Huey Door Gunner--single Vietnam-era figure
$47.00
Item Number: VN182
Huey Door Gunner
Another important member of many HUEY flight crews were the "Door Gunners", and most 'HUEYS' had two door gunners. They would fly approximately four to five missions weekly with much of their work being above the Central Highlands of South Vietnam.
Most gunners operated the M60 machine gun, although several other weapons were utilized and operated on HUEYS.
As expected, door gunners would frequently be the target of enemy fire and suffered a high number of casualties.
Our figure is either walking to his helicopter or perhaps returning from a mission. In one hand, he holds his M60, in the other a can of 7.62 ammunition.
On the helicopter itself the official amount of 7.62 ammunition carried was 1,000 rounds of disintegrating, metallic split-link amounting to 500 rounds per gun. Often individual gunners would carry an extra 100-200 additional rounds.
Maybe our figure here is carrying some of those extra rounds in his ammo box.
‘AIR MOBILITY VIETNAM’
Among the most iconic sights and sounds of the Vietnam War, one in particular stands head and shoulders above all the rest: that of the BELL UH-1 ‘IRIQUOIS’ Helicopter, better known to the world at large and the ‘Grunts’ on the ground as the ‘HUEY’.
No one can imagine the Vietnam conflict without the distinctive shape and ‘whoop, whoop’ sound of this iconic aircraft which revolutionized warfare by performing an incredible variety of vital military tasks. The ‘HUEY’ transported troops, supplies, arms, and ammunition, evacuated wounded, and dozens of other missions in all types of weather over all kinds of terrain night and day between 1962 and 1975.
During that time, over 7,000 ‘HUEYS’ flew over Vietnam with more than 3,300 lost-in-action alongwith 1151 pilots and copilots. In addition, another 1,231 crew members were killed and those figures do not include ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) aircrew!
released in JULY 2024.
