"They throw grenades, we pull pins and throw back"

alanint · 08-19-2015, 08:19 AM

The "Eldest Son" and "Italian Green" campaigns proved very effective during the Vietnam War. So much so that it lead to serious animosity between the North Vietnamese and their Chinese suppliers. Entire Chinese production lines were shut down trying to find the quality deficiencies. It is very doubtful that any of this tainted ammo would turn up today, as it was doctored by the US in the field and not at the production source. They would also do only one or two rounds in a crate of AK ammo or single mortar rounds left on a trail. To do more would have tipped off the opposition to a sabotage campaign. It had to look like an accident due to a manufacturing error.
Mike's Chicom grenades were one exception were they actually were of poor quality. They were prone to moisture damage, (thus the paper seal) and were of poor quality. The North Vietnamese knock-offs were even worse. There are dozens of stories out there of GIs having one either fail to explode or exploding right next to them with little or no damage. There were of course the ones that did work as designed, so they had to be respected as a formidable weapon.

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08-19-2015, 08:19 AM	#1
alanint User Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Marco Island, Florida Posts: 4,867 Thanks: 1,685 Thanked 1,917 Times in 1,193 Posts	The "Eldest Son" and "Italian Green" campaigns proved very effective during the Vietnam War. So much so that it lead to serious animosity between the North Vietnamese and their Chinese suppliers. Entire Chinese production lines were shut down trying to find the quality deficiencies. It is very doubtful that any of this tainted ammo would turn up today, as it was doctored by the US in the field and not at the production source. They would also do only one or two rounds in a crate of AK ammo or single mortar rounds left on a trail. To do more would have tipped off the opposition to a sabotage campaign. It had to look like an accident due to a manufacturing error. Mike's Chicom grenades were one exception were they actually were of poor quality. They were prone to moisture damage, (thus the paper seal) and were of poor quality. The North Vietnamese knock-offs were even worse. There are dozens of stories out there of GIs having one either fail to explode or exploding right next to them with little or no damage. There were of course the ones that did work as designed, so they had to be respected as a formidable weapon.