An M50 Ontos lines up its target—ranging first with the .50 cal, then unleashing three thunderous shots from its 105mm recoilless rifles (often mistaken, but labeled as 106mm). Fast, brutal, and built for close-in fire support. #VietnamWar #M50Ontos #RecoillessRifle #MarineCorps #DirectFireSupport #ArmorHistory #BattlefieldFootage #MilitaryHistory #GhostsOfTheBattlefield | Ghosts of the Battlefield

Introducing the M50A1 Ontos, the "thing" that was rejected by the Army but loved by the Marines. With its distinctive six 106 mm recoilless rifles, the Ontos was designed as a tank destroyer but the Marines used it as a mobile gun platform. The Ontos was capable of firing its rifles one at a time, in pairs, or all at once. Because the lightweight Ontos could go where heavier tanks could not , it was highly effective in both jungle and urban fighting. Col. Stanley S. Hughes, the commander of the

An M50 Ontos (The Thing) pushes through the brush in Vietnam — small, fast, and carrying enough firepower to change a fight in seconds. In the jungle, even the lightest armor could hit with overwhelming force. #VietnamWar #M50Ontos #RecoillessRifle #USMC #JungleWarfare #ArmorHistory #Firepower #MilitaryHistory #GhostsOfTheBattlefield | Ghosts of the Battlefield