You Ain't Right Club

[RobndaHood]

Okay, I've been holding back. My Battery in Vietnam was 105MM howitzers (6) and a platoon of 4 duece mortars (2). The guys assigned to the guns had developed a challenge amongst themselves to see who could "Ride" the 105 thru recoil at different charges. There are 7. 1-4 not so bad, I had tried it once and lived. I was dared, ( I was an unknown, I was mostly with my infantry unit) to 'ride' a charge 5.

I showed no fear as I was not going to be outdone by a gun pouge. The procedure was to hold onto the tube (barrel) and ride the thing thru the hydrolic recoil. Riding one was done facing the rear, toward the breech. I strapped on my helmet, zipped my flak jacket for the first time in memory and climbed aboard. The command came from the fire direction officer and a smiling gun pouge yanked the lanyard.

I landed about 15 feet from the gun, gravel embedded in my hands, knees and anything else that hit the ground. AND i had to buy the damn beer.

We had a guy, now a MD in Houston who tried charge seven, the most powder in the canister. He almost made it completely out of the gun parapet 35 ft away. He won't talk about it now.

Rob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtx5x5X6h_w

A short video of a 105 firing, about a minute or so.

(This post was last modified: 08-04-2017, 08:14 PM by RobndaHood.)