Infantry ammo loads: Malaya & Vietnam?

[davidbfpo]

Amidst a far longer SWJ article 'Malaya: The Myth of Hearts and Minds' the author Sergio Miller (not a SWC member) touched upon this question. Perhaps the expertise of SWC can help? Calling Ken!

The lack of contacts was reflected in ammunition loads – the standard load was just three magazines (60 rounds), including in SAS patrols .... This compares with Vietnam where a GI carried a standard load of 32 magazines of 5.56mm. (The author found this standard Vietnam GI ammo load in an unrelated reading of My Lai testimonies in answer to the question how much ammunition was carried, the defendant answered the standard load of 32 magazines, with one loaded. The author cannot recall which testimony and there are scores of documents to search. If veterans can recall a different standard ammo load, the author is happy to be corrected.) They were quite different wars.

Link to article:http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art...arts-and-minds