Green Berets at War: U.S. Army Special Forces in Southeast Asia 1956-1975

412 Pages·1987·57.265 MB·English

by  Shelby L. Stanton

SNEIBY1. SfANTON
U.S. Army
Special Forces
in Southeast Asia
1956-1975
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THE EXPLOITS OF THOSE WHO
“POWERFUL
HELPED CREATE THE MYSTIQUE
AND EVOCATIVE.”
OF THE GREEN BERET.”
—Military Review
—Special Forces
Association Newsletter

“A BOOK THAT EVERYONE IN OR ASSOCIATED
WITH THE SPECIAL FORCES CAN READ, ENJOY,
AND BE PROUD OF. . . . An honest presentation of the
facts and events which comprise a small but courageous cor¬
ner of the Army’s history.”
—Special Forces Association Newsletter
“THE DEFINITIVE WORK ON THE ROLE OF SPE¬
CIAL FORCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA TO DATE . . .
well-written . . . carefully researched and extensively doc¬
umented. ... A pleasure to read.” —Military
“A MASTERPIECE OF DETAILED RESEARCH AND
NARRATIVE SKILL ... a worthy portrait of a proud
American fighting force, and a notable addition to Vietnam
war literature.”—The Sunday Republican (Springfield, MA)
“SHELBY STANTON IS . . . THE BEST BATTLE HIS¬
TORIAN NOW AT WORK IN THE U.S. ... He has set
high standards of both reportage and insight in covering a
story that depends much on personal knowledge. . . . [His]
professionalism as a writer has matched his professionalism
as a soldier.” —The Fayetteville Observer-Times
“A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ... A BALANCED
VIEW.” —Sea Power
Books by the author
Vietnam Order of Battle
Order of Battle U.S. Army World War II
Rise and Fall of an American Army
U.S. Ground Forces, Vietnam 1965-1973
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GREEN BERETS
-AT WAR-
U.S. Army Special Forces
in Southeast Asia 1956-1975
Shelby L. Stanton
A DELL BOOK
Published by
Dell Publishing Co., Inc.
1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza
New York, New York 10017
Copyright © 1985 by Shelby L. Stanton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or trans¬
mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ¬
ing photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and re¬
trieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except
where permitted by law. For information address: Presidio Press,
Novato, California.
Dell ® TM 681510, Dell Publishing Co., Inc.
ISBN: 0-440-13102-2
Reprinted by arrangement with Presidio Press.
Printed in the United States of America
July 1987
10 987654321
WFH
To those soldiers assigned or attached to
U.S. Army Special Forces
who sacrificed their lives
in Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2017 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/greenberetsatwarOOshel
CONTENTS
Foreword. 11
Introduction. 17
Chapter 1, OKINAWA . 19
1. A Special Pacific Mission. 19
2. The 1st Special Forces Group Takes Charge. 23
3. Expanding Special Forces Commitments. 27
Chapter 2. LAOS. 34
1. Special Forces in Laos. 34
2. White Star. 40
Chapter 3. VIETNAM ASSIGNMENT. 53
1. Special Forces in Vietnam. 53
2. The Montagnards. 56
3. The Buon Enao Experiment . 59
4. The CIDG Program Gets Underway. 61
Chapter 4. OPERATION SWITCHBACK.!. 69
1. SWITCHBACK to Special Forces. 69
2. The War Heats Up. 72
3. President Diem and Vietnamese Special Forces. 78
Chapter 5. MOVE TO THE BORDER .. 82
1. Special Forces Shifts to the Border. 82
2. Special Forces at War.". 85
3. The New Role of the LLDB. 94
4. The Montagnard Uprising. 97
Chapter 6. INTO THE BREACH.106
1. The 5th Special Forces Group Arrives.106
2. Filling in the Gap: Expendable Infantry.109
3. Another MACV Role.116
4. Border Objectives.123
Chapter 7. THE TURNING POINT.130
1. Special Forces and the American Buildup.130
2. Plei Me: The Regular Army Steps In.133
3. Crises on the Northern Front.137
4. Special Forces Takes the Offensive.143
Chapter 8. ON THE OFFENSIVE.154
1. The Fighting Camps.154
2. Fighting Camps to the West .159
3. Fighting Camps to the North and South.167,
Chapter 9. TIME OF DECISION.173
1. The Battles of Tet-68.173
2. Defeat at Lang Vei.179
3. Disaster at Kham Due.183
4. Spring Reconstruction. 188
5. The Status of Special Forces.190
Chapter 10. SPECIAL FORCES IN CRISES..196
1. New Directions ..196
2. Autumn and Winter Battles.200
3. Highland Battles.203
4. Trouble in Special Forces. 210
Chapter 11. SPECIAL RECONNAISSANCE.218
1. Project DELTA. 218
2. Projects OMEGA, SIGMA, and RAPID FIRE.227
3. Strategic Projects and Missions ..229
Chapter 12. THE GREEN BERET NAVY..239
1. Assault Boats and Sampans.239
2. Combat Airboats.245
3. Defeats and Victories.249
4. Years of Success.252