese troops. The general deployed his men near the Sudanese village of Kerreri, about 11 kilometers north of Omdurman. This battlefield is located outside the modern-day city of Khartoum in the central Sudan. Kitchener was supported by organic artillery and a flotilla of 12 British gunboats moored nearby in the Nile River.
Arrayed against these 25,000 Commonwealth troops was more than twice their number of Islamic fighters. These warriors were also more commonly known as Dervishes, and their fierceness was the stuff of legend. At around 6:00 a.m. on Sept. 2, 1898, the battle began.
The British enjoyed the advantage in artillery, modern rifles and machine guns but were still outnumbered two-to-one. In the resulting melee, the 21st Lancers, a British light cavalry regiment, advanced to clear the plain. Four hundred British cavalrymen were subsequently surrounded by more than 2,500 Islamic infantrymen who had waited in concealment until the British were committed. After a engagement that involved one of the last cavalry charges delivered by the British Army, the Dervishes were repelled.
In the midst of this battle, young Cavalry Lieutenant Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill killed or wounded three Dervishes at contact range with the Mauser C96 pistol his mother had purchased for him in that Birmingham gun shop. He later reported to his mother that the pistol was “the best thing in the world.” Had he been armed conventionally with a cavalry saber rather than this German repeater, he might very well have been unhorsed and killed on that arid Sudanese battlefield.
Forty-two years later, when Great Britain was engulfed in WWII, it was the force of a single personality that galvanized the British people to resist against all odds. Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s iron will and indefatigable spirit kept Britain afloat and in the war long enough for the industrial might of the United States to turn the tide against the Nazis.
Without the unsinkable aircraft carrier that was England, the Allies likely could not have launched the D-Day invasion that ultimately pushed the Wehrmacht back to Germany. And had it not been for that unexpected injury and the subsequent purchase of a Mauser C96 pistol, the Battle of Omdurman might have gone very differently for Winston Churchill.
The Broomhandle
The Mauser C96 that Winston Churchill carried into battle is one of the world’s most iconic firearms. Immortalized in movies ranging from The Rocketeer to Star Wars, the characteristic front-heavy architecture lends the gun a distinctive and rakish, almost literary, style. Designed around 1893 by the three Federle brothers—Joseph, Fidel and Friedrich—at Waffenfabrik Mauser in Oberndorf am Neckar, Germany, the C96 was revolutionary for its time. Though the gun was never a general-issue weapon in the Kaiser’s army, Mauser produced around aone million C96 pistols. Foreign-made copies are literally innumerable.
The Germans called the gun the “kuhfusspistole” or “cow’s foot pistol.” The Chinese called it the “box cannon.” Paul Mauser named it the “Construktion 96,” or C96 for short. The rest of the planet called it the “Broomhandle” after the distinctive appearance of the pistol grip.
The recoil-operated C96 featured a tilting-lock breech. The center of gravity was unnaturally far forward, and recoil with the snappy 7.63x25mm cartridge was appreciable. Most of the originals carried 10 rounds loaded into an integral magazine from the top via strippers. Some variants incorporated a removable box magazine of 10- and 20-round capacities. The Model 712 was a select-fire version. The rear sight was adjustable out to 1,000 meters.
Copies were produced, under license and illegally, in countries ranging from Spain to China. Chinese warlords of years past were particularly taken with the Mauser pistol. They bought or built tens of thousands of them. While the gun was used in several variations, the most common included a dual-purpose shoulder stock that doubled as a holster. Of course, care must be exercised when running the gun with the stock or the hammer will give your thumb a nasty bite.
The 7.63x25mm Mauser cartridge itself is very fascinating. Taking up about the same space as a standard 9mm Parabellum round, the 7.63x25mm launched an 86-grain bullet at 1,400 fps. This was the fastest commercial handgun cartridge in the world until the advent of the .357 Magnum in 1934. The case dimensions were nearly identical to those of the ComBloc 7.62x25mm rounds used in the Tokarev TT-33 handguns and PPSh submachine guns. In fact, German 7.63x25mm rounds could be safely used in the Russian weapons while Russian 7.62x25mm rounds were too hot to be fired safely in the C96. The gun was also eventually chambered for the 9mm Parabellum and even the .45 ACP.
Legal Particulars
The National Firearms Act (NFA) passed here in the U.S. in 1934. It regulates items such as machine guns, sound suppressors, and short-barreled rifles and shotguns. The rules are convoluted but relatively intuitive. Slap a shoulder stock on an otherwise unregistered firearm with a barrel length less than 16 inches and you have an instant felony. Cut a rifle’s barrel shorter than 16 inches (or a shotgun’s shorter than 18 inches) and you are comparably screwed. Fit a stock on a handgun and expect the same result. However, there are always exceptions.
U.S. firearms law defines “curio and relic” firearms as guns more than 50 years old whose worth derives primarily from their collector’s value rather than contemporary utility.
Though the Mauser C96 is indeed a pistol with a detachable shoulder stock, it has been specifically removed from the purview of the NFA and transfers like any other antique handgun. This allows us American gun aficionados to own a C96 and its shoulder stock without much legal fuss. Original stock-equipped Luger P08 pistols fall into the same category.
Fascinating Journey
World War I ended after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919. This agreement put severe restrictions upon post-war Germany’s capacity to produce weapons. As thousands of military firearms had come back from the battlefields in the possession of German veterans, the German Weimar government established an amnesty program in 1920.
The guns recovered in the amnesty subsequently had the number “1920” stamped onto their barrel assemblies. The serial number on this particular C96 indicates wartime production with a probable date of combat use sometime in 1918, and it has been amnesty stamped. Now hold that thought.
In 1929, the U.S. was in the throes of the Great Depression, and many Americans knew genuine hunger. A young man, his identity lost to history, presented at a diner in Anderson, Ind., in search of food.
The gentleman had no money, but he did have a German pistol he offered in barter. The diner’s cook had an interest in firearms and traded the man a parcel of food for the gun. The gun’s original owner departed, never heard from again. That C96, with its original shoulder stock, passed down from the cook to his granddaughter. I purchased the gun directly from her a few years ago.
According to its markings, this gun had to have been in Germany and surrendered to the Weimar government in 1920. How it subsequently crossed the Atlantic to be traded for food in Indiana during the Great Depression will forever remain one of life’s little mysteries.
It’s not beyond the realm of consideration that Churchill’s C96 pistol saved his life at the 1898 Battle of Omdurman. It is also not inconceivable that it was Churchill’s force of personality that carried the English people through the darkest days of the Battle of Britain. Lastly, it is a fact that this particular C96 somehow made its way from post-WWI German government stores to a diner in Anderson, Ind., in 1929 and then on to me. The affairs of nations can indeed turn on some of the most curious details.
Mauser C96 Specifications
- Caliber: 7.63x25mm Mauser
- Barrel: 5.5 inches
- OA Length: 40 ounces (empty)
- Grips: Wood
- Sights: Front blade, adjustable rear
- Action: SA
- Finish: Blued
- Capacity: 10
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