what was macv in vietnam

However, the use of the term spike teams fell out of favour and they began calling themselves recon teams or RTs. MACV SOGs primary stomping ground during the war was the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The M79 was one of the first standalone grenade launchers. Their increased SIGINT capabilities meant increased monitoring of US vessels. They work wonders for clearing out enemy fighting positions such as bunkers and for breaking contact. U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service Command of the United States Department of Defense. With the deflation of its northern operations (although the JCS demanded that SOG retain the capability of reinitiating them), SOG concentrated its efforts on supporting Commando Hunt, the Seventh/Thirteenth Air Force's anti-infiltration campaign in Laos. Established on 24 January 1964, the unit conducted strategic reconnaissance missions in Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Laos, and Cambodia; carried out the capture of enemy prisoners, rescued downed pilots, and conducted rescue operations to retrieve prisoners of war throughout Southeast Asia; and conducted clandestine agent team activities and psychological operations. Regardless, MACSOG began a series of operations that would continue to grow in size and scope over the next eight years. MACV-SOG, Created in Vietnam, Still Influences US Special Operations [15] His limitations on SOG's operations (depth of penetration, choice of targets, length of operations, etc.) Vietnam - Curt Rich Sometimes simply referred to as the SOG, the inconspicuously named unit was responsible for all manner of reconnaissance, special operations, and psyops in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Owing to the secret nature of the work, much of the information surrounding the covert force is only just becoming available within the public domain. However, the M60 was bulky, heavy, and fired a heavy 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. [17] After in-depth planning and training, a team was helilifted over the border by aircraft provided by the U.S. Marine Corps (who operated in the I Corps area) or by dedicated South Vietnamese H-34 Kingbee helicopters of the 219th Squadron, which would remain affiliated with MACSOG for its entire history. General Westmoreland, encouraged by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, requested 200,000 more troops, under the stipulation that they would be used to conduct cross-border operations to pursue his reeling foe. After a slow initial start, the first agent team was recovered from the north. [40] Lon Nol promptly ordered North Vietnamese personnel out of the country. Recon teams conducted diversionary operations prior to the invasion and helped cover the South Vietnamese withdrawal, but they were otherwise forbidden from participation in the very operation that both MACSOG and MACV had come to consider its raison d'etre. Under pressure from Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, the program, along with all other agency para-military operations, was turned over to the military in the wake of the disastrous Bay of Pigs Invasion operation in Cuba.[3]. The .22 LR round is fast enough to break the sound barrier but it will usually slip back below the sound barrier before it hits its target. The Nguyen Hue Offensive, launched by North Vietnamese forces on 30 March 1972 (called the Easter Offensive in the West), made cross-border operations irrelevant.l As with Tet, all of MACSOG/STD's efforts were concentrated on in-country missions to support the Field Forces. Thats where MACV SOG and their partner forces come in. However, youve likely never heard of MACV-SOG, comprised of members from both forces, as well as the CIA. In 1964, owing to the US increasing number of military activities within Vietnam, US military structure underwent a marked change. [48] Following US withdrawal from Indochina, its allies in Laos and Cambodia would collapse to the North Vietnamese backed forces. [source] In comparison, a standard fighting load carried by infantrymen today is 7, 30 round magazines. The two primary missions of MACV-SOG were direct action and reconnaissance. MACV, Military Assistance Command Vietnam Service Display Recognition After a two-week stay, the fishermen were returned to northern waters. The teams, usually three Americans and three to 12 indigenous mercenaries, were launched from Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) located in the border areas (originally at Kham Duc, Kontum, and Khe Sanh). Due to having internal baffles like a suppressor, some claimed that it reduced the decibels enough to make it sound like an AK-47 when firing. [14] The mission was deemed a success, but the operations in Laos were fraught with peril, and not just from the enemy. The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was formed in 1962. During the war the US wasnt allowed to officially acknowledge any cross-border operations, they could only operate within Vietnam. As a result, they began to use McGuire rigs. The baffles inside the moderate slow the gas down, which does reduce the decibel levels when firing. This created a complex command structure that was difficult to maintain due to the highly varied demands of each region. U.S. Senate, Committee on Veteran's Affairs (February 1979). By 1970, they had created a layered and effective system, and SOG recon teams found their time on the ground both shortened and more dangerous. The function of STDAT-158 was to assist the STD in a complete takeover of SOG's operations. However, the dense foliage of Vietnamese jungles saw the occasional use of submachine guns due to the relatively short lines of sight. They are also available in the private sector, published on DVDs and CD-ROMs in Carr's Compendium of the Vietnam War. Nixon had escalated U.S. involvement Cambodia by authorizing the secret Operation Menu bombings and by the time of Sihanouk's ouster, the program had been in operation for 14 months. This command arrangement through SACSA also allowed tight control (up to the presidential level) of the scope and scale of the organization's operations. U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam ( MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense . It also was modified with the additions of a magnified optic, a forward grip, and a suppressor. Ironically, MACSOG's role in the operation was only peripheral. The Angels in Red Hats: MACV Team 162 | ASOMF Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group ( MACV-SOG) was a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War . During 1966 and 1967 it became obvious to MACV that the North Vietnamese were using neutral Cambodia as a part of their logistical system, funneling men and supplies to the southernmost seat of battle. The Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a special operations organization that conducted covert cross-border operations in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand . SOG provided the capability to launch Brightlight rescue missions anywhere in Southeast Asia at a moments notice.h. MACV-SOGMilitary Assistance Command, VietnamSpecial Operations Group (later renamed Studies and Observations Group)was the elite military unit of the Vietnam War, so secret that its existence was denied by the U.S. government. [32] Hanoi continued this process year after year, learning SOG's operational methods and bending them to its purpose. As previously stated, the XM-177 was the precursor to many modern military carbines. Executive Outcomes: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth, PMC Veterans (60 OMSB Veteran): Putins Loyalists, The Wagner Group: The Worlds Most Infamous PMC, Chad, the RSF, and Instability: A 12-month Forecast. Vietnam Studies: Command and Control 1950-1969. [46][Clarification needed]. Given the top-secret nature of their operations, MACV-SOG had very particular uniform requirements designed to make them unidentifiable as Americans. As a result, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army utilized the trail as a logistical pipeline to supply their forces. Either way, it was heavily encouraged by superior officers. Subsequently, this became the US National Vietnam War Veterans Day in 2017. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group A professional Vietnamese tracker could tell the difference in the smell of bodily waste of someone eating an American diet vs a local diet. The U.S. was involved for the opposite reason. On the 29th, MACV was disestablished and remaining U.S. troops began leaving the south. Together, they made up a unit more covert than any other during the war. SOG operators loved fragmentation grenades. [source], The McGuire rig worked well enough, however it had some serious flaws. The local warriors spoke the local dialects, knew the terrain, and aided in deniability if their mission was compromised. Soon, however, an early warning system was created by placing radio-equipped air watch units within the flight paths between the launch sites and Base Areas. Named after Sergeant Major Charles McGuire, the McGuire rig was essentially a long length of rope with a loop at the bottom big enough for one man to sit in. It was manufactured in the Soviet Union, China, and a multitude of other countries. 354355, Annex A to MACV Command History, 1964, p. A1, MACSOG Documentation Study, Annex N to Appendix B, Bn410, MACSOG Documentation Study, Annex A to Appendix C, pp. They would conduct direct action missions and ambushes along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Through this and other forms of reconnaissance, its believed MACV-SOG provided 75 percent of American intelligence about the Ho Chi Minh Trail. 1519, USMACV Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team 158 Command History, 1 May 1972 March 1973, p. 18, MACV Command History 1970, Annex B, pp. The force was above top secret operatives swore to secrecy for over 20 years. The detachment, later known as the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) Team 162, became famous as the "Red Hats" during their long service in Vietnam. [47] The Cambodian Civil War would escalate with the PRC backed Khmer Rouge (also backed by the exiled Sihanouk), fighting Lon Nol's central government. Much like todays special operations forces, soldiers in MACV-SOG would modify their gear to suit their needs. However, the handguard is similar to that of an AKM and it features a vented gas tube. World War 2 saw a rise in the use of submachine guns by almost every country on the planet. The American withdrawal from South Vietnam began to directly affect MACSOG only in 1972. The unit's naval arm picked up northern fishermen during searches of coastal vessels and detained them on Cu Lao Cham Island off Da Nang, South Vietnam (the fishermen were told that they were, in fact, still within their homeland).[10]. The extended barrel provided the user with a more effective weapon in the same sized package. MACV-SOG, whist instrumental to the war effort, has one of the highest casualty rates of any US force. The weapons report is easily distinguishable from that of an M16/XM-177. As a result, there are Montagnard enclaves in unusual places across the US. For more information about its development see the "Vietnam Studies: Command and Control 1950-1969" pdf document below. Johnson attempted to get Hanoi to reopen serious peace negotiations and the carrot in this attempt was the cessation of all U.S. operations against North Vietnam north of the 20th parallel. US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Strategic Technical Directorate Assistance Team 158 (1973). A MACV-SOG Thanksgiving: 6 commandos vs 30,000 enemy troops Lastly, the suppressor slows down the gasses produced from firing the bullet. A MACV-SOG Thanksgiving: When 6 commandos took on 30,000 - Sandboxx Casualties among the Special Commando Units (SCUs pronounced Sues), as the indigenous mercenaries were titled, were: 57 killed, 270 wounded, and 31 missing. The Ho Chi Minh Trail was the main area of operations for MACV-SOG, given its importance to the guerrillas they fought against. Although there had been some small leaks by the media during the conflict, they were usually erroneous and easily dismissed. US Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on August 7th of 1964. [4]b At this point the mission of the Special Forces was the conduct of guerrilla operations behind enemy lines in the event of an invasion by conventional forces, not in the conduct of agent, maritime, or psychological operations. The nomenclature of XM denotes that it is an experimental design that is yet to be formally adopted. These developments allowed the grenadier to provide much greater firepower at a faster rate. [20] The Joint Chiefs decided in favor of MACSOG, since it already successfully conducted covert cross-border operations. Maitland, Terrence; McInerney, Peter (1983). The forces casualty rate exceeded 100% every single SOG member was wounded at least once, and over half of the force was killed in action [source]. This was assigned to one specific MACV-SOG team who was best placed in the area the troops were last located: ST Idaho. Never assigned an official crest or patch, SOG personnel accepted this unofficial self-designed insignia, For more details on the origins of the Southeast Asian conflict, see, For more details on the communist logistical system in Laos, see, For more details on the communist logistical system in Cambodia, see, For more details on the struggle in I Corps, see, For more details on the NVA/VC offensive, see, For more details on the aerial interdiction effort in southeastern Laos, see, For more details on the electronic sensor system, see, For more details on the conflict in Cambodia, see, For more details on the conflict in Laos, see, For more details on the U.S./ARVN incursion, see, For more details on the ARVN incursion in Laos, see, For more details on the PAVN offensive of 1972, see, For more details on the U.S. aerial campaign, see, For more details on the U.S. aerial offensive of December 1972, see, For more details on the final NVA offensive of 1975, see. US gunships manned by Green Hornets airlifted ST Idaho away from the landing zone, with the team barely escaping with their lives. This led to a significant increase in the number of operations being undertaken by MACV-SOG: evidence suggests that offensive operations were being launched almost daily. However, according to one of the most well-known MACV-SOG vets, John Styker Myer, they were rarely utilized. SOG recon teams were tasked with reconnaissance and the hand emplacement of electronic sensors both in the western DMZ (Nickel Steel) and in southeastern Laos.[22]. By the end of 1969, SOG was authorized 394 U.S. personnel, but it is useful to compare those numbers to the actual strengths of the operational elements.

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