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This interesting Osprey is unusual in that it looks at a weapon system that was originally developed by front line troops - the Vietnam Gun Truck. The US army soon found itself scattered across South Vietnam and needed to use large convoys of trucks to keep its isolated bases supplied. The Viet Cong realised that these convoys were vulnerable, and began to attack them.
Existing methods of convoy protection were inadequate - the Military Police didn't have the numbers and armoured vehicles were too slow. One solution, originally developed in 1967, involved mounting machine guns on the back of standard 2 1/2 ton trucks, and armouring the sides with whatever materials were available locally (often sandbags carried between double walls). The gun trucks were a success, and official approval soon followed.
This book covers a lot of ground in its 48 pages, looking at the organisation of transport units in Vietnam, the development of the gun truck, the tactics developed around them, their crews, armament, and the names and decoration adopted by those crews. This is an interesting treatment of an, at least to me, unfamiliar topic.
Chapters
Motor Transport Units
The Army Convoy System
The Need for Gun Trucks
Gun Truck Design and Development
Gun Truck Tactics
Assessment
Author: Gordon L. Rottman
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 48
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2011