Many soldiers referred to the APC as aluminum coffins and rode on top instead of inside, and were not known for stealth – broadcasting their route of travel from great distances. Yet, most soldiers assigned to these units would not have had it any other way. Did you ever patrol with them?

The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry’s M59 APCs. The M113 was first used in combat in April 1962 after the United States provided the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) with heavy weaponry such as the M113, under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) program. Eventually, the M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions. It was largely known as an “APC” or an “ACAV” (armored cavalry assault vehicle) by the allied forces.[5]

The M113 was the first aluminum hull combat vehicle to be put into mass production. Much lighter than earlier similar vehicles, its aluminum armor was designed to be thick enough to protect the crew and passengers against small arms fire, but light enough that the vehicle was air transportable and moderately amphibious. The M113 was developed to provide a survivable and reliable light-tracked vehicle.

This vehicle would be used for transportation, bringing the troops forward under armor and then having them dismount for combat, after which the M113 would retreat to the rear.

The M113 required only two crewmen, a driver and a commander, and carried 11-15 passengers inside the vehicle.

Its main armament was a single .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 operated by the commander.

In this video, US 1st Infantry Division soldiers on foot and M-113 APCs move through a bombed-out jungle in Vietnam.

Here you will find out what it was really like to operate an M113 Armored Personnel Carrier in Vietnam and why soldiers called it the ‘Aluminum Coffin.’

U.S. Army M113 ACAVs advance through the jungle in Vietnam alongside U.S. troops.

This video explains why the U.S. Army isn’t Fully Retiring The M113 Yet?

Special thanks to the YouTube channels of Okra Joe, Critical Past, Unbelievable True Stories, Wikipedia, and FP Defense News for their contributions to this post.

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