M113 APC in Vietnam in Action SS2045

In response to the need for a lighter armored personnel carrier, the M113 was designed, approved in 1959, and began production in 1960. Throughout the Vietnam War, the M113 and its successors served as the standard US armored personnel carrier, earning the unofficial name 'battle taxis'. They transported combat-ready soldiers through the brush and evacuated wounded comrades to medical aid stations. A significant modification during this period was the replacement of the gasoline engine with a diesel engine, completed by mid-1968, resulting in the M113A1. Although largely replaced by the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the M113 remains in use by some US allies today.