Lesson 41

Vietnam: The GI’s War

Vietnam: Airpower & TechnologyClose Air Support

Lesson Objectives

• Begin to understand the conditions under which the American soldier, Marine, sailor, airman and Coast Guardsman lived and fought in Southeast Asia.

• Describe how characteristics and attitudes of the US fighting force changed during Vietnam War.

• Describe and analyze some of the popular beliefs that have evolved about the Vietnam War.

Major IssuesLesson 13 - The GI’s War

How were Army soldiers assigned to units early in the war?

What is a “GI”? What is an “NCO”?

How were leaders (particularly NCO’s) trained?

What type of equipment did the ground forces have in Vietnam?

• Where there any problems with some equipment items?

• How were they assigned to units later in the war?

• What impact did this have on individual and unit performance?

• What impact might this policy have had on unit performance?

• What equipment worked particularly well?

The GI

"Their forebears went by other names: doughboys, Yanks, buffalo soldiers,Johnny Reb, Rough Riders. But "G.I." will be forever lodged in the consciousness of our nation to apply to them all."

General Colin Powell

Government Issue

GI: Any U.S. military person

NCO

NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer

Also called a Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy

Title

Infantry Equipment

Rifles

M-14 Rifle (.30 cal)

M-16 Rifle ( .223 cal - 5.56 mm)

Other Infantry Weapons

M-79 Grenade Launcher

M-79 Grenade Launcher

Claymore Mine

Claymore Mine

Body Armor

Flak Vest

Jungle Boots

The Helicopter War

Vietnam

Lesson Objectives

• Describe the tactical and geographic considerations that supported the introduction of airmobile operations in Vietnam.

• Understand the technical and logistic advantages and limitations of the helicopter in war.

• Describe and analyze the role of helicopters in the American execution of the Vietnam War.

Major IssuesThe Helicopter War

Why was the helicopter particularly valuable in Southeast Asia?

What is the “air mobility concept” of the US Army?

What were some of the operational and logistic concerns of the use of helicopters in Southeast Asia?

Generally describe the use of helicopters in the Battle of Ia Drang Valley (November 1965)

• Why was it originally developed?

• In what ways were helicopters used?

The Helicopter War

"What would we do [in Vietnam] without helicopters? We would be fighting a different war, for a smaller area, at a greater cost, with less effectiveness.

We might as well-have asked: 'What would General Patton have done without his tanks?'"

General William WestmorelandQuoted by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USAAirmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13

The Helicopter War

... the growth of the airmobile concept did not take place in the framework of guerrilla warfare. It was conceived out of the necessity to disperse on the modern battlefield under the threat of nuclear weapons and still retain the ability to mass quickly for decisive actions, then disperse again. The actualities of Vietnam have since obscured these origins and have led many people to the assumption that airmobility was designed for and limited to counter-guerrilla contingencies. The very nature of the terrain in Vietnam with its jungles and mountains has led many to connect helicopter operations to this type of terrain. Indeed, the opposite is true. Airmobility worked in Vietnam in spite of the tremendous problems of working in the jungles and the mountains of an undeveloped country. The helicopter overcame the obstacles of limited landing zones, primitive road nets, restricted observation, and high density altitudes as no other vehicle could. But, in the open countryside of Europe or a desert in the Middle East, the airmobile force has far greater flexibility and many more options than even the armored forces of Rommel in North Africa. Vietnam represented only a fraction of the possibilities for airmobile tactics.

"Conclusions"Airmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USAVietnam Studies series, CMH Pub 90-4Washington: Department of the Army, 1989

The Helicopter War

The average infantryman in the South Pacific during World War II saw about 40 days of combat in four years. The average infantryman in Vietnam saw about 240 days of combat in one year thanks to the mobility of the helicopter.

The Helicopter War

The problem in Vietnam is terrain — jungles, mountains, rivers. Maneuver's a nightmare. That's why we came up with a plan to use helicopters. Leap in and out of battle.

Dialogue from the movie “We Were Soldiers” (2002)

Source

Helicopters in VietnamEarly

H-34 Choctaw

H-21 Shawnee

Helicopters in VietnamMedium Helicopters

CH-46 Sea KnightCH-3

Helicopters in VietnamHeavy Helicopters

CH-47 Chinook CH-53 Sea Stallion

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Troop Transport

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Medical Evacuation (MedEvac)

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Long Range Patrol (LRP) Extraction

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Aircraft Recovery

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Rescue

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Cargo Hauler

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Mine Sweeping

Helicopters in VietnamUses

Bomber

The Helicopter War

"What would we do [in Vietnam] without helicopters? We would be fighting a different war, for a smaller area, at a greater cost, with less effectiveness.

We might as well-have asked: 'What would General Patton have done without his tanks?'"

General William WestmorelandQuoted by Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USAAirmobility 1961-1971, Chapter 13

The Helicopter War

Why did the U.S. Army adopt the Airmobile* doctrine?

* using helicopters to move forces around the battlefield

• Concept not specifically developed for Vietnam

• Conceived to move forces around an atomic battlefield

• Ideally suited for Southeast Asia

The Helicopter War

The problem in Vietnam is terrain — jungles, mountains, rivers. Maneuver's a nightmare. That's why we came up with a plan to use helicopters. Leap in and out of battle.

Dialogue from the movie “We Were Soldiers” (2002)

Source

Helicopters in Vietnam

Where do you land them?

Super Bombs

REQUIREMENT: Large explosive to quickly clear Landing Zones (LZs)

SOLUTION: Post-WWII large conventional bombs from storage

B-36 Peacemaker

M121 15K lb. Bomb

M121 Warhead

CH-54 Helicopter with 15K Bomb

BLU-82 BombsSuper Bombs

What do you do when you run out of M121’s?Innovate!

BLU-82 Bombs

Instant Landing Zone!

BLU-82 Bomb Employment

BLU-82 Bomb

UGA Students?

Popular Culture

“Daisy Cutter Bomb”

Reality

BLU-82 Bomb w/ Daisy Cutter Fuse

The Helicopter WarBattlefield Mobility

Battle of Ia Drang Valley

( 27:36, cached – slow to open )

CBS News Special Report – November 1965

Lesson 42

Great Society to Great Quagmire

Next:

Lesson Objectives

• Understand President Johnson's social agenda in 1965.

• Identify the major players in LBJ's cabinet and advisory team.

• Describe and analyze the conflicts between LBJ's domestic social agenda and foreign policy realities.

End