Posted on 06/18/2013 7:45:03 PM PDT by DogByte6RER
The Vespa 150 TAP is a Vespa scooter modified for use with paratroops. Introduced in 1956 and updated in 1959, it had a U.S.-made light anti-armour cannon. Roughly 800 of these scooters were deployed in the Algerian War.
(Excerpt) Read more at retronaut.com ...
The cannon is facing the wrong way for a clean getaway.
Your riding along at 30mph and that thing goes off. The
recoil instantly slows the scooter down 20mph. Then it
runs over you.
This was a 150 cc Vespa and according to other sites Ive look at this Vespa could reach 60 km/hr (37.28 mph)
Sorry I didn’t see the engine size.
Wow a150cc Vespa talk about a death trap!
Needs a barrel pointed aft for those pesky tail-gaiters and the occasional gumball machine.
EXCEPT you had to step outside to reload the 106 MM recoiless rifles. The loader should have been eligible for triple super secret extra combat pay and a trip to Las Vegas after every mission.
You’d get thrown head over heels if you tried to fire the thing while in motion. Your forward momentum would continue while the Vespa would likely go backwards for a bit, lol.
That is a recoilless weapon - just dont be the one pushing the Vespa while firing.
from the thrilling days of yesteryears, most of what you wanted to know about an Ontos, maybe :-)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-vetscor/1827176/posts
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Thanks for the photo. Do you know what their mission/purpose was? I’ve always wondered.
The Rockers wouldn’t have stood a chance if the Mods had these scooters.
Thank you. Very interesting.
This particular one was used for perimeter defense at LZ Stud where I took the picture. There was this one and maybe more that were moved around a lot, to confuse the NVA I suppose.
One had move up near our bunker/hooch one night without us knowing and scared the bejeesus out of us when it cranked off a round. The backblast was unreal.
The .50 cal spotting rounds were cool, see the tracer arc out, and then be followed by a huge 106mm tracer following the same trajectory and hitting the same spot.
ping
Hmm...I only trained on the 90mm & the 106mm recoilless.
The 106 had that neat spotting rifle on top firing a .50 cal short case round. Pull the firing knob to fire the spotting round, when it goes `doink’ on the target, push the firing knob & the 106mm goes “WHOOSHHH” followed by “KABOOM!!”
an old WWII vintage reckless 75, i bet even that took balls, this took crazy... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fx1rxkMUAUQ
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