Not many guns gain popularity in an entire country, but the M1 Garand cetainly did. It is often referred to as the "United States Rifle", and was produced for over twenty years after its introduction in 1936. It was deployed in the Second World War and in the Korean War, and was seen as a great success - over six million were manufactured. It relied on clips of eight bullets, which was occasionally criticised in comparison to a magazine. However, inventor John Garand pointed out that a clip mechanism meant the integral magazine could never be lost by clumsy soldiers, and the system could not be blocked by dirt. Eighty years since its original conception, this gun is still incredibly well sought-after, mostly by gun collectors and competitors in various marksmanship challenges. It was created in the Springfield armoury specificially for use with the .30-06 cartridge. Take a look at the 30-06 bullet by following the link!!

The Vietnam War started because the country was split between communism in the north and capitalism in the south. The Viet Cong rebels who wanted to free the south started a powerful revolution during the Cold War. America continued to support the south, and when a war against the North began in November 1955, they offered assistance.

However, the American public were worried by the escalating crisis and angered by the casualties. Nearly 550,000 troops were in the area when President Nixon decided to withdraw. Eventually, the North Vietnamese Army defeated the unprotected south after all the American troops had returned to America in 1973.

The American soldiers used the Colt M1911 as their main sidearm. The early M16s had serious failures which caused the deaths of many American soldiers who were trying to fix their guns in the middle of the battle. These flaws were fixed by 1968, and most old models were replaced within a few years. The M1918 BAR was also used in the earlier stages of the war, and was seen as an impressive machine gun.

Checkout the rest of the weaponry used below.