Although it does not mention it here, this weapon was used quite frequently by American MACVSOG and LRRP Units in Vietnam. John L. Plasters’ excellent book, Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG, talks about it. Plaster also wrote one of the best books IMO on Long Range Shooting and Sniping…
Category: Vietnam War
Military History: The U.S. Navy’s “Douche” Boat Washed Away Viet-Cong Bunkers
In the early morning hours of June 10, 1969, U.S. Navy vessels sailed down a stretch of the Vam Co Dong River in South Vietnam. The force included a special weapon sailors called a “douche boat,” which could literally wash away Viet Cong fortifications. “My assigned mission was to search out and destroy … bunkers,…
Military History: Key Moments in Army Airborne History
In August the Army celebrated 75 years of airborne operations. Some highlights: August 1940: A test platoon from Fort Benning’s 29th Infantry Regiment executes the Army’s first airborne training jump less than 45 days after airborne was formed. The U.S. joined several world powers who had also developed the capability after World War I, including Italy, the Soviet…