The PT-76 was flimsy. M-72 LAW opened it up like a tin can. In 1972 NVA didn’t do any better with real tanks like T-54s or T-55s. Their military genius Vo Nguyen Giap sent them against us with no infantry support. Grunts with LAWs made lots of their tanks dead, too.
Indeed it was flimsy. But that was the price of making it amphibious. Against troops armed with light machine guns and rifles only it could be very dangerous. But give the troops a .50 cal or almost any heavier weapon and the PT-76 could be in deep trouble.
The so-called Easter offensive.
http://vnafmamn.com/Valiant_Anloc.html
“By April 7 the NVA had reached An Loc, a town about 50 miles northwest of Saigon. There, the South Vietnamese government forces and their American advisors were made their stand.”
I’m proud to say that my father was one of the advisors. He said his ARVN counterparts were skeptical but agreed to have their men lay low. As the tanks passed they disabled them with LAW. Yeah, they cleaned house that day. He said they fought well.
Another thing, he said the M-16 was a “fine weapon as long as you cleaned it.” By early `72 they had the ammo and cleaning kits problem addressed.
God bless our Vietnam vets. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.