Fire Support Vehicle ( FSV ) M113A1FSV
The following story and photos are from Peter Fischer. I encourage you all to send in your stories about your time on your tour of duty.
The photos I’ve sent are of the M113A1FSV Fire Support Vehicle I drove during my tour in Vietnam in 1971/72.
They were introduced in Vietnam around June 1971.
Each vehicle had a:
Crew Commander
Driver
Gunner
The vehicle consisted of an APC body, with a Saladin Turret.
The turret had a 76mm gun attached, as well as 2×30 cal machine guns.
From memory, 84 rounds of ammunition were scattered around the inside of the vehicle, the inside of the turret, and under the floorboards.
Extra armour plating was added to the base of the vehicle because if it hit a mine, it would be like Guy Fawkes day in Vietnam.
We were mainly used on ambushes, and patrolling the perimeter whilst a Fire Support Base was being built.
We were never involved in a major conflict, even though, there were some major conflicts around that time we were there, and we could have been handy with our firepower.
I guess, the price tag of around $10,000 dollars per round, made the senior Army personnel, and politicians nervous.
The drivers for the Fire Support Vehicles were transferred from B Squadron 2 CAV Regiment in Holsworthy NSW, and when we arrived in Vietnam, we were allocated to, A Squadron 3 CAV Regiment.
Protection of FSB construction
I served with 2 Cav at Holsworthy through the 1980s.
Both A and B Sqn had 3 recce troops each with 2 MRVs each as they were called. We had the Scorpion 76mm turrets, a huge improvement on the Saladins. Came with night vision sights even better than Leopards at 1AR at the time.