VN088 The Viet Cong Mortar Set

An essential part of any modern army’s offensive inventory is the mortar. During the Vietnam War the Viet Cong made much use of captured U.S. made weapons and ammunition. One of the most important was the M29 Mortar, an American-produced 81mm mortar that came into use near the end of the Korean War in 1952. The M29 was lighter and easier to transport than its WW2 predecessors and, importantly, had greater range. The mortar’s maximum rate of fire was 30 rounds for the first minute followed by 4-12 rounds per additional minute. Its range was just over 5,100 yards and it was normally ‘crewed’ by up to five soldiers but could be operated by as few as two as seen here. Our Viet Cong team comprises a female loader and her male ‘gunner’.