Yards.

This is coolbert:

Here with some comments regarding the purported use of crossbows in combat by the montagnards [yards] during the Vietnam War. Hill tribesmen recruited, trained, led into battle against the VC/NVA by American Special Forces [SF]. And before the U.S. SF, by the French GCMA.

Here, comments from the Ranger - - a man who knows:

"I seriously doubt that any SF adviser would allow a yard [montagnard] to take a knife to a gun fight . . . I was not with the yards or in one of the A camps but my guess is that these [crossbows] were used for hunting and to sucker US types into buying the bows as souvenirs. They were quite popular as . . . they required no capture papers etc... to get them home. From what I heard sprinkling a little chicken blood on them elevated the sale price."

[American soldiers policing or capturing an enemy weapon on the battlefield, could fill out "capture papers" and legally bringing an AK back to the states as a price of war - - battlefield booty! Onerous paperwork required - - not so in the case of a crossbow!]

"I never heard of any actual use of these items [crossbows] in my time with 5th Grp, but I was there late in the war. Possibly they were used in the very early days when/before transition to modern WW2 weapons."

And as a response to a query by myself that American helicopters in Vietnam, reputedly, from time to time, would return to base with crossbow bolts found sticking in the bottom of the fuselage!

"The yard bows did not have bolts that would penetrate a helos skin [helicopter/Huey UH-1], they were simply made of wood. I doubt any helo ever took a bolt hit/penetration. Surely photos would be available to show the truth of these claims. War stories get better with age."

And this IS ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! The collection of montagnard crossbows I have seen have bolts solely made of wooden, no metal tip for penetration! Strictly wood, perhaps fire-hardened?

Thank you Ranger!

As much as I would like it to be so, "taking a knife [crossbow] to a gunfight" is just not the way to go. Even the montagnards would have realized that and listened to their SF advisers!

coolbert.