U.S. Heavy Weapons Fact File

[Matt Wiser]

U.S. Heavy Weapons in the war-including captured Soviet and Soviet-bloc equipment:


U.S. Heavy Weapons of World War III



A wide variety of heavy weapons were used by U.S. Army, Marine, and Resistance units during the Third World War, many American-made, but some were procured overseas (often covertly), while others were captured Soviet-bloc weapons, and most users of the latter were Resistance groups. The more common-and some uncommon-weapons are the subject of this work.


Mortars:

M-224 60-mm Mortar: Introduced a year prior to the outbreak of war, this lightweight mortar became the standard light mortar of the U.S. Army and Marine Corps at company level. A few found their way into resistance hands via Special Forces advisors.

M-29/M-29A1 81-mm Mortar: The standard mortar in U.S. Military service at the beginning of the war, it saw service from beginning to end. Some found their way into the Resistance via SF Advisors.

M-30 4.2-Inch (107-mm) Mortar. Standard heavy mortar in U.S. Service, originally designed to use chemical rounds, it was commonly used as a heavy fire-support weapon, firing HE, WP, Smoke and Illumination rounds. Usually mounted in the M-106 mortar carrier variant of the M-113 APC, the weapon could be used dismounted, and often was in mountain conditions or if a unit was holding its position for some time. Due to its heavy weight, it was rarely used by the Resistance.

M-120 (Soltam K6): Purchased from Israel in 1986 as a wartime replacement for the M-30, it is lighter and more portable than the M-30, carried by a Humvee and trailer most often, or in the M-1064 and the M-1129 Mortar Carriers (the latter introduced after the war).

2B14 82-mm Mortar: Introduced in the early 1980s, this was the standard Soviet light mortar in airborne and air-assault units. The first examples to appear in the West were captured examples from North America in 1985, and some found their way into Resistance hands. An advantage with this mortar was that U.S. 81-mm mortar rounds could be used, as Soviet range tables with 81-mm data were obtained during the war.

M-43 120-mm Mortar: The standard Soviet-bloc mortar at battalion level, often used in air-assault and airborne forces, as well as in motor-rifle units equipped with the BTR series of APCs. Some of these found their way into Resistance hands, and with the same weapon being used by the Egyptian Army, resupply of ammunition from Egyptian sources was possible during the war, along with the usual practice of stealing it from the enemy.



Grenade Launchers:


M-79: Known as the “Blooper” in Vietnam, this 40-mm weapon had been replaced by the M-203 prior to the war, but was still in storage. It was issued during the war to not only line units and State Guard formations, but a modified version with a four-round magazine and a shotgun-style pump action was used by SEALs on occasion: the China Lake Grenade Launcher.

M-203: The standard grenade launcher of the U.S. Military at the outbreak of war, this weapon replaced the M-79 as it could be attached underneath the barrel of an M-16 rifle-and later on, several other rifles as well.

Mark-19 Automatic Grenade Launcher: Used in Vietnam, this was the standard automatic grenade launcher in the U.S. Miltiary at war's outbreak. Used by the U.S. Navy in the Brown Water war on patrol boats, it was also used on vehicle mounts or a tripod by the Army and Marine Corps. Made under license in both Egypt and Israel, and procured from those sources in addition to domestic production.

BG-15: A Soviet designed under-rifle GL attached beneath the barrel of an AKM or AK-74, this 30-mm weapon was their answer to the M-203. First seen in Afghanistan, captured weapons were used by the Resistance, and 30-mm grenades were procured from, of all places, Yugoslavia for resupply.

AGS-17: The Soviet-bloc counterpart to the Mark-19, this weapon in 30-mm was first seen in Afghanistan, and was standard at battalion level in Motor-rifle, airborne, and air-assault units. Captured examples found their way into Resistance use, and the first examples in the West were, like so many Soviet-bloc equipment items, originally acquired in North America.


Antitank Rocket Launchers:

M-72 LAW: The LAW was the standard light antitank rocket used by the U.S. Army and Marines at the beginning of the war. Lightweight and disposable, it was common in the early years of the war, though intended to be replaced by the M-136, the LAW, with upgraded rockets and sights, is still in service. Soviet captures sometimes found their way into Resistance use, who also used the expended tubes as booby traps. Made under license and procured from South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.

M-136 (AT-4) A modern replacement for the LAW, designed by Bofors to meet a Swedish Army requirement for a disposable antitank rocket, the M-136 was selected as the LAW's replacement. Produced under license by ATK, it made its combat debut at the Battle of Wichita in 1987, and served alongside the LAW to the end of the war. Versions of the weapon, with different warheads, are still in service today.

B-300/SMAW: Designed by IMI, this Israeli-designed weapon was adopted at first by the USMC, but also found its way into Army service as a “bunker-buster” as well as an antiarmor weapon. Still in U.S. Military service today, with improved rockets.

Carl Gustav: Though primarily used by British and Canadian forces during the war, examples of the “Carl G” found their way into U.S. Military use during the war. Primary users were the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, SEALS, and Delta Force. Now issued one per infantry platoon with the U.S. Army under the designation M-3.

RPG-7: the famous Soviet-bloc rocket-propelled grenade launcher, this was the Soviet-bloc's standard antitank weapon at squad level. Simple and easy to use, the weapon easily found its way into Resistance hands, and also by SOF and the CIA. The weapon was built under license in Egypt, Pakistan, and Yugoslavia, and rounds were easily obtained from those sources, as well as from captured enemy stocks.

RPG-16: Originally believed to be a sucessor to the RPG-7, this weapon was mainly found in airborne and air-assault units of the Soviet Army. The first captured examples in the West came from North America, and though a few found their way into Resistance use, the guerillas preferred the RPG-7, as its rockets were more readily obtained from the enemy.

RPG-18/RPG-22: Soviet copies of the LAW, which were obtained via the North Vietnamese, these one-shot disposable rocket launchers were issued to each Motor-rifle and airborne squad. Captured examples were used by the Resistance, and their tubes, like the LAW's tube after firing, were turned into booby traps or IEDs.

RPG-75: A Czech-designed antitank rocket first fielded in 1978, it saw service with Czech and Polish forces during the war. Captured specimens were used by the Resistance, and some even found their way into U.S. Army service after the collapse of the Pueblo Pocket in 1987.


Recoilless Rifles:


M-67 Recoilless Rifle: A 90-mm weapon designed as a manportable antitank weapon, this recoilless rifle was replaced in U.S. Army service by the M-47 Dragon missile, but found a second life in SOF and Ranger use, as well as some USMC use in Louisiana. Eventually replaced by the Carl Gustav.

M-40A1 Recoilless Rifle: This 106-mm weapon was the U.S. Army's main heavy antiarmor weapon until replaced by the TOW missile in the 1970s. Though in storage in 1985, the weapon was brought back into service in the Army, and served until the end of the war.

B-10 82-mm Recoilless Rifle: This Soviet designed weapon, though largely replaced by antitank missiles, saw service with mobilization-only divisions as well as in Rear-Area Protection Divisions. It was also used by Cuban, Libyan, Nicaraguan, and Mexican forces during the war. A few found their way into Resistance hands.

B-11 107-mm Recoilless Rifle: Like the B-10, this weapon served in Soviet mobilization-only and Rear-Area Protection Divisions, as well as in Nicaraguan, Libyan, and Mexican service during the war. Some found their way into the Resistance, but ammunition for the weapon, like the B-10, was hard to obtain. Some rounds were obtained from Egypt for both the B-11 and the B-10.

SPG-9 Recoilless Rifle: This 73-mm weapon used rounds similar to those used by the BMP-1 and BMD-1 IFVs, but the two are not interchangable. The weapon was used at battalion level in BTR-equipped Motor-rifle units, as well as the VDV. Some found their way into the Resistance, and were preferred, as rounds were easier to obtain than those for the B-10 and B-11.


Antitank Missiles:


M-47 Dragon: The U.S. Army's first manportable antitank missile, this wire-guided weapon was introduced into service in 1975, and was in service with the Army and Marine Corps throughout the war. Though unpopular with its users, the weapon gave valuable service during the first two years of the war. Replaced by the Milan-2 and RBS-56.

BGM-71 TOW: The main U.S. Army and Marine Corps antitank missile, the weapon was mounted on jeeps, Humvees, M-113 APCs, the M-901 ITV, and the M-2 Bradley IFV on the ground, as well as on the AH-1 Cobra family of attack helicopters. TOW and I-TOW were in service in 1985, with the TOW-2 following shortly thereafter. The TOW-2A with a tandem warhead to defeat reactive armor arrived in 1986, but the TOW-2B with top-attack capability did not enter service in time to see combat in the war. The weapon is still in service today.

Milan-2: The main infantry ATGM of the British (and later, Canadians), the shortcomings of the Dragon as a result of wartime experience set the U.S. Army and Marines on a search for an off-the-shelf replacement. The Milan-2 fit the requirement, and the fact that it was being produced under license in the UK meant that the diffculties in procuring the system from either France or West Germany could be bypassed. Plans and some examples of both the missile and the launcher arrived at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1986, with a production line in Canada being set up for both American and Canadian use. The first examples reached U.S. Army and Marine units in time for the Battle of Wichita in 1987. The missile gave good service during the war, and remained in service until the FGM-148 Javelin arrived in 2002.

RBS-56 BILL: A Swedish designed anti-tank missile designed and manufactured by Bofors, the weapon entered Swedish service in 1985. The missile, similar to MILAN, has a top-attack warhead, and the fact that it was an off-the-shelf system made it attractive to the Army as a Dragon replacement. Though the Palme Government in Sweden wished to maintain absolute neutrality during the war, it is widely believed that the CIA and Swedish Intelligence jointly procured several missiles and launchers, and shipped them to Aberdeen in 1986. An unlicensed copy was soon in production, but after the fall of the Palme Government in June of 1987, an official license was soon forthcoming, and missiles from the Bofors production line also followed. The top-attack feature won over its users, and the weapon accounted for many Soviet and Soviet-bloc tanks and APCs during the war. It remained in service postwar, until the arrival of the Javelin.

AT-4 Spigot: Known as the Fagot in Soviet service, this ATGM with SACLOS guidance replaced the AT-3 Sagger in Soviet/WARPAC service, and was used in the antitank platoons of MR Battalions. Some were also mounted on BMP-1 IFVs to replace the AT-3 Sagger as well. The launcher could also fire the AT-5 Spandrel and vice versa. Some examples did get into Resistance hands, and after some training, proved to be effective against most Soviet armored vehicles, but not so against tanks with reactive armor.

AT-5 Spandrel: Mounted on the BMP-2 IFV, and could also be fired from the same ground launcher as the AT-4 Spigot. The weapon was also used on the BRDM as a tank destroyer, and the MTLB as well. The weapon proved effective in Resistance hands, though against tanks with reactive armor, less so.

AT-7 Saxhorn: Intended as the replacement in Soviet service for the AT-4, this weapon first saw combat in Afghanistan as a “Bunker buster”, and later on, in VDV airborne and air-assault units, as well as Spetsnatz, in North America. The first examples to fall into Western hands did so in 1986 as a result. The weapon was used by some Resistance groups, but resupply was a problem as the AT-4 was more widely seen in Soviet and Soviet-bloc service.

Surface-to-air Missiles:


FIM-43 Redeye: The first U.S. MANPADS, this shoulder-fired missile was the primary SAM used by U.S. Army and Marine forces at the outbreak of war. Though limited to mainly tail chases, and as a first-generation MANPADS, vulnerable to flares and IRCM, the weapon accounted for many Soviet-bloc aircraft and helicopters during the war, serving alongside its replacement, the FIM-92 Stinger (see below).

FIM-92 Stinger: Redeye's successor, the Stinger was first introduced in 1978, and production had switched to the Stinger-POST (FIM-92B) in 1981. The POST version was the main version used during the war, with the FIM-93C (Stinger RMP) introduced in 1987. The missile is an all-aspect weapon, and was feared by Soviet-bloc helicopter and ground-attack aircrew during the war. With modifications and upgrades to its warhead and resistance to countermeasures, the missile is still in service in the U.S. Military today.

SA-7 Grail: The first Soviet MANPADS, the Strela-2 (as it was known in Soviet service) was the Soviet equivalent to the Redeye, and shared the weapon's limitations. It was used by Cuban, Nicaraguan, Libyan, and Mexican forces during the war, and captured SA-7s were used by the Resistance. The SA-7 was produced in Egypt under license, and some SA-7s were purchased from the Egyptian production run for later supply to resistance groups.

SA-14 Gremlin: the SA-7's successor in Soviet and Warsaw Pact service, the weapon was known as the Strela-3. Unlike the Stinger, the SA-14 had only a limited all-aspect capability, but it was a capable weapon, though vulnerable to countermeasures such as flares and IRCM. Captured specimens were used by the Resistance, and the first samples of the weapon in the West were acquired in 1985 in North America. Like the SA-7, the SA-14 saw considerable use by the guerillas.

SA-16 Gimlet/SA-18 Grouse: The SA-16 was a new MANPADS, and had limited all-aspect capability. Known as the Igla, it was introduced in 1981, it soon became the standard Soviet and WARPAC MANPADS, and was first encountered in 1985 in Soviet and Cuban Cat I formations. The SA-18 had a full all-aspect capability, but was not widely seen during the war. Captured SA-16s were used by the Resistance, and the first examples of the weapon to appear in the West came from North America. SA-18 did appear near the end of the war in Texas, and the first samples to be captured came from the Brownsville Pocket.

[Poohbah]

Actual radio conversation during a firefight in Orange County:

Lieutenant Tolbert, my first platoon leader: "GODDAMNIT I SAID A WARNING SHOT, NOT A F***ING BURST FROM A MARK 19!"

Mark 19 gunner: (Tries to vanish into the HUMVEE)

Me: "Sir, their friends have been duly warned."

[jemhouston]

I got to fire a the China Lake version. Only weapon more fun than a Tommy Gun to fire.

[Poohbah]

I got to fire a the China Lake version. Only weapon more fun than a Tommy Gun to fire.

The scary thing is that blueprints that were fully DM&T'd were passed into occupied territory. If you had access to a light machine shop, you could manufacture the damn thing, and next thing everyone knew, resistance resupply requests were for 40mm rounds.

[Poohbah]

Oh, and Matt, you forgot the M202 FLASH (Flame Assault Shoulder) flame rocket. Four-shot launcher that replaced the WW2 flamethrower. Filled with an aluminized flame pyrophoric agent. Burned at 1600 degrees. Nasty piece of work; we took excessive glee in using it on the KGB types when needed.

[jemhouston]

I got to fire a the China Lake version. Only weapon more fun than a Tommy Gun to fire.

The scary thing is that blueprints that were fully DM&T'd were passed into occupied territory. If you had access to a light machine shop, you could manufacture the damn thing, and next thing everyone knew, resistance resupply requests were for 40mm rounds.

Same with an improved version of the Sten gun. Ran into some resistance groups that got plans for one, had the right material and equipment, the rest dead Warsaw Pacts who didn't need their AKs any more. About half I saw had noise suppressors on them.

Once in a while, the news will report on a found weapons cache, a lot had China Lakes in them.

[Poohbah]

I got to fire a the China Lake version. Only weapon more fun than a Tommy Gun to fire.

The scary thing is that blueprints that were fully DM&T'd were passed into occupied territory. If you had access to a light machine shop, you could manufacture the damn thing, and next thing everyone knew, resistance resupply requests were for 40mm rounds.

Same with an improved version of the Sten gun. Ran into some resistance groups that got plans for one, had the right material and equipment, the rest dead Warsaw Pacts who didn't need their AKs any more. About half I saw had noise suppressors on them.

Once in a while, the news will report on a found weapons cache, a lot had China Lakes in them.

Hell, they're still being made here and there.

[jemhouston]

I sometimes see a 37MM version on sale at various gun shows. I did the ATF measure it one time, 37MM to the mm.

[Poohbah]

I sometimes see a 37MM version on sale at various gun shows. I did the ATF measure it one time, 37MM to the mm.

Loaded with low-velocity ballistic gelatin rounds, it's less than lethal, but anyone hit by one is going to have the starch taken right out of them.

[Wolfman]

Ouch! Painful and messy, what an evil combination!

[clancyphile]

The scary thing is that blueprints that were fully DM&T'd were passed into occupied territory. If you had access to a light machine shop, you could manufacture the damn thing, and next thing everyone knew, resistance resupply requests were for 40mm rounds.

Same with an improved version of the Sten gun. Ran into some resistance groups that got plans for one, had the right material and equipment, the rest dead Warsaw Pacts who didn't need their AKs any more. About half I saw had noise suppressors on them.

Once in a while, the news will report on a found weapons cache, a lot had China Lakes in them.

At least the finds that people talked about...

[jemhouston]

The scary thing is that blueprints that were fully DM&T'd were passed into occupied territory. If you had access to a light machine shop, you could manufacture the damn thing, and next thing everyone knew, resistance resupply requests were for 40mm rounds.

Same with an improved version of the Sten gun. Ran into some resistance groups that got plans for one, had the right material and equipment, the rest dead Warsaw Pacts who didn't need their AKs any more. About half I saw had noise suppressors on them.

Once in a while, the news will report on a found weapons cache, a lot had China Lakes in them.

At least the finds that people talked about...

At least one find was dated post war since some of the guns were made after the war ended.

I'll admit, I thought the 37MM version was neat. There was an end cap on the muzzle. I'm just wondering if the barrel was sleaved down to 37MM.

[TheMann]

One addition to make to this one:

M32 MGL: The South African-designed Milkor MGL, adapted for US service. Six-shot grenade launcher shooting 40x46mm grenades, was license-built in the US after the South Africans who operated stateside brought their Milkor Y2s with them and rather impressed the Americans. Most of the time they were deployed to heavy weapons platoons or troops who were likely to engage more lightly-armored vehicles.