inland then mine clearance could take place. It would be necessary to clear a wider area for resupply in any case.
The other serious coastal defense weapons the Vietnamese possessed included Chinese Silkworms missiles. The Chinese and the Soviets had sold many countries a variety of coastal defense missiles. They were generally mobile in nature, making them difficult to find and neutralize.
The Vietnamese Navy did have fast attack boats. Mounted in force they could prove formidable. They had tried this twice already. The first attack had been brought to a halt by a formation of F-14s.
The second Vietnamese fleet was sunk by helicopters. Fortunately for coalition forces the fast attack boats were vulnerable to helicopter attack. Unfortunately the U.S. Navy lacked any attack helicopters so they had to employ Army helicopters aboard destroyers and frigates to deal with them.
The small PAV fleet had sortied off the northern coast. U.S. Navy helicopters detected the attack boats, but they were not in a position to attack. Armed wit h the Norwegian Penguin missile, a quite massive and quite expensive anti-ship missile, the U.S. Navy moved to intercept. Command and Control at Hickam decided the Penguins were too expensive.
At least for small boats.
The U.S. Army helicopters were called in to destroy the modest fleet much to the Navy’s chagrin. They moved in from the south and fell on the attack boats like locusts. The incident led to the Navy adoption of an inexpensive anti-fast attack craft missile, itself a version of the standard Army Hellfire.
The Vietnamese Navy represented many of the threats which the Navy would have to overcome in all future littoral operation. The Navy caught a few breaks though. For example, Vietnam had no submarines so Navy ships, if they could avoid mines and fast attack boats, could move unmolested in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Staff Sergeant Gerald Zachary
Texas National Guard
Andersen AFB, Guam
We got the word out of the blue at lunchtime chow that our vacation is cut short. It’s February, but its 78 degrees in Guam. We were all getting comfortable here.
Too comfortable.
“The Air Force guys couldn’t get them to blink. It’s our turn.” The platoon sergeant said.
Everyone looked at each other like they have just been slapped in the face. No one really thought it would get this far.
We were going in. I mean we were really going in.
“Zach report to the OIC.” The platoon sergeant told me afterwards.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked.
“Get going!”
I had twisted my ankle playing volleyball the week prior. A lot of guys were getting hurt, most with sports injuries. My ankle hurt like hell and I went to the doctor, but then I realized I was putting myself in a position to miss the damn war.
When I reported in the captain was happy to see me so that calmed me down a little.
“You went to Ranger School right?” Captain Slattery asked after making me wait a half hour.
“That’s right, sir.”
“An LT from division has an idea that he put through the boss. You’re going to be part of it.” He told me without really telling me anything.
There are no special forces in the National Guard. There are however, GIs who have been to Ranger School.
I was one of them.
Seems the boss was putting together some kind of super squad to compete with Big Green. I did not know whether to be honored or frightened.
Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison
U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer
We began ramping up ground war planning. Air Land Battle was really going to be put to the test. It was a kind of reheated blitzkrieg strategy that involved taking land fast with close air support working with ground forces. It took the kind of coordination that we could not really have achieved before the joint initiative.
The first thing we did was pull up all the data on their ground forces.
PAV ARMY
The other serious coastal defense weapons the Vietnamese possessed included Chinese Silkworms missiles. The Chinese and the Soviets had sold many countries a variety of coastal defense missiles. They were generally mobile in nature, making them difficult to find and neutralize.
The Vietnamese Navy did have fast attack boats. Mounted in force they could prove formidable. They had tried this twice already. The first attack had been brought to a halt by a formation of F-14s.
The second Vietnamese fleet was sunk by helicopters. Fortunately for coalition forces the fast attack boats were vulnerable to helicopter attack. Unfortunately the U.S. Navy lacked any attack helicopters so they had to employ Army helicopters aboard destroyers and frigates to deal with them.
The small PAV fleet had sortied off the northern coast. U.S. Navy helicopters detected the attack boats, but they were not in a position to attack. Armed wit h the Norwegian Penguin missile, a quite massive and quite expensive anti-ship missile, the U.S. Navy moved to intercept. Command and Control at Hickam decided the Penguins were too expensive.
At least for small boats.
The U.S. Army helicopters were called in to destroy the modest fleet much to the Navy’s chagrin. They moved in from the south and fell on the attack boats like locusts. The incident led to the Navy adoption of an inexpensive anti-fast attack craft missile, itself a version of the standard Army Hellfire.
The Vietnamese Navy represented many of the threats which the Navy would have to overcome in all future littoral operation. The Navy caught a few breaks though. For example, Vietnam had no submarines so Navy ships, if they could avoid mines and fast attack boats, could move unmolested in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Staff Sergeant Gerald Zachary
Texas National Guard
Andersen AFB, Guam
We got the word out of the blue at lunchtime chow that our vacation is cut short. It’s February, but its 78 degrees in Guam. We were all getting comfortable here.
Too comfortable.
“The Air Force guys couldn’t get them to blink. It’s our turn.” The platoon sergeant said.
Everyone looked at each other like they have just been slapped in the face. No one really thought it would get this far.
We were going in. I mean we were really going in.
“Zach report to the OIC.” The platoon sergeant told me afterwards.
“Am I in trouble?” I asked.
“Get going!”
I had twisted my ankle playing volleyball the week prior. A lot of guys were getting hurt, most with sports injuries. My ankle hurt like hell and I went to the doctor, but then I realized I was putting myself in a position to miss the damn war.
When I reported in the captain was happy to see me so that calmed me down a little.
“You went to Ranger School right?” Captain Slattery asked after making me wait a half hour.
“That’s right, sir.”
“An LT from division has an idea that he put through the boss. You’re going to be part of it.” He told me without really telling me anything.
There are no special forces in the National Guard. There are however, GIs who have been to Ranger School.
I was one of them.
Seems the boss was putting together some kind of super squad to compete with Big Green. I did not know whether to be honored or frightened.
Lieutenant Colonel Carol Madison
U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer
We began ramping up ground war planning. Air Land Battle was really going to be put to the test. It was a kind of reheated blitzkrieg strategy that involved taking land fast with close air support working with ground forces. It took the kind of coordination that we could not really have achieved before the joint initiative.
The first thing we did was pull up all the data on their ground forces.
PAV ARMY
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