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'Wild Honey'

The 'Wild Honey', a modified light Dodge 37 with armour applied and a M60 machinegun mounted. This vehicle was used by the US 88th Transport unit. Unlike some of the very early (pre 1967) makeshift armed vehicles used by both American and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam, the South Vietnamese Army) earlier up-armoured convoy vehicles that used nothing more than piled sandbags and a tripod or pylon mounted gun, usually a M60, M1919 30. calibre machinegun or M2 50. calibre heavy machinegun, the 'Wild Honey' has some decent armour shielding to give some protection against rifle fire or shrapnel. The header image shows the vehicle with some of it's crew. It's not visible in this shot, but just for interest the vehicle's hood serial number appears to have been 3D6471. The image above was from Operation Lam Son, Camp Vandergrift. (1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The image above is of the Wild Honey after a convoy run in the Chrang Valley, Vietnam on August 27th, 1968. 

The purpose of the 'Wild Honey' was to operate as a runner up and down the long convoys of up to 20-40 resupply and ammunition vehicles around Vietnam, due to increasing ambushes from both Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This image is from before the 'Wild Honey' was armed and before the rear insignia's were painted. I managed to also find the names of 3 armed Gun Trucks that were also in the same Chrang Valley during 1968, and were likely the same convoy as the 'Wild Honey' and those were the following-

-'The Mafia' (Hood number 04C 8779) Gun Truck armed with 1 M2 50. Caliber and 1 M134 7.62 Minigun.

-'King Of The Roads' Gun truck armed with 1 M2 50. Caliber and 1-2 M60's (varied).

-'Duce Is Wild' (Hood number 4L 3538) Gun Truck armed with 1 M2 50. Caliber with a Gunshield from a M113 ACAV armoured personnel carrier and a dual-mounted M60.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A photo of 'Wild Honey' after an engagement in the Chrang Valley on the 27th of August 1968. Note the the windows have Iron Cross cutouts instead of normal slits, and the excess metal from that has been used for small white painted morale crosses on the rear of the vehicle- the steel plating itself was often scavenged from other damaged or destroyed vehicles (often M113's) or scrapyards.

 

This appears to have been 'Wild Honey' in it's final configuration. Compared to earlier it has been equipped with 2x 7.62 M60's, a radio, and a grille guard has been added to the front. The mud seems to have partly covered or worn away the US star, and the bright name text has been removed from the vehicle. You can see another vehicle in the convoy just behind the 'Wild Honey' here. The Maltese cross was distinctive among IAV converted Dodge M37's and helped with identification. A modern replica of 'Wild Honey' was constructed in the 2010's. (2)

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