H & S Company 106
Recoilless Rifle Platoon
click here for 1/1 106s website
I went to RVN with an MOS of 0351, Anti-tank Assault. Primary weapon was the 106mm Recoilless Rifle. Apparently because I was trained to use a 106, that is the reason I was not assigned to 106s. 106s could be mounted on jeeps for transportation and firing. Of course, we didn't have jeeps, we had Mighty-Mites. The M274 mechanical mule was also designed to carry 106s. We had mules, but I never saw a 106 mounted on one. In '69 they were usually mounted on tripods on top of Amtracs, going out with the battalion. It was only a secret where a 106 was for the first round. When fired a huge orange ball of flame came out the back blast area and it made a lot of noise. -Dan King
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Sign entering 106/Flames area in 1969 southwest of Danang at LZ412. You can see BAS in the background. I've heard this sign made it to Hill 37 later. - photo from Terry Applebee |
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Sgt Wade Lewis, initially assigned to 106s. Later went to S-2 |
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Stan Kopcinski was with 1/1 in 1965. -memorial from Stan's best friend, Joe Kochanski, 101st Airborne Division, Vietnam 65-66 |
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M. Byron Norrell, Jr. standing next to a 106mm Recoiless rifle in Quang Tri on Chrismas Day, 1967, complete with Chistmas tree. -photo from Byron Norrell, Jr. |
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Hill 270, July or Aug 1970 -photo from George Porter |
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Unknown Marines getting ready to fire from Hill 270, July or Aug, 1970 -photo from George Porter |
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Close up of 106 position above -photo from George Porter |
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I was 106’s Plt. Sgt. in 1966 and 1967 -Richard Lounders |
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This is sort of 106 related. I was unaware that 106s were back in the
rear. They were firing some H&I. Outgoing sounds different than
incoming, but I was short, big loud noise, orange flash in the night sky.
I was heading out of my S&C home/office for the bunker right outside
the back door of the S-1. The boys in the S-1 got the camera when they
heard me yelling and getting my flack jacket and helmet. They were very
amused. I was not.
30 years later, contacted Lee Hodge from Cooks Section who was visiting BAS. He related a similar story about 106 scaring the crap out of everybody in the BAS. We decided that it must have been the same night. -photo from Dan King |
