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KILO BATTERY 4th Battalion-12th Marines RVN 1965 - 1969 ABOUT THE BEAST 
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K/4/12 WAR DIARY THE BUNKER, LINKS THE FORGOTTEN VETS US MEDALS & RIBBONS USMC HERITAGE K/4/12 SITE AWARDS THANK YOU E-MAIL & COMMENTS |
"Do not forget your dogs of war, your big guns, which are the most-to-be respected arguments of the rights of kings." -- Frederick the Great
The Beast, as it is sometimes called (B.S.S.T. - BIG SLOW SOFT TARGET !), is a 26 ton, self propelled, tracked artillery piece. At 30 MPH (downhill), surrounded by a 1/4 inch
of light weight armor, it is easy to see where the nickname comes from. The main feature
is the 155 MM Howitzer that hurls 97 pound projectiles 11 miles away. A battery consisted
of 6 Beasts, with an average of 5-6 personnel assigned as the gun crew. A communications section, maintenance and motor transport section, and administrative section completed the battery compliment.
The killing radius of the 155 round was 35 yards. Depending on terrain, casualties could be incurred out to
75 yards with a P.D. fuse (Point Detonating). A.P. fuses (Armor Piercing) were used to collapse bunkers more than often. The fuse would travel several meters under the ground before it would detonate. The availability of armored targets was almost non existent. Time Fuses allowed for detonation in the air, used for illumination rounds. The V.T. Fuse (Variable Time) sent a signal out of the tip that was beamed back to the fuse. At approximately 35 meters above the ground, the round would explode sending shrapnel raining down. This was most effective on "N.V.A. in the open" targets (North Vietnamese Ground Troops). During late 1968 we were supplied with "Secret Rounds" to fire. We called these X-Rounds Firecracker Rounds. When you heard them explode in the distance, they sounded like a pack of firecrackers going off. The Firecracker Rounds had 12 grenades inside them. With a V.T. fuse attached, the base plate on the rear of the round would be jettisoned and the grenades would spill out on ground troops. Rumor had it that Firecracker Rounds were found rigged as booby traps on Hi-way 1 before we had them ! Scuttlebutt ! Most fire missions, during day light, were called in by Forward Observers,
assigned to line units in the field (The Grunts). Spotter planes would keep a battery busy also. At night, we would fire illumination rounds for the Grunts, along with fire missions and night defensive fire. We didn't sleep much, but neither did Charlie !! GET SOME !! The Beast is still in use today, in a modern updated version, with a longer tube capable of firing nuclear rounds. K/4/12 performed admirably in Desert Storm & received a Meritorious Unit Commendation for it's part. OOHRAH!
Updated: 10 June 01
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