During the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam in 1979, the firepower was obviously at a disadvantage when our army's main force infantry light weapons were significantly lower than that of the 56 semi-automatic rifle in its infantry light weapons, and it had not been fully automated. There were also light machine guns and rocket launchers that did not carry weapons. Therefore, when facing the infantry of the Vietnamese main force that had already achieved the automation of light weapons, the firepower was obviously at a disadvantage. This is one of the main reasons why our army fell into a passive position in some battles and suffered heavy casualties.
So, how did the Vietnamese infantry use light weapons in war?
The light weapons equipped by infantry detachments below the Vietnamese military camp include: submachine gun , light machine gun, heavy machine gun , 12.7 anti-aircraft machine gun, 40 bazooka, and a small number of rifles (including sniper rifles, grenade gun , etc.).
This makes the Vietnamese infantry more firepower. Take an infantry platoon of the main force of the Vietnamese army as an example: the entire platoon has 18 submachine guns, 3 light machine guns, 3 40 bazooka launchers, and 3 M79 grenade guns, totaling 27 (standard, equipment). If the above weapons are fired according to their combat rate of fire, they can fire 2186 various bullets within 1 minute. If you are responsible for the defense mission at the front of 300 meters, the firepower density will be about 7 rounds per meter per minute; if the firepower is concentrated to block the 100-meter-wide area, the firepower density can reach about 22 rounds per meter per minute. Compared with an infantry platoon that was responsible for the same task in our army, the firepower density of the Vietnamese army is greater than that of our army.
At the same time, it is more suitable for combat in mountains and jungle areas. In combat in mountain jungle areas, the basic requirements for weapons and equipment are light weight, strong firepower and easy to use. Since the light weapons equipped by the Vietnamese army have been automated (mainly because there are many submachine guns), this is conducive to maximizing its fierce firepower in a short period of time, annihilation or suppression of the opponent, and seizing the initiative in combat. In addition, the 1954 12.7 anti-aircraft machine gun equipped by the Vietnamese infantry battalion can be broken down into several parts for transportation, which is more convenient to go up and down the mountain. If used to shoot at ground targets, it can effectively support and strengthen infantry firepower and enhance the killing effect at long distances.
As the Soviet Union's assistance to Vietnam continues to increase, the proportion of Soviet-style weapons in the Vietnamese army is getting bigger and bigger.
7.62mm AKM automatic rifle (habitually called submachine gun). Effective range is 300 meters to 400 meters:, maximum range: about 2,000 meters, combat firing rate is 40 rounds per minute, automatic 100 rounds per minute, weighing 3.15 kg.
7.62mm RPK class light machine gun. The effective range is 1,000 meters, equipped with 75 rounds of drum or 40 rounds of magazines, or 30 rounds of AKM assault rifle, with a theoretical firing rate of 600 rounds per minute and weighing 5 kg.
7.62mm SVD blocking rifle . The effective range is 1300 meters, the maximum range is about 3000 meters, the combat rate of fire is 20 rounds per minute, and the weight is 4.3 kg. The gun is equipped with an PSO-1 optical scope, which is a quadruple telescope with a fixed range finder, an electric partition illuminator and an infrared observer.
7.62 mm PKM universal machine gun. The effective range is 800 meters when used as a light machine gun, 1000 meters when used as a heavy machine gun, the maximum range is about 3000 meters, the combat rate of fire is 250 rounds per minute, and the weight is 12.4 kg (it is 7.5 kg when used as a light machine gun).
US-made M79 grenade gun. The effective range is 150 meters for a single target, the cluster target is 350 meters, the minimum range is 31 meters, and the maximum range is about 400 meters.
When the Vietnamese army fought against our army in defensive operations, the use of light weapons had four outstanding characteristics.
multi-layer configuration, combining long and short. The firepower system for large-scale defense of the Vietnamese army platoon usually divides various firearms into three layers. The first layer is equipped with submachine guns and light machine guns, the second layer is equipped with heavy machine guns or general machine guns, and the third layer is equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns and . Each floor ranges from dozens of meters to hundreds of meters apart according to the terrain. This configuration method facilitates the implementation of extensive force maneuvers and firepower maneuvers, and forms a tight firepower network with the close combination of various long-range firepower and short-range firepower.
The Vietnamese army attaches more importance to the control of high ground elevation peaks, and fortification construction is usually closer to the peak. The first trench on the defensive position is usually about 100 meters away from the peak, and the second trench is about 20 meters away from the peak.Within 400 meters of the front of the position, various weapons gather fire and fire can form a dense killing zone against group targets and individual targets that are straight and curved. If an annular defense is formed, the firepower control range will be within 600 meters around the entire position. This can force the opponent to deploy in advance, increase the opponent's physical energy consumption, kill and delay the opponent; when the position is currently broken through, it is convenient to implement fire suppression and force maneuver, and buy time and create conditions for counterattacking the opponent.
Flexible configuration and suddenly fire. The Vietnamese army has two more obvious fire distances: one is close-range shooting at close range, and the other is super-range shooting beyond the effective range of the weapon. In order to increase the killing effect of the front-front, the Vietnamese army often moved heavy machine guns into front-front trenches. Sometimes they even moved heavy machine guns or light machine guns to the front-front to occupy temporary launch positions. When the opponent arrived dozens of meters or even dozens of meters, they cooperated with other firearms in the position to fire suddenly at the same time; or used shrubs and grass to hide and wait for an opportunity to move.
This method can often kill the opponent with sudden and violent firepower, and can also form reverse firepower when necessary. Therefore, it poses a great threat to our attack team. During the self-defense counterattack operation, when our army attacked the high grounds defended by the Vietnamese army, the Vietnamese army widely adopted the above measures, causing major casualties to our army.
Sometimes, in order to control important traffic roads and important areas, or to discover the opponent's infantry detachment from a long distance, the Vietnamese army pays attention to blocking, suppressing or disrupting shooting with heavy machine guns and anti-aircraft machine gun fire. The shooting distance is usually 800 meters to 1500 meters, and sometimes it can reach about 2000 meters. For example, when a company of our army was walking in a small river, it was suddenly attacked by the fire of the Vietnamese anti-aircraft machine gun from a high ground 1,500 meters away. Because the enemy's firepower came suddenly and fiercely, and our army lacked mental preparation, more than ten casualties were killed or killed.
focuses on organizational side and oblique firepower. When organizing defense firepower systems, the Vietnamese army attaches great importance to the composition of side-fire and oblique firepower, and emphasizes that various firearms should be scattered and cross-configured to ensure that all parts of the defense position can support each other. According to the situation of the defensive firepower configuration of the Vietnamese army's detachment, when side-firing, oblique shooting and using various curved firearms to control dead angles, the task of shooting various targets within 400 meters can be ensured; when the anti-aircraft machine gun is strengthened, the distance can be increased.
One soldier and multiple guns. The Vietnamese army emphasized that in defensive battles, firepower is mainly used to kill and sluggish the opponent, and generally does not use troops to attack or counterattack, and emphasized that one soldier should use multiple firearms, and one person can use multiple firearms. When fighting against Vietnam in self-defense, it is often encountered: in the Vietnamese defensive positions, various firearms are equipped with more and fewer troops. Our army once seized 4 submachine guns, 3 light machine guns, 1 heavy machine gun, 4 bazooka, 21 60 mortars and a large number of ammunition in the defensive position of a infantry squad in the Vietnamese army.
The Vietnamese army, which has few soldiers and many firearms, and uses more weapons, can not only make up for the weakness of its insufficient troops, but also cause misjudgment to the opponent's troop size; it can also choose different weapons according to targets of different distances and nature to ensure that they can both hit far and close; they can fight infantry and armored targets. However, this style of play also has its insurmountable weaknesses. There are many guns and few people, and it must rely on personnel to carry out extensive maneuvers, making it easy to get tired and difficult to fight continuously.
The author is a master's degree in history and a university lecturer, focusing on the history of the Sino-Vietnam War.
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