90mm recoilless

[Packo]

Scout et al,

Looks like the XO made himself a mini-Ontose. The Marines seemed very fond of the 75' and put like 4 of them on a track vehicle. Very effective at Hue City from what I've heard.

I never got to fire any of those...except the LAW, and didn't care for it. B40's were better weapons then the LAW.

Pack

[covan]

Actually, an ONTOS had 6 106mm recoilless rifles mounted on it. It was a produced weapon (not field improvised weapon) dating back to the mid-50's. I had a model of it as a kid in the 50's.

[Packo]

So that's what they were...thanks Covan. I thought it was an improvised vehicle.

Thanks for the info.

Pack

[82Rigger]

M50A1 ONTOS

The .50 caliber spotting rifles can be seen on the top tubes.

Speed: 30 MPH

Range: 180 miles

Weight: 8.5 tons

Ammo carried inboard, but tubes must be loaded from outside.

We could rig it for airdrop.

[SuperScout]

While I've heard of the ONTOS, never got to see it in real life. I can only imagine that they had built in a delay switch that would have prevented all six guns going off simultaneously! Probably flip that little sucker over like a turtle!!

And the driver? Did he get to ride that thing on airdrops!!??

[39mto39g]

Seen a few Ontos fire around hue. There most effective fire was when they fired all 6 at one time. It would'nt flip and the effect of 6 106 rounds on a bunker system or a building is awesome. Just like the Newjersy could fire all 9 of its 16 in guns aT ONCE without flipping, The Ontos could fire all 6 of its 106s without flipping, or what would be the reason to have 6. It was a tactical weapon, that was very impressive. The problem came to light when a Ontos, had a track knocked off and then took 30 somthing rounds of rpg7, the exploson and fire ball was awesome, but for the guys inside the Ontos. But , if you wanted to put firepower on a building ontos could bring the building down with one burst.
As I recall there were some around Da Nang also .

Ron

[82Rigger]

The US Marines were the only force to use the Ontos operationally, and their crews consistently reported excellent results against infantry during the Vietnam War.

The Ontos was used widely in Vietnam as a fire support vehicle, and was particularly liked by its crews. They noted that the mere appearance of an Ontos was usually enough to make the enemy break and run.

I'll tell ya what, Brice...YOU can be the driver and ride it down!

When the extraction 'chute deploys to pull the load from the aircraft, it decelerates from aircraft speed to almost goose egg in less than three seconds.

When outside the plane, before the main 'chutes deploy, that Ontos ain't likely to be "tracks down" all the time.

I think I'd want at least a seat belt!

[SuperScout]

Are you implying by that posted photo that the ONTOS probably was not operational when it landed?

Incidentally, it would take six Budweisers to get me to ride that thing down, and I don't mean the beers! I mean six of them big ornery horses trying to drag my unwilling ass to the PZ!

Brice-

As far as I know, the track you mentioned earlier was the only one (of 2-47 tracks)that ever carried a mounted RR. I recall asking about it and being advised that it had come from "other than normal" supply channels.

As you probably know it continued to provide effective service.
From Nolan's book Into Cambodia :

As for the haggard, muddy men of Charlie 2d of the 47th Panthers, they celebrated their harrowing night passage to the bombed-out forest by preparing for another harrowing night with ambush patrols positioned along several trails near the laager. Sometime before dawn, Capt. Kaldi of Charlie Company radioed Claybrook and Weeks at their CP: "...we've got twelve, fourteen coming out. We're going to hit 'em with nails." A 106mm recoilless rifle, equipped with a Starlight Scope and mounted atop an APC, was sighted down the trail where movement had been spotted. The way the story filtered back via radio to the CP, the gunner watched a figure walk from one side of the road to the other, look around, then walk back to lead the main party across. When they appeared the gunner punched off a flechette round that shattered the stillness with an explosive hiss of nine-thousand razored darts. For good measure, an artillery battery fired more than a hundred rounds into the kill zone. At dawn there was a Cobra and Loach overhead as Charlie Company counted nine dead NVA on the trail. A survivor stood up with raised hands, and Captain Kaldi reported that according to his Tiger Scout they'd just captured a Chinese officer: "The sonuvabitch is running his mouth too much. I just put my handkerchief in his mouth."

[SuperScout]

Great story!! So you guys in Co C also had some 106mm? I had one in my Scout Platoon, and really could have used it to advantage on 31 January 1968, but the "due-outs" we kept getting from the ammunition supply point on 106 flechette rounds was disappointing.