A History In Pictures
First Division US soldiers on reconnaissance, stealthily
make their way through a Michelin rubber plantation, 1969.
The 40mm M-79 Grenade Launcher was a single shot weapon
that could fire high- explosives and smoke grenades up to
a maximum of 350 meters. The grenade launcher seemed to be
favored, as perhaps more of a psychological weapon among
the troops, who often felt isolated and exposed at the
outlying firebases. The M-79 was dangerous to use at close
range, which left grenadiers defenseless at short range,
therefore the M203 was developed, which attached directly
to the M-16 rifle.
Copyright© 2005 All rights reserved.