|
Home Up


VOTE FOR US!







If you enjoyed
the visit,

click here!

| |
Air Cavalry Troop - Vietnam
|
There was normally a
single Air Cav Troop organic to each Armored
Cavalry Squadron and three Air Cav Troops organic to the Air Cav Squadron of
the Airmobile Division. For a full commentary on the role and organization of an
actual Air Cavalry Troop see
D
Troop 3/5th Air Cavalry. An Air Cav Troop contained an Aero Weapons Platoon,
an Aero Scout Platoon and an Aero Rifle Platoon.

The high proportion of Warrant Officers is due to the fact that most air crew
were of this rank. In the schematic below I have only shown the 'combat'
elements of the Troop - there was also a Maintenance Section and an Aviation
Section.
AERO WEAPONS PLATOON
AERO SCOUT PLATOON
|
PLATOON HQ
|
|

1 x Captain (Plt. CO)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
1 x AN/PRC-25
1 x XM-27
|

1 x E-7 (Plt. Sgt.)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
1 x AN/PRC-25
1 x XM-27
|
AERO RIFLE PLATOON

1 x Lt. (Section Ldr.)
1 x WO (Helo Pilot)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
AN/PRC-25
XM-23 |

2 x WO (Helo Pilot)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
AN/PRC-25
XM-23 |

2 x WO (Helo Pilot)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
AN/PRC-25
XM-23 |

2 x WO (Helo Pilot)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
AN/PRC-25
XM-23 |

2 x WO (Helo Pilot)
1 x E-5 (Crew Chief)
AN/PRC-25
XM-23 |
|
ARP PLATOON HQ
1 x Captain (Plt. CO)
1 x E-7 (Plt. Sgt.)
1 x Medic
2 x RTO
2 x AN/PRC-25
|
ARP RIFLE SQUAD
1 x E-6 (Sqd. Ldr.)
2 x E-5 (Team Ldr.)
2 x E-4 (M-60 Team)
2 x E-4 (Gr'dr) M-79
2 x E-3 (Rifleman)
1 x RTO
1 x AN/PRC-25
|
ARP RIFLE SQUAD
1 x E-6 (Sqd. Ldr.)
2 x E-5 (Team Ldr.)
2 x E-4 (M-60 Team)
2 x E-4 (Gr'dr) M-79
2 x E-3 (Rifleman)
1 x RTO
1 x AN/PRC-25
|
ARP RIFLE SQUAD
1 x E-6 (Sqd. Ldr.)
2 x E-5 (Team Ldr.)
2 x E-4 (M-60 Team)
2 x E-4 (Gr'dr) M-79
2 x E-3 (Rifleman)
1 x RTO
1 x AN/PRC-25
|
ARP RIFLE SQUAD
1 x E-6 (Sqd. Ldr.)
2 x E-5 (Team Ldr.)
2 x E-4 (M-60 Team)
2 x E-4 (Gr'dr) M-79
2 x E-3 (Rifleman)
1 x RTO
1 x AN/PRC-25
|
MISSION TYPES
The Troop invariably undertook missions which can be categorized as follows:
'TEAMS'
In order to carry out the various missions assigned to the Troop, the combat
elements of the troop would, where necessary, be mixed, as appropriate, into
teams as below.
|
RED TEAM
Two Gunships assigned to offensive operations.
|
 |
 |
|
WHITE TEAM
Two OH-6 assigned to recon
|
|

|

|
|
PINK TEAM
Combination Gunship and OH-6 ('Hunter Killer')
|
|

|

|
TACTICS
Standard tactics
for the aviation elements was to fly HIGH/LOW, that is, one aircraft would fly
very low looking for targets or reconning the area (possibly attempting quite
literally to 'draw' enemy fire in order for the enemy to reveal their positions)
while the second aircraft flew at altitude providing cover, acting as the radio
relay ship and giving the low flying aircraft navigational instructions. In
operations involving OH-6's an OH-6 would always fly low.
The OH-6
would be in constant communication with the high flying AH-1G
Gunship, feeding back data which would be annotated by the crew of the Gunship.
If necessary the Gunship was always ready to 'roll in hot' in order to provide
suppressive fire if the OH-6 came under attack. If the scout observed targets it
would drop smoke marking rounds and the Gunship would roll in.
TYPICAL EMPLOYMENT OF THE TROOP
The following is an example of the way the Troop worked :
- PINK TEAM makes contact with elements of the enemy; smoke used to mark
contact; contact co-ordinates are relayed to Troop HQ; Gunship engages
marked targets or targets of opportunity while OH-6 keeps enemy under
observation, looking in particular for route of egress or reinforcement and
making attempts to establish the composition and size of enemy force as well
as their deployment and the extent of their defenses.
- BLUE team inserted near contact and deploys to engage the enemy; OH-6
guides BLUE team to contact, reconning forward and to the flanks of the BLUE
team; BLUE team engages the enemy supported by all ships on station.
- Once enemy starts to withdraw RED and PINK teams continue to interdict
their routes of egress; BLUE team secures area of contact and polices
battlefield.
- BLUE team is extracted, enemy is pursued by RED and PINK teams.
Occasionally the ARP's ( the Aero Rifle Platoon) would be re-inserted ahead
of the retreating enemy as a blocking force.
Occasionally the Blues would be inserted and then find themselves on the
receiving end of determined enemy forces and usually outnumbered. In preparation
for this it was common to have a regular Infantry Company on stand-by to
reinforce the Blues or to be inserted as a blocking force behind the enemy which
the Blues were assaulting.
COMPOSITION OF AERO RIFLE PLATOON
The Air
Cav Troop supporting an ARP platoon gives you great versatility and many
options. Although technically under strength compared to a platoon from a Line
Infantry Company, the ARP's made up for a lack in numbers by sheer volume of
firepower. The ARP's pack a punch but they are always on the verge of being
outmaneuvered and overrun since they are such a small combat element.
Nonetheless, with the aerial support which they always have on station, they
can engage targets which a standard infantry platoon would avoid. Having an
organic lift section of UH-1's
also opens up many possibilities - hot insertions, hot extractions, pilot
rescue, search & destroy etc. The Air Cav Troop employed as an offensive
unit against company sized enemy elements or smaller is a successful
choice.
Other advantages which the ARP's 'enjoyed' as a consequence of their role,
apart from being led by a captain, was extra communications equipment and a
disproportionate number of NCO's. This results in greater command and control of
the unit.
Special thanks to Mike Ruffle for much of the info here. His site,
Eleven Bravo is a great
resource for the Vietnam historian and wargamer. ____________________________________________________________________________________
See Also:
Helicopters
and Helicopter
Weapons for further information about the helicopters and weapon systems
themselves.
The
Helicopter War - substantial listing of links to web sites of US Aviation
units from Vietnam
The
First Team for information on the 1st Air Cavalry Division (Airmobile)
A
History Lesson - fictional account of an operation, written by 'War Wagon
14', a pilot in 'D' Troop 3/5 Air Cav.
Collecting Forces for Vietnam Crossfire: US Aero-Rifle
Platoon - article concerning the incorporation of an aero-rifle platoon
into a wargames collection for use with the Incoming! rules. Please note that
this article is only available in the Members Area (for more information
regarding Membership, click
here)
____________________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
Low Level Hell, Hugh L. Mills, Dell Books,
ISBN0-440-21549-8
Hunter-Killer Squadron, Matthew Brennan, Pocket Books, ISBN 0-671-74453-4
The US Army in Vietnam, Leroy Thompson, David & Charles Publishers
PLC, ISBN 0-7153-9219-0
Vietnam Order of Battle, Shelby Stanton, US news Books, ISBN
0-89193-700-5
US Army Armor School, Fort Knox, ST 17-1-3
____________________________________________________________________________________
- Above the Best - Aviator
training for helicopters and fixed wing during the 50's, 60's & 70's,
the Viet Nam era. Above the best, we served.
- Air Cavalry, Los Alamitos Airfield, and
Birds - Information on the Air Cavalry to include the helicopters and
armament; Los Alamitos Airfield; and my Birds.
- D Troop 3rd of the 5th Air
Cavalry - Some of the bravest men in the world flew low-level in small,
lightly armed aircraft and loved it.
- Friends of Army Aviation -
Designed to keep current and former aviators in touch with each other.
Pictures, links, newsletter, forum
- Guns For Life -
Created by a US Army attack helicopter pilot. Contains photos and views of a
pilot serving in Kosovo. Pays tribute to the gun pilots that have come
before us and paved the way to modern helicopter warfare. (April 30,
2000)
- Silver
Wings of the Cav - An Army Aviation site and newsletter of Air Cavalry
shared information. Korea, Vietnam and current active affairs from alumni
and active troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division.
- 1st Air Cavalry -
Unofficial Home of B Company, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion. These
pages contain information about the unit and its history while the unit
served in the Republic of Vietnam. Detailed information about the men, their
sojourn in Vietnam and also casualties.
- 1st Det. (Abn)
Project - Covert war along the Thai border 1975.
- 1st Squadron 158th Cavalry -
National Guard unit. The Army's Most Combat Ready Unit of the Reserve
Components 1998.
- Taylor's Home Page -
Information on AH-1 Cobra and OH-58C Helicopters
- US Army Attack Helicopters
- A crew chief's view of Vietnam era attack helicopter gunships.
- Vietnam Helicopter Pilots of Florida -
Organization open to all who flew helicopters during the Vietnam War.
Winged Sabers - The Air Cavalry in Vietnam
Buy it today

|