These grenades could be thrown anywhere under 40 yards without exploding, however carrying them through the jungle thickets could be a dangerous proposition for some soldiers due to the fact the fuse pins could sometimes get stuck on branches and unintentionally blow United States soldiers up (Bernard 100) The M18A1 was an anti-personnel claymore mine that could be used as a pressure mine or rigged to a tripod and trip wire to set up perimeters around night camping areas
Much of the standard-issue equipment of US Army infantrymen proved poorly adapted to jungle and counter-insurgency warfare (Bernard 96). Individual soldiers often customized their gear, abandoning some equipment altogether, changing it by trading with other GIs, or even using equipment taken from the enemy. "United states relied heavily on maneuverability" (Bernard 76). Helping with that was Bell UH-1 helicopters which were also known as the "huey". A general workhorse in wars that suited perfectly with jungle warfare, it could fly at low altitudes and speeds for small clearings or high and fast for safe soldier transportation. The F-4-fighter plane dominated the skies on long bombing runs through Laos and (Bernard 101). Cambodia. Right behind it was the B-52 Stratofortress that was originally designed to carry and drop nuclear bombs but altered to drop small metal bombs on raids on Thailand and Guam. The navy developed special riverine task force. To stop arms transportation the Mark 1 PBR was sent out to seek and destroy weapons convoys. The PBR packed a powerful punch sinking many larger ships and traveled at a whopping 28.5 knots (Bernard 101).
The United States strategy was mainly based on the idea that the problem was in Vietnamese military and in efforts to win the hearts and minds of the South Vietnamese people. (Raskin& Fall 191) American forces in Southeast Asia operated under some strict restraints such as no being allowed to invade enemy territory in North Vietnam and for many years being stuck in ground, search-and-destroy missions in the remote jungle regions (Cameron 80).
