The Green Beret : U.S. Special Forces from Vietnam to Delta Force

100 Pages·1986·20.81 MB·English

by  Ashley Brown

US. SPECIAL FORCES FROM M95
VIETNAM TO DELTA FORCE
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THE GREEN BERET
U.S.SPECIAL FORCES
FROM VIETNAM
TO DELTA FORCE

VILLARD
MILITARY SERIES
THE GREEN BERET
FORCES
U.S.SPECIAL
FROM VIETNAM
TO DELTA FORCE
Series Editor: Ashley Brown
Consultant Editors:
Brigadier-General
James L Collins Jr (Retd)
DrJohn Pimlott
Brigadier-General
Edwin H SimmonsUSMC (Retd)
a
VILLARD BOOKS NEW YORK
1986
©
Copyright 1986byOrbisPublishing, London
AllrightsreservedunderInternationalandPan-
AmericanCopyrightConventions. Publishedin
theUnitedStatesbyVillardBooks, adivisionof
RandomHouse, Inc., NewYork, and
simultaneouslyinCanadabyRandomHouseof
CanadaLimited, Toronto.
FirstpublishedinGreatBritainbyOrbis
PublishingLimited, London
ContributingAuthors
AdrianEnglish
JonathanReed
LeroyThompson
IanWestwell
Acknowledgments
Photographsweresuppliedby:
Aerospace, CameraPress, Photri, ThePhoto
Source, Popperfoto, TheResearchHouse. Rex
Features, FrankSpoonerPictures, Leroy
Thompson, UPI/BettmanArchive, USAirForce,
USArmy.
Frontcoverphotograph:AGreenBerettrainingat
FortBragg, NorthCarolina(USArmy/The
ResearchHouse)
Backcoverphotograph:AGreenBeretona
trainingexerciseatFortBragg(USArmy/The
ResearchHouse)
Titlepage:SpecialForcessoldier, Vietnam 1968
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber: 85-40984
ISBN: 0-394-74403-9
PrintedinItaly
98765432
FirstEdition
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
The Evolution ofthe US Special Forces 6
EARNING THE GREENBERET
1
Training and Recruitment 13
2 WAR IN THE HILLS
The Special Forces in Vietnam 27
3 FIGHTINGFRATERNITIES
Takingthe Wartothe Viet Cong 41
SONTAY
4
HelicopterAttack in Vietnam 55
PROTECTING THE BACKYARD
5
Special Forces in LatinAmerica 65
EAGLE CLAW
6
The Raid into Iran 77
THE MODERNROLE
7
Anti-terrorist Watchdogs 87
CHRONOLOGY 94
FURTHERREADING 94
INDEX 95
INTRODUCTION
The Evolution ofUS Special Forces
intheyearsafterWorldWarII, thehistoryoftheUSSpecial
Below:Fourmembersofthe5th Forcesisthestoryofafewfar-sightedindividualsandtheir
SpecialForcesGroup,equipped fighttoovercometheofficialindifferenceoftheUSestablish-
formountainclimbing,during ment. After 1945, as the United Statesandthe Soviet Union
trainingatFortBragg.Thecap movedtoconsolidatetheirsuperpowerstatus,theworldwas
badgecolourscommemoratethe tornbywarsofinsurgency. Facedwiththeapparentneedto
unit'sserviceinVietnam. create an unconventional warfare unit, Brigadier-General
AM
Robert McClure tried to get the Pentagon'ssupport forthe
idea. Althoughfaced byabarrageofcriticism, fromsenior
officerswhohadlittletimefor'elite'forcesandwereplacing
theirfaithmnuclearweapons, McClurewonpermissionto
formthe SpecialOperationsSection(SOS)think-tank.
With three ex-Office of Strategic Services officers, Col-
onels Wendell Fertig, Russell Volckman and Aaron Bank,
McClure tried hardto sellthe idea. However, the SOSwas
notgiventhego-aheaduntilearly 1952; inApril, Bankwentto
FortBragg, NorthCarolina, toestablishabase, laterknown
asthe SpecialWarfare School. On20June, the 10thSpecial
Forces Group (Airborne) - 10th SFG (Airborne) - was
activated. Recruits from the paratroopers, Rangers and a
whole range ofWorld War II veterans poured in to begin
training under the watchful gaze of several experienced
officers. Then, asnow, trainingfocusedonthedevelopment
ofindividual skillswithin the frameworkofa small detach-
ment,latertobeknownasthe'A-Team1 Awareoftheneedto
.
preparethevolunteersforanyeventuality, thetrainingstaff
attemptedtomaketheirprogrammeasrealisticaspossible.
Standardswere highandmanyhopefulsfailedtomakethe Below:USRangersadvanceunder
grade. thecoverofasmokescreenduring
In the early 1960s, the role ofthe Special Forces under- thefightingaroundSalernoin
went a major shift: henceforth the groups would be con- 943.TheSpecialForcesregard
cernedwith counter-insurgencymissions. The impetusfor t1heUSRangersasoneoftheir
this change came from PresidentJohn F. Kennedy, whose antecedents.TheGreenBerets
growing concern over the successes of guerrilla move- areexpectedtoperformthe
samesortofhit-and-runraidsthat
theRangerscarriedoutinWorld
War
II.
THE STSPECIALSERVICE ments, particularly in Indochina, had a key impact on the
FORCE futureoftheSpecialForces. Withpatronageinhighplaces,
thefutureoftheforceswasassured.BetweenthePresident's
TheSpecial Forcesregardthe Ist visitto FortBragginOctober 1961 andtheendof1963, four
SpecialServiceForce(IstSSF)as more groups were formed for deployment in Africa, the
oneofitstwodirectmilitary Middle East, Central and South America, and Southeast
ancestors(themanyUSArmy Asia. The arrival of the 14th Special Forces Operational
Rangerunitsaretheother).The Detachment(14thSFOD),partofthe77thSFG(Airborne), in
CanIasdtiSaSnFawnadsUcSomspolodsieerdsowfho Vainedtnbalomodduiersitngd1e9p5l7osyimgennaltleidntthheebehgisitnonriyngofoftthheeSlpoencgeisatl
weretrainedforuseinrugged,
Forces.
snow-coveredterrain.Theywere
alsopreparedtoconducthit-and- Detachmentsbegantotake directactionagainst
runoperations. Intheevent,their
firstoperationwastorecapture guerrillas
theAleutianislandofKiskafrom
theJapaneseinAugust 1943. Initially, the Special Forces detachments in-country con-
dMTieshdteiintgIeusrtirsShaSenFdeawtnhaesimntslheaeltneves1se9n4itn3.tseoTvhtehereayl octfheenVtiCreoattmnemadamonn(AdtRorVaTiNnr)ianiignnimntehgmeCbaeerntrtsseorfofuatnthcNeohnAavreTmnrtyainoogfn,atlhaenwdRaretfprauirbeelditacot
battlesandduringthefighting avoid combat with the Viet Cong (VC) guerrillas. Their
aroundAnziotheywere effortsledtotheestablishmentofARVNRangerunits, butas
nicknamedthe'blackdevils'bythe the NorthVietnamesemilitarypresence inthe Southesca-
Germansbecauseoftheir latedintheearly 1960s, SpecialForcesdetachmentsbegan
aggressivenightpatrolling. totakedirectactionagainstguerrillasworkingintheCentral
The IstSSFwasgrantedthe Highlands,alongtheborderwithLaosandCambodia,andin
honourofbeingthefirstunitto theMekongDelta.
enterliberatedRomeinJune ThecampaignmthefetidswampsandjunglesofVietnam
1944.Theywentontoconduct concentrated on the battle to wean local tribesmen away
assevpearratlorfaiOdpserinattoisoonutDhreargnooFnr,antchee from the guerrillas. The CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense
Alliedinvasionofthatregionin Group)programme,theattempttowintheheartsandminds
BedlimAosouwbug:anuntMsdateeidnnI9iwon4af4Drt.fehaTecrheeIemsttburSneaiiSrtnFiwn1dag9u4sri4ni.ng ohWdifeavartir.hstieooTnlfhsor,tcuhaslewsthSeapiernnctdeoiactalrheeFcaootrgueconevtvsrie'ylrlenafrmfgieoevrn-ettndsetfbfheyernaocreueetgdhhunnoiitutchtse,athfnceroderVamcitueeildottnuntrahaomelf
Montana. armed tribal units and the locals viewed outsiders with