From: Steve Grammont (islander@midmaine.com)
Date: Sat Jul 13 2002 - 08:13:45 PDT
Hi Dave
>Hi List and Steve I have a dozen or more pictures of Weasels in Vietnam and
>Korea with various guns and armor on board.
I don't know much about the use of Weasels by French forces in Vietnam,
but it doesn't surprise me to see that they added weapons. The role of
the vehicle, as I understand it, was more of a scout/patrol vehicle than
its original use (i.e. light cargo carrier). But of course, these are
all post war modifications.
>I have included my Favorites. I believe That these small scout vehicles were
>field modified with weapons and armor by both the French and US for use in
>the wet and muddy delta regions. Just about every single Crab (French
>nickname for weasel) used in Indochina appears to have had the surf guard
>raised to improve the driver's visibility with its center hammered down so
>as not to restrict the weapons firing arc (see vehicle photos).
I have only a few pictures of Weasels in French use, but none are armed
and all have their surfguards in either the forward or standard folded
back position (which does increase visibility). I also have pictures of
a Weasel Crab in a museum in France, without weapons and with surfguard
intact. But of course, who knows where that actual vehicle came from.
The picture you enclosed definitely shows what you are talking about
though, so I am certainly not saying this was not done or uncommon.
>Usual
>armament for the Crab and weasel was either a FM 1924/29 LMG or US .30 cal
>machine gun while fire support versions had a 57mm recoilless rifle or 60mm
>mortar (both of these versions also carried a FM 1924/29 LMG or 30 cal).
>Machine guns and recoilless rifles were fitted to a pylon immediately behind
>the bulkhead separating the passenger compartment from the driver and
>protected by a oblong shaped armored shield.
Interesting! I didn't know about the light mortar mounting, but that
doesn't surprise me now that I think about it. The Weasel would make a
very good light mortar platform. Of course, one has to question the
usefullness of this in combat though. It would appear that perhaps a
majority of US combat troops (in Europe at least) had a low to neutral
opinion of the 60mm's effectiveness. Then again, they were well
supported by larger artillery and were fighting large conventional
forces. Quite a difference between WWII ETO and Vietnam.
Thanks for the pictures!
Steve
P.S. Note that in the colored drawing someone goofed. Those are
M114/M116 tracks depicted, not Weasel tracks. And if anybody has
pictures of Weasels that show the French made Weasel tracks, I would love
to see those pictures!
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