This color silent film from the Vietnam War shows clips from the 9th Infantry Division, known as the “Old Reliables,” specifically howitzer and weapons operation. The 9th Infantry Division was mainly deployed in the Dinh Tuong and Long An Provinces, and arrived in South Vietnam in 1966 from Fort Riley, Kansas, operating around the Mekong Delta area. The film opens with an illegible camera slate (0:13). A soldier on a US Army fortified barge or floating artillery base adjusts an observation scope. A group of soldiers adjusts a howitzer, likely a M-101 105mm. A soldier looking through a scope uses hand signals to give adjustment signs (1:17). In the background, a soldier stands in front of a bunker made of sand bags. A 9th Infantry division uniform patch at 1:37. An African-American soldier talks on a field telephone (1:47), then feeds an artillery shell into the howitzer. A view of the bunker (2:19). Soldiers stand around and wait (3:00). A camera slate from 7 May 67 (3:07). Soldiers carry ammunition canisters out of the bunker and unwrap them; text on one reads “C445.” A soldier unscrews a canister and assembles an artillery shell (4:04). A group of soldiers feeds shells into the howitzer and fires it. A soldier writes notes while speaking on a field telephone (4:41). Soldiers fire the howitzer as an APC and American flag are visible in the background (5:12). Soldiers pull on and tie a rope in the muddy Mekong Delta (5:45). A camera slate at 5:55. The howitzer fires repeatedly. A wooden plank leads from land to an operation area on the water (7:00). A large rubber tire. Soldiers reposition the howitzer trail. A closeup of the back of the trail and towing eye (7:15). Soldiers adjust the barrel angle. A closeup of the hand wheel and barrel rising (8:02). A soldier with his shirt off stands near a bunker (8:41).
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