When Nag the basking cobra hears the careless foot of man,
He will sometimes wriggle sideways and avoid it if he can.
But his mate makes no such motion where she camps beside the trail.
For the female of the species is more deadly than the male [especially when she has a DShK].
— Kipling
by Tom Laemlein I’ve been working with Dale Dye of Warriors Inc. to put together a photo study on the infantry weapons of the Vietnam War. The conflict in Vietnam is particularly interesting for students […]
I was pointed to this interesting snippet of a document about one particular shipment of arms to the Algerian rebels fighting French colonial occupation in the 1950s – from Vietnam. Can’t say I would have […]
When I have the chance to interview Jim Sullivan, one of the original designers of the AR15, one of the subjects that came up (not surprisingly) was the record of failures of the M16 early […]
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Nice photo – and nice early Dushka, the true M1938 with rotary feed, early bell-shaped muzzle brake and M1941 AA sight.
I take it that this is a Vietnam War era photograph of a low-level air defence unit taken either in North Vietnam or in a contested battle zone in South Vietnam. The gunner appears to be an NVA regular, whereas the AG appears to be either from the local militia ( North Vietnam ) or Vietcong ( South Vietnam ). Alternatively, it could have been taken in North Vietnam during the border conflicts with China during the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Note that the DShK has live rounds loaded and ready to fire.
One way or the other, the photograph seems to emphasize the co-operation and unity between the NVA and its backers, with the NVA taking the leading role with able and popular support from representatives of the common people.
On another note, I get the impression that the gunner is not so much frightened as tensed for action, while the AG is simply grimly determined.
Assistant seems to be ready to flinch from the muzzle blast.
Muzzle blast of a DShK of any mark or model is quite a sight to behold. Outgoing or otherwise.
“One way or the other, the photograph seems to emphasize the co-operation and unity between the NVA and its backers, with the NVA taking the leading role with able and popular support from representatives of the common people”.
Way to go Uncle Ho! Power to the people!
Dean
As a viet vet, the photo somehow reminds me of Hanoi Jane in her infamous pose.
The AA sight on this DShK is very different from the Russian-made dual-reticle type more commonly seen on service weapons. Could this be an East European ( Yugoslavian, Czechoslovakian, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, etc. ), Chinese or locally-made sight? It appears to be quite sophisticated as far as mechanical sights go, with complex controls that indicate very fine adjustability.
Sorry , I just re-read Leszek’s comment above where he identified it as an M1941 AA sight. Thanks!
Wow. I never saw Jane Fonda without her make-up before.
I think Jane Fonda might have been a tad taller.