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The Green Berets
The Green Berets is the 1968 John Wayne war film that was one of the few movies made about the Vietnam War while the US was still involved in fighting it. Holding a somewhat dubious honor of being the only (somewhat) pro-Vietnam War movie of the era, Wayne's film received substantial support from the Department of Defense, who lent accurate equipment and weaponry for the production.
- Actors: John Wayne, David Janssen, Jim Hutton, Aldo Ray, Raymond St. Jacques, Jack Soo, George Takei, Patrick Wayne, Luke Askew, Edward Faulkner, Jason Evers, Bruce Cabot, Mike Henry, Rudy Robbins
- Directors: Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, Mervyn LeRoy
The following weapons were used in the film The Green Berets:
Captured Weapons Display
At the beginning of the film, when a group of civilians and reporters are being briefed about the capabilities of the U.S. Army Special Forces a number of captured weapons are seen on a display board behind the MSG Muldoon (Aldo Ray) and SFC McGee (Raymond St. Jacques), they include:
MAT-49
The MAT-49 sub machine gun was used widely throughout (then) French Indo-China with a great deal of them being left behind after the defeat at Dien Bien Phu. The weapon displayed here could be a locally manufactured copy which chambered the 7.62mm Tokarev round.
Thompson
Also seen on the board is an M1928A1 Thompson. The M-1928 and A1 models could have their butt stock removed and were commonly seen with the Vietcong because of the First Indochina War, Chinese Civil War, and Korean War.
SKS Carbine
The Russian SKS Carbine is also on display.
PPSh-41 Submachine Gun
This ubiquitous Russian PPSh-41 Sub Machine Gun is also seen on the captured weapons display but, like the SKS above it could very well be a Chinese clone. Sgt. Muldoon (Aldo Ray) refers to the weapon as a "ChiCom K50 submachine gun".
Mle 1892 Revolver
Pistols
Colt Woodsman "Assassin" Model
A Colt Woodsman with both a modified slide and barrel to thread a suppressor is used by Colonel Cai (Jack Soo).
Shotguns
Browning Over & Under Shotgun
The Airborne Colonel who shoots skeet with Col. Kirby (John Wayne) (and who was the real commander of the Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia where the film was shot) uses a Browning over-under shotgun.
Remington Model 1100
Col. Kirby uses a Remington Model 1100 semi-auto shotgun while shooting skeet.
Rifles
XM16E1 Rifle
In actuality, the U.S. Army Special Forces were one of the first units to actively field the M16 in combat. In the movie, Kirby's men carry a XM16E1 rifles noted by the presence of a forward bolt assist, partial magazine fence and early model three prong flash suppressor.
Mattel M-16 Marauder Toy Gun
Later in the movie, Col. Kirby is seen dramatically smashing one of Kowalski's M-16 against a tree. If you look carefully, the "weapon" is actually a Mattel M-16 Marauder, a plastic toy gun manufactured in the 1960's. Also, it would be near impossible for him to smash the aerospace-grade aluminum receivers by hand against a tree, which is what he would have done to really render the weapon unusable to the enemy. Like in most movies, this was done just to give viewers a 'macho' impression on the screen. The Marauder is also briefly seen in the hands of Kirby after the watchtower is brought down by enemy fire.
M1 Carbine
The M1 Carbine is seen mainly in the hands of the ARVN troopers as well as the U.S. Navy "Seabees" is this lightweight U.S. rifle although some are seen being carried by the VC.
M1 Garand
Seen in the hands of the ARVN troops as well as some VC is the all time classic U.S. battle rifle.
M14 Rifle
Both American and VC force are seen using the M14 rifle.
T26 Tanker Garand Rifle
During the evacuation of the A camp, a Mike Force member is briefly seen carrying the Tanker model of the M1 Garand.
Mauser Gewehr 98 Rifle
The Mike Force soldier on the left has a Mauser Gew98 Rifle slung after the battle.
Mauser Karabiner 98k Rifle
NVA Regular soldiers are seen grabbing their Mauser K98k Rifles during the extraction. It should be noted that both the NVA and the Viet Cong used a considerable number of Mauser Kar98k rifles during the Vietnam War (many of which were provided by the Soviet Union) and the rifles (along with the Mosin-Nagant) were used alongside the more prevalent AK-47 rifle and SKS carbine.
Modified AR-7
During the VC/NVA Assault on the basecamp, three VC killed on the wire appear to be armed with AR-7 rifles with modified wooden stock and pistol grip (similar in appearance to a Thompson submachine gun). Similar rifles were used in the 1967 Dean Martin film The Ambushers as well as in the television series Get Smart.
Machine Guns
M60 Machine Gun
M60 machine guns are carried by US troops entering their tour of duty at the end of the film. This is one of the first appearances of the machine gun in a motion picture and probably not a prop weapon (the production was granted full cooperation with the US Department of Defense).
M60D Machine Gun
An M60D machine gun with spade grips mount in the Huey Helicopter for the crew chief and door gunner.
M60C Machine Guns mounted in M-6E3 Weapons System
This system, consisting of two double sets of M60C machine guns mounted above 8 shot rocket pods is seen attached to a UH-1 "Huey" (probably a C or D model) gunship in the movie.
Browning M2 Aircraft
Seen mounted on tripods throughout the A Camp is this aircraft version of the venerable Browning M2 easily denoted by the full length ventilated barrel shroud. The reason for using the M2 Aircraft version on film was the ease of blank conversion compared to the M2 Heavy Barrel ground gun.
Browning M1919A4 Machine Gun
A Browning M1919A4 Machine Gun is also used in the defense of the A Camp.
GE M134 Minigun
Seen in the interior of Puff The Magic Dragon (a name bestowed on most early USAF gunships) are a pair of devastating M134 miniguns. This is also one of the first appearances of the weapon in a motion picture.
Other
M30 4.2 inch Mortar
Sergeant Peterson (Jim Hutton) and crew are seen manning a M30 4.2 inch Mortar during the VC attack.
M79 Grenade Launcher
The M79 Grenade Launcher glimpsed briefly (though never actually fired) in the movie is one of the U.S.'s more reliable light support weapons.
M18A1 Claymore
This standard (and extremely devastating) M18A1 Claymore U.S. anti-personnel mine makes a brief appearance in the film (though the "mine" displayed is clearly a training model given its blue coloring).
