field force 30 avril 1967.pdf

7/28/2019 field force 30 avril 1967.pdf

1/34

UNCLASSIFIED

AD NUMBER

CLASSIFICATION CHANGES

TO:

FROM:

LIMITATION CHANGES

TO:

FROM:

AUTHORITY

THIS PAGE IS UNCLASSIFIED

AD390302

UNCLASSIFIED

CONFIDENTIAL

Approved for public release; distribution isunlimited.

Distribution authorized to U.S. Gov't. agenciesand their contractors;Administrative/Operational Use; 15 MAY 1967.Other requests shall be referred to AssistantChief of Staff for Force Development (Army),Washington, DC 20310.

31 May 1979, DoDD 5200.10; AGO D/A ltr dtd 29Apr 1980


2/34

UNCLASSIFIED

AD NUMBER

CLASSIFICATION CHANGES

TO:

FROM:

AUTHORITY

THIS PAGE IS UNCLASSIFIED

AD390302

CONFIDENTIAL

SECRET

31 May 1970, DoDD 5200.10


3/34


4/34

SECURITY MARKING T h elassi f iedrimi tedt a t u sfh ise p o r tp p l i e s t oa c ha g e n l e s st h e r w i s earked .S e p a r a t ea g er i n t o u t s M U S T h ea r k e dc c o r d i n g l y .

THISDOCUMENTCONTAINSINFORMATIONAFFECTINGTHENATIONALDEFENSEOFTHEUNITEDSTATESWITHINTHEMEANINGOFTHEESPIONAGELAWS,TITLE18,U.S.C.,SECTIONS793AND794.HETRANSMISSIONORTHEREVELATIONOFITSCONTENTSINANYMANNERTO ANUNAUTHORIZEDPERSONISPROHIBITEDBYLAW NOTICE:hengovernmentorotherdrawings,specificationsorotherdataareusedforanypurposeotherthaninconnectionwithadefi-nitelyrelatedgovernmentprocurementoperation,theU .S .Governmenttherebyincursnoresponsibility,noranyobligationwhatsoever;andthefactthattheGovernmentmayhaveformulated,furnished,orinanywaysuppliedthesaiddrawings,specifications,orotherdataisnottoberegardedbyimplicationorotherwiseasinanymannerlicensingtheholderoranyotherpersonorcorporation,orconveyinganyrightsorpermissiontomanufacture,useorsellanypatentedinventionthatmayinanywayberelatedthereto.


5/34

S E C R E T

. CO oo C O \

1 1 DACsrK DEPARTMENTO FTHEARMYOFFICEOFTHE ADJUTANTGENERALWASHINGTON .T-.C. 10910WMPLVimRTDAGAM-PM) (19ep7)ORL

( S > j e^-RD-670268] 4ctober967T O :

SUBJECT:perationalReport^-/LessonsLearned,Headquarters,XL/FieldForceVietnamArtillery(lO*f)

-RlBCcc:r.TtwS E EDISTRIBUTION r*piias.*vs.J*? trfiusBiutiU-v - - ' . ?".r-iiibr to bi* ii) .;.:.< ,.:.:..., >>ri.?ij ; praLlt-i;1 .ubjectreportisforwardedfo rreviewand evaluation byUSACDCinaccordance withparagraph6f,AR1-19andby USCONARCinaccordancewithparagraph6 candd ,AR1-19valuationsand cor-rectiveactionsshouldbereportedtoACSFOR 0Twithin90 daysofre-ceiptofcoveringletter

2 nformationcontainedinthisreportisprovidedtoInsureappropriatebenefitsinth efuturefrom LessonsLearnedduringcurrentoperations,and maybeadaptedfo r us eindevelopingtraining material

> a by

. BY R D E RF H EECRETARYOFTHE R M K ; -n Rtff; *-

m aici_Lil Glncla s X_DISTRIBUTION:CommandingGenerals

USContinental Army CommandUSArmy CombatDevelopmentsCommand

CommandantsUSArmy Commandand GeneralStaffCollegeUSArmyWa rCollegeUS Army Ai rDefenseSchoolUS Army ArmorSchoolUS ArmyArtilleryand MissileSchoolUSArmyAviationSchoolUSArmyChemicalSchoolUSArmyCivilAffairsSchoolUSArmyEngineerSchoolUSArmyInfantrySchoolUSArmyIntelligenceSchool

KENNETHG.WICKHAMMajorGeneral,USATheAdjutantGeneral

v) 'Hi^ u mi

/ S K B f T [0 0 (rKMOEOWCUWniD W H E N S H U W T E D F R O M C U S S I f l E O I N C L O S U R E S

o ) AW3S-7


6/34

\

S E C R E T tFFORCEV DEPARTMENTP HE R M YT~r

HEADQUARTERSIFIELDORCEVIEHAMARTILLERY AP OanFrancisco 96266


7/34


8/34

F O R O F F I C I A L U S E ONLYSection I- SignificantOrganisation Activities

A.FUO)dalnistration/Personnel1 .trength.

a.eadquartersandHeadquartersBattery,IIFieldForceVietnamArtilleryis organised under TOE6-501Ewithanauthorizedand assignedstrengthasof30Aprilasfollows:AUTHORIZEDSSIGNED

OFF WO EMFF WO EM34 2 1592 2 170b.eadquartersBattery,8 thTarget AcquisitionBattalion,

25thArtilleryisorganisedunderTOE6-575Ewithanauthorisedand assignedstrengthasof30Aprilasfollows:AUTHORIZED ASSIGNED

OFF WO EM OFF WO EM5 5 125 5 6 1 24

2 . Gainsand Losses.Artillery. a.eadquartersand HeadquartersBattery,IIF i


9/34

FO ROFFICIALU S E O N L Y

4 j r f g g n i l Manag e n t .a .Q ,I I F i e l d F o r e V i e t n a m A r t i l l e r y S - l S e c t i o n c o n t i n u e dt op e r f o r m a d m i n i s t r a t i v ef u n c t i o n ! f o r t h e h e a d q u a r t e r s a n d t o m o n i t o r p e r - a o n a e la c t i o nf o r a l l u n i t e s i g n e d and u n d e r o p e r a t i o n a lenand oft h l ah e a d q u a r t e r a .a s u a l t y r e p o r t sa n d e f f i c i e n c y r e p o r t r a t i n g so f O F C O N u n i t sa r e c h a n n e l e d t h r o u g h t h i ss e c t i o n .b .T h i s h e a d q u a r t e r s s e n t t w o o f f i c e r sandf o u r e n l i s t e d s e n o nTDY w i t h P R O J E C TO R E G O N f o r a p e r i o d i n e x c e s s o f 9 0 d a y s .T h e s t a t u so f t h e s ei n d i v i d u a l s c a u s e s t h i s h e a d q u a r t e r s t o o p e r a t e a t r e d u c e d s t r e n g t h ,a s nor e p l a c e m e n t sc a n b e o b t a i n e d w h i l e i n d i v i d u a l s a r e o n T D Y .

5 R e s t a n d R e c u p e r a t i o nP r o g r a m .Thef o l l o w i n go u t o f c o u n t r y R & R t r i p a were t a k e n by m e m b e r so ft h i sh e a d q u a r t e r s :LOCATION F E B M A R AP RBangkok 9 5 12 HongKong 1 0 4 Tokyo 4 3 11Taipei 1 4 3 Mani l a 0 0 1 Hawai i 3 3 3 This h e a d q u a r t e r s 1R & R p r o g r a m o p e r a t e s w i t h i n t h e a l l o c a t i o n sg i v e nt o I I F F O R C E V .

6 .M o r a l e .T h e m o r a l e o ft h i so r g a n i z a t i o n c o n t i n u e s t o b e o u t s t a n d i n g .

7 %A w a r d s and D e c o r a t i o n s ,a .h e f o l l o w i n g a w a r d sa n d d e c o r * f i o n s w e r e p r e a e n t e d d u r i n gt h e p e r i o d .

L e g i o n o f M e r i tB r o n z e S t a r M e d a l9Army C o m m e n d a t i o n M e d a l5Air M e d a lFORO F F I C I A L U S E ONLY


10/34


11/34

SECRETB.S)perationsandIntelligence

1 .C)eneralOperationsundintelligenceactivitiesincludedwanyorihesmae

projectsreportedi n * previousoperationalreportsa3wellusinitiationofseveralnew projectsheplanforstationing ofI I V Q t t i V /artillery units- / a s revisedagainandrefinementsweremadeintheharassmentandInterdic-tionprogram,xtensionof surveycontrolt oUSandARVNartilleryunitscontinuedanda recommendationwassubmittedtoUbARVfo r expansionofpho-tograimietricsurveytoother areasintheCorpsZone.heplanfor provid-ingartillerysuuportforSpecial ForcescampsandK F / i PoutpostsbyIIFiJUKCBVArtilleryunitswasupdatedandcontinuedemphasiswa splaced ontheimportantassistancetoVNprogram.2 .S)hangesintheStationingandlijssionsofIIJVKCJSVArtilleryUnits,forcurrentplanseeInclosure1)

*.atteriesHandI( S I f f ) ,29thArtilleryarrivedin theRepublicof Vietnam on 27 March1967andwere assignedtoIIZ L ' O R C V .(1)atteryl i wa sfurtherattachedtothe9th Infantry jivisionandstagedatBWJiCATbecoirdngoperationalon5April1967.hebattery( - oneplatoon)deployedtotheIVCTZon13April1967undertheoperationalcon-trolof theSenioradvisor,IV CT Zinaccordancewith MACV Secret message03766,DTG311225ZJ an67,i i u b j irtilleryH i - : in K VW(u;.heother platoondeployedtoDONGTAHon 1 ; Apriltosupportthe9thInfantryi^vision inthatarea.(2 )atteryIwa sattachedtotho>jthattalion( A Y / d f ) ,2d Ar-tillery andstagedattheir basecampareainLNU BINH,becomingoperationalon4 April1967*neplatoon each deployedin support of the1st,9th and25thInfantryDivisions.

b.headvancepartyofthe1stBattalion,27thArtillery(155mmSP )arrivedin country on2 April1967withthemainbody arrivingon12April.he battalionwasassignedtothe23dArtilleryGroupanditisex -pectedtobecomeoperationalabout1Ma y1967.heelementsofthebattal-ionwillbe deployedtoP 1 I ULOI,TAYl i I K H andDAUTMfGreplacingthe2dBat-talion,11th Artillery(155mm T) .o .n 2dBattalion,11th Artillery( I 5 5 n u n T) ,whichisasaignedto the23dArtillery Group,deployedtoICTZon19AprilI967.hi sdeploy-mentoccurredinconjunctionwith OperationO i t U G U Nandthebattalionwillre- mainin theICT Zfo ranindefiniteperiod.d.eadquartersandHeadquartersBattery,2dBattalion,32dAr-tillery(8 ,, /l75nmSP)movedtoTAYiOHH fromCUCH I17 ^prilI967.heSer-vice Batterywillalsocompletethismoveby1 May.herelocationwa smadein order to placetheHeadquartersandServiceunitsofthe2d Bn,32dArty

SECRET


12/34

CONFIDENTIAL inthe vicinityo f twoofi t s firing unitsdditionallyt h e battalionisnoresponsiblefo rcontroloffiresi n the TAY NIMHa r e a .

3 #c )igD Q f f l t t a ttfMPOBgP\t g Support RoleThe fourfiringbatteriesofthe5 t h Battalion( A W )( S P ) ,2 d Artil-lery remainedattachedt othe 1stand23thInfantry Divisions.ach batteryooneistedofbothM-42twin40sgunsa n d M-55 quad 3 0 machinegunsheywere employedexclusivelyin a groundroletoprovideperimeterandconvoysecurityandonsearch anddestroymissionsa .owardtheend of theperiodBattery Cwas detached from the1stInfantry Divisionandattachedon2 4 Aprilt o the9thInfantry Division,giving eachofthethreedivisionsone batteryasoriginally planned.bWhile BatteryDremainedattachedt o the25thInfantryDivi-s i o n !inadditiont o Battery B ,four l f - 4 2 ' s andfourM-55,eweredetachedfrom Battery Dt o providesecurityforaheavybatterya t SUOI DA.c .oth the M-42andM-55haveproven veryeffective whenutilisedonperimetersecurity andconvoysecuritymissions.heabilityt o helilifttheM-55 provedinvaluableforadditionalfire powerattemporary basecampeandartilleryfiresupportbases*heM-42,whenusedas a maneuvervehicleonsearchand destroy missions,developedserious maintenance problemsncomparisontoa tank,the M-42is nota s heavily constructed,withthearmorplatingand overallweightconsiderably lifterhe M-42i s powered byagasolineengineratherthan thedie s e iengineofa tankandextended drivingat lowspeedthrough difficultterraincausesexcessive wear on theengineandtransmission.d .SARV hasconducteda studyconsidering thetrade-offofsome

M-42vs for additionalq u a d 5 0 machine gun batteriesn aConfidentiallettert oIIFF0RCE7 dated29 March 1967,Subjectscquisitionof Addi-tionalQuad 5 0 Machine Gun Batteries( U ) ,this headquartersrecommendedthat nochangeincomposition ofthe5th Bn(AWSP),2 d Artillerybemadeuntilmoreexperiencei s gainedunder a l l weatherconditionshisrecom-mendation wa sforwardedt oUSARVbyI I 7F0RCKV.4 C )g j r j j a j a n j f candInterdiction( H & I ) Program

Duringthisreportingperiod,acontinuingstudyt o improvetheprogram resultedi n twomodifications*a hetimedelayi n receiptofintelligencefrom sixwidelysep-aratedsourceswas reduced byaddingthis headquartersa s a n addresseetotheirelectricallytransmittedIOTSUMS.reviously,only hardconyISTSUMSfrom thesesources hadbeen receivedthrough normaldistributionchannels.

7 CONFIDENTIAL


13/34

S E C R E T /#b. Theim eequiredolearargetsorfixinghroughboth S and R V Nchannelsa sbeenexcessive. Althoughormerroceduresallowedorrapidlearancefaewselectedargets,asednntellignoereceivedafterhedailyprogram ha deenfinalized,he l orma lim eequiredorhe

li&Iprogram wa s bout6hours Alli& Iargetisrenowselected,leared,andiredheom eda yndherea sbeennoproblem onobtainingclearances5.s) SupportofSpecialForcesndRF/PFOutposts

DuringhisperiodIH K R C E V rtilleryupdatedlansorupportofSpecialForcesndRF/PFoutposts. AllnitsofIV C R C E VArtyhavebeenfurnishedalistofSF ndritical?/pFoutpostsnIII T Zndresponsi-bilitiesorprovidingtheseoutpostsireupporthavebeenassigned. Des-ignatednitsillprovidefireupportrombaseam pocationstooutpostswithinrange. Unitsa veadeplaneordisplacingbya ndrbyairtopre-selectedfiringpositionsnorderorovidertilleryfireupporttoout-postsnotwithin angefbaseamps .6.S) Assistanceo R V N IIP C K C E VArtillerycontinuedom phas izehessistanceo i li V N program irtillerysupportwa srovideduponrequest,requentiaisonvisitsweremadendnstructiononartilleryadjustmentwa sonductedormany J i V f t*ndRF/PForces.

a.Sentionednparagraph above,herogramorprovidingartilleryupportoem oteF/PFoutpostsndSFcampsa sbeenupdated.Thiseadquartersha salsoassistedH V Nnitsnestablishing similarpro-gram . One0 5 m mbatteryoftheth R V Nivisionia seceivedheroundportionoftrainingnheliliftoperations. Thisbatterywillonductac-tualoperationsnthenearuture, ' h e6thnd5thARVNDivisionswillalsobencorporatedntothisprogramater.

b.nadditiontorovidingartillerysupportrombaseam po-cationsn continuingbasis,IV Q R C E VArtilleryunitsdisplacednsup-portofARVNperationsnelevendifferentoccasions.0.nstructionofRF/PFpersonnelcontinuesobe nm por tan t partofheassistanceoARVNrogram.uringhiseportingperiodhefollowingactionswereaccomplishedt

(1)fficersrom S C BBadeaollow-upvisitoO N G N SectorheadquartersorquarterlyrefresherrainingorRF/PForceswhoha dreceivedobservedirerainingnJanuary1967 (2)bservedirenstructionorwentyHFpersonnelrom N U O C A N GoutpostnhevicinityofH U O CVAXwa sonductedbymembersfthethBattalion,7thArtillery.

S E R E T *


14/34

n S E C R E T (3 )ersonnelfrontheFSCE ne twiththe5thARVNDivisionArtilleryCommanderendhisUSadvisorson Aprilconcerning USartillerysupportfo rtheonehundredeighty-nineRF/PFoutpostsinthe5t hDivisionTAOR.program hasbeenestablishedwherebyofficezsfrom FSCEwillac-companytrainingteamsan dassistinteaching RF/PFpersonnelto betterutilisetheartillerysupportavailable.

c.hisheadquarterscontinuesanactiveprogramofliaisonvisitsbytheCommandingGeneral,DeputyCommander,an dmembersoftheS- 3sectiontoARVNtrtilleryheadquarters.heIIICorpsArtillery Advisormakesfrequentvisitstothisheadquartersand,throughtheIIFFORCEVAr -tilleryLiaison OfficertoIIIARVNCorps,bothheadquartersareprovidedinformationconcerning presentand futureartillery employment.he23dand54thArtilleryGroupsalsoconductregularliaisonvisitstotheARVNDivisionsintheirrespectiveareasan dclosecoordinationi s maintained. 7 .C)rogramstoIncreasetheAccuracyofArtillery

IIFFORCEVArtillerycontinuestoemphasisetheneedforaccu-racyintheemploymentofartillery.hemeteorological,survey an dcali-brationprogramshavebeenstressedcontinuouslyinordertoprovidethemostaccuratedatatotheunitsinIIFFORCEV.

a.rtilleryBallisticMeterology(Metro)( 1 )uringthisreportingperiodthe1stDivision Artillery'smetrosection becameoperationalatPHULOIandthe9t hInfantryDivisionArtilleryMetro SectionmovedfromBEARCATto DONCTA M(I VCTZ).current1stof metrosectionsandtheirlocationsi sasfollows:

(a)stInf Di vArty(b)thInfDi vArty(c)5thInfDi vArtyth(d )/27fArtyth(e)/25Mrty(TAB)Sec Ath(f)/25A,ArtyTAB)ec(g)/32d Arty( h )/35thArty( i )/83d Arty(j )/27th Arty

PHULOIDONGTAMCUCHIPHUOCVINHQUAN LO ILONGBINHTAY NINHXUANLOCNU IDA TTobedeployedtoDAUTIENG

S E C R E T


15/34

C O NFIDENTIAL(2)lanshavebaas made todeploymetrosectionsconcur-rentlywiththe artillery unitsthatwilloccupythe BENLUCand HAMTANfiring petitions.henoperationaltheseastrosections willprovideadditlonalcoverage over alargeportionofthe111CTZno tpreviouslycovered.(3)n Army-wideshortageofradiosondesha sexistedfo rthepast fiveor sixmonths.n25 January197thisheadquarters receivedin-formationfron USARVthatthiashortage mightbecomemoreacuteinthe nextfe wnontheprogram wasinitiatedduringthisperiod whereby certainmstrosectionsflewonly tw oelectronicflightsperday.visualsightingwasmade betweeneacheleotronioflight providing supplementalInformationfo rthepreparation ofthe METmessagedisseminateaevery six hourstousingunitshi spracticewasinitiatedduring thedryseasoninordert ocon-serveradiosondesforthemonsoonseasonbeginninginlate April.iththedecreasein usage ofradiosondesandthe fillingofback requisitions,suf-ficientradiosondesar eno w onhandtoresumefourelectronicflightsperdayata l lmetrosections.f requisitionscontinuetobefilledtheshor-tage of radiosondeswill beeliminatedin IIFFORCEV.

b .alibrationofArtilleryPieces(1)uringthisreportingperiod136of426USand54of136ARVNartillerypieceswerecalibrated.he177thOrdnanceDetachmentCali-bration Teamprovidesthiscalibrationsupportfo ralltheartillerypiecesinRVN.eteamspendsfifteendays of eachmonthwithIIFFQRC2VArtil-lery inIIICT Zandtheremainingfifteen dayswithIFFORCEVArtillery.(2)incetheinitiation0/thiscalibrationprogrami n June1966.57 0USand142AKVNartillerypieceshavebeencalibrated.hevolumeoffiringinacombatsituationandthereplacementofunserviceabletubesnecessitatesmorefrequentcalibrationthantheannualrequirement.hewidedispersionofartilleryunitsandthefactthattheteam mustdivideitstime betweenI IFFORCEVArtilleryandI FFORCEVArtillerymakesit dif-ficultforthecalibrationteam tomeetcommittments.rtilleryunitsdono talwaysreceivetimelycalibration.( 3 )headditionoffourartillerybattalionsinthe nextquarterwilladd66artillerypiecesfo ratotalof492USartillerypiecesintheIIICTZftroopprogramspermit,acalibrationteamshouldbemadeavailabletoI TFPOHCEVon a permanent basis.

c .urvsy(1)incetheCorpsArtilleryprogramwa sinitiated,surveycontrolhasbeenextendedt oallUs/PWMAF basscampeandtoallbutfourARVNartilleryplatoons,t o whichsurvey willbecompletedsoon.he cur-rentstatusofsurveycontrolinIIICT Zi sshownatInolosure5 .utureplanearetoassisttheartillerygroupe/divisionartilleriesasrequiredandtofurthersxtendsurveycontrolinIIIandIVCTZ's.

/*

10 C O NFIDENTIAL


16/34

p '0NHDENT1AI(2 )hepreviousreportdescribedaproposaltosupplementexistingsurveycontrolinIIICT Zby enapplicationofphotogramnetry.Atestoftheconceptwasconductedduringtheperiod31January-4April1967byIIFFORCEVArtilleryand1stand25thDivision Artilleryswithhighlysatisfactoryresults.ccuraciescomparabletoconventionalsurveywereob-tained,resultinginroundssavedinadjustment,abilitytomassfires,andfo rthefirsttimein Vietnam,alimitedtargetareasurveycapability.hetestreporti satInclosure4 .esultsofthistesthavebeenforwardedto6GUSARVwiththerecommendationthatthisprocessbeadoptedandusedtoex -tendcontroltoallinaccessibleareasofIIICTZ.

8 .C)afeguardingAircraftfrom FriendlyArtilleryFiresTheFSCFcontinuedto monitorthecoordinationof airspacebetweenairandartilleryintheIIICTZ.hecurrentregulationconcerningbroad-castof warningstoaircraftofartilleryfiringwasaninclosuretothelastoperationalreportofthisheadquarters.asedonexperiencegainedduringthelastquarterofcalendaryear67,thisregulation ha sbeenrevisedtocoveragreaterportion ofIIICTZ,torealignareasassignedtoAir WarningControl

Centerstotakeadvantageofidentifiableterrainfeatures,andtoimproveproceduresfo rpassingwarningstoaircraft.hisrevisionprescribesthatpilotswillrequestrouteclearanceratherthaninformationonallartilleryfiringinagivenarea.lsotherevisionwillimprovetheproceduresfo rsafequardinghigh performanceaircraft.9 .U)S/ARVNStandardizationofTerminologyandProcei r e s

FSCFcorrdinatedwithDeputySeniorAdvisor,(DSA),IIICTZ,onaprojecttostandardizedefinitionsandprocedurespertainingtotheassign-mentoftacticalareasandtheclearingofartilleryfiresand airstrikes.Adraftdocumentwhichdefinestermsandprescribesprocedureshasbeenpre-paredand willbepublishedasa- j o i n tIIFFORCEV/IIICorpsDirectiveafterfurtherstaffingbythetw oheadquarters.

10.C)ommunicationsa.heIIFFORCEVArtilleryCommunicationsSectioncontinueditsmissionofcoordinatingtheinstallationandoperationofVHF,AM andFMcommunicationfacilities.ithanincreaseintacticaloperationsduringthisreportingperiod,manyUHFlineswereestablishedasunitsoccupiedvarioustemporarylocationsor newbasecamppositions.he5thBattalion(AWSF),2dArtillery becameoperationalinDecember1966andenteredtheIIFFQRCEVArtilleryRATTnetinFebruary1967.ewVHFTTlinkstothe23dand54thArtilllry Groupswereestablishedduringthisperiod,providingmorereliablecommunicationsduringalltypesofweatherconditions.b .henumberofclassified messagesprocessedthroughtheI IFFORCEV Artillerymessagecenterincreasedfrom3000lastreportingperiodto4000thisperiod.

C O NFIDENTIAL II


17/34

SECRET11.3)ircraftfo r Artilleryunite

a*heainrneffectofinadquatorganicaviationont h e OPders'abilitytoinfluenceaotlooaof theirwidespreadmite,o t i thequalityofreoonnalsaanoeandsurveyoparationaand oa administra-tion and logisticalaupportha sbeencitedinallpreviousoperationalreports.heaffortamadeby this headquarters to obtainadditionalaircraftvaaalaodiscussed.iththearrivaloftwoadditionalartil-lerybattaliona inJune,thiaproblea will becomeaoreacute.b.xperiencegainedthuafarinthe Republicof Vietnamindicateathatfullyeffectiveartilleryoparationaare no tfeaaiblawithoutaircraft organicto groupa andbattalionaherequirednuaberof aircraft fo r IIFPOCEVArtilleryiainSectionI I ,PartI I under"HaCOMKBTO^TIOK".

12 (S) BifffilTtffflrtlo?Md4^t0nrtpyyn^r-liortarBad argatea Iheneedoradditionalounter-m ortar ad ar sntheIIIC T Zha abeanetreseednallpreviousoperationalreports. Withthearrivalof oretroopunitsndheestablishmentofacrebaseamps ,therequlreaentorthesesetaha ancreased$>urty-threeadditionalrad arsetsarenowneedednIIFieldForceVietnam*b. SectionI,aragraph6,ftheastoperationalreportdiscussedatudyllustratingtheeffectivenessofthesecounter-aortarradarswhanutilizednocatingnemymortarpositions.Duringtheperiod1Harchto19April967166mortarattackswerereportedelivering pproxim a tely4.012oundsof60,1nd2 m m m ortars ,ndresultingn14 2K I And565W IA Ita pparenthatthereisnncreasingneedormoreounter-m ortara d a rdetachm ents Ifhecurrentreviewoftheover-allorcestructurehoulddevelopadditionalpaceshighpriorityhouldbegiventoproviding43 moreounter-m ortar a d a rdetachm entsortheIIIT Z

SECRET


18/34

CONFIDENTIALSectionI I ,PartIObservation/LessonsLearned

SURVEY OPTICALSIGHTINGSItem :dverseweather conditionsaftecting opticalsightingsinIIICTZ.Discussion:uringthemonthsofFebruary,Marchand April,long dis-tancesighting(in excessof30 kilometers)shouldno t beplanned.etweenthealtitudesof300-2000feet,theatmospherei sgenerallyobscured byadensehazeofsmoke,mistanddust.ineofsighti s usuallylimitedto10-30 kilometers.ccasionalperiodsofrainfalltemporarilycleartheatmo-sphereandimproveobservation.Observation :heweatherinIIICT Zmustbeconsidered whenplanningsurvey operationsthatrequireopticalsightingsinexcessof30kilometers.

EMPLOYMENT OFTH EM-42TWIN40amGUNItem :Utilisationofthe M-42asamaneuver vehicleonsearchanddestroy missions.Discussion :sdiscussedin SectionI ,paragraph B3 ,the M-42developsserious maintenanceproblemswhenusedasa maneuvervehicleonsearchanddestroymissions.n-country directsupportmaintenancefacilitiesar eex-tremelylimitedandrepairpartsfortheM-42,outofproductionfo rovertenfears,ar einshortsupply.hefollowingi sasummary ofmajormain-tenancerequiredtodatecomparingtheM-42'sused primarilyasa maneuvervehicle vsthe M-42'swhen usedprimarilyonother missions.

BATTERIESENGINESREQUIRINGREPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONSREPLACED FINALDRIVESREPLACED ROADWHEELSREPLACED

A&C(Maneuver) 4 1 8 6 8 2B&D(Non-maneuvei 5 2 1 1 4

Observation:heM-42can bestbeusedf o rperimeterandconvoy securityand onblockingforcemissions.heweaponca nalsoprovideeffectiveH& Ifires.Consideringthe maintenancefacilitiesavailableandtheconstruction oftheM-42,these weaponsshould notbeusedon searchanddestroy missions.

CONFIDENTIAL 1 $


19/34

CONPRMNISK lBATTERIESBA-200/U

Item;roblemsencountered withthe BA-200/UintheRepublicofViet-nam

Discussion;atteriesBA-200/UareinshortsupplyintheRepublicofVietnam.uetotheextremeheatandhumidityencounteredinRVK thesebat-terieshave ashortlifeexpectancyhisheadquartershas acommon us eforthese batteriesintheSB-86Switchboard andhasutilized wetcell batteriesin lieuof BA-200/Ubatterieshewet cellbatteriesshouldbe arrangedtoprovide T J k VDC.Observation;tilizing wetcellbatteriesinplaceofthe dry tatteiy,BA-200/U,eliminatesth eproblemof frequentreplacementandisaneconomi-ca lexpedientsinceth e wetcellbatteriescanbeperiodicallyrechargedandwillfunctionforanindefinitelength oftime

AMFREQUENCIESItem;tilizationofAMfrequenciesbetween2-3MC.Discussion;knyunitsareassigned tacticalAM frequenciesbetween2-3 MC,and areexperiencing difficultyinmaintainingcomniuiicationseverrelativelyshortdistances.hisisparticularlytrue ofthoseunitsuti-lizingradiosetsAN/CRC-19 and RadioTTSet AN/G3C-46.tappearsthefivesectionwhipantennaisextremelypoorintnT2-3MCrange,radiatingonlyabout1/7 ofthe maximumavailablepowerofeither ofthetw osetsObservation;hisheadquartershasfoundthatthedoubletantennaisbestfo r thiscommunicationsequipment.roperlymatched,the doubletwill

radiatealloftheavailablepower.PERIMETERSECURITY

Item:mploymentof searchlightsandautomatic weapons.Discussion;sdiscussedinSectionI ,paragraph E2 ,thesearchlightplatoonsdeployedduringthisreportingperiodinsupportofthe divisions.The majoritycfthesearchlightsarebeingusedfo rperimetersecurity atbasecampsandfiresupportbases.achplatoonhasanorganicl i g h t ,di-rectioncenter(LDC)whichissimilartoafiredirectioncenter.helightsare directionallycontrolledbyazimuth andelevationcommandsre-ceivedfrom theLDC.heK - / , 2 sand M-55'softhe5thBattalion,2dAr -tillerycan alsobe directionallycontrolledbyazimuthandelevationcom-mands.herefore,upondiscoveringatargetusinginfra-red,thesearch-light(LDC)caneasilytransfer datato theM-42'sor K-55'sfo r respon-sivefiresupport.Observation:hesearchlightprovidestheautomaticweapons with amuchneedednightacquisitioncapabilitv.

CONRDENIIAl> H


20/34

ft S E C R E T SccticnI I ,!art2- RecommendationsA .C )adio SetAK/CRC-/.6.

Duringthiseportingperiodtheommunicat ionssectionofII P C 1 1 C E V ArtilleryexperienceddifficultynkeepingAN/ORC-A'operational. TheAgeoftheradiosndack ofsparepartscontributedtotheproblem ;ow -ever,hema j o ractorstheover-heatingoftheadios. Testsonducted bythiseadouartershowthe veragem bientem peraturensidethevans(ElectricalEquipmentShelter-S-89C/G)obe pproxim atelyHOdegrees.Vheneverpossibleradioshavebeenemovedromthevansndplacednbunkers,esseningthem bientem peratureom ewhat ,owever,hisctionisnot lwayspossible. Thenstallationof nairconditionerntheequipm entva nwouldeducem bientem peraturendraketheAtl/CRC-46muchmorereliable. The ffolacem entofANRC-H6f$withhenewradioSfct^AM /XC-1/ ,2nd22willliminatepArtoftheproblem withtheAK/GRC-46.?^S2EKDA?IGK;Thatairconditioningbemadeavailablendauthorizedornstalla-tionntheElectronicEquipmentShelterS-89C/HndthatthessueofthenewradiosetsAU/GRC-U?nd122beexpedited.

8. (S) CounteraortarRadarSets.A sm entionednallpreviousOperationalReportsndnSection,paragraphEl/*,heresdefiniteneedor43additionalounterm crtar detachm entsreviouslyncorporatedntheTroopProgram.RECGflCIDATIOft:Thatfthe eviewoftheoverallorcestructure houlddevelopad-

ditionalspaces,highprioritybegiventoeinstatingtheequired counterm ortar a d a rdetachm entsntothetroopprogram.C. (S ) AircraftorArtilleryUnits.

AstatednSectionI,aragraphE13 ,ndecommendednotherpre-viousperationalReports,hefullpotentialftheartillerynII T Z trillnotberealizeduntil dequateaircraftupportsrovided.R E C O K C N P A T I O n :That ,onatterofhighpricrity,I R S R C B t fArtillerybeprovided withaircraftntheollowingbasis:

(1)orceArtilleryHeadquarters: FourUH-lsndthreeC-ls.(2)roupHeadquarters: ThreeC-lfs,wo0H-13fsndneU-f.(3)rtilleryBattalion: T w oC-lr.ndoneOH-tf.

SECRET


21/34

CONFIDENTIAL *D .C)pplication of PhotogrammstrytoSurvey

InSectionI ,paragraph B7c,theapplication ofphotogiammetrytoprovidesurreycontrolpoints wasdiscussed*heresultsofthetestwereentirelysuccessfulandfurther expansionofthisprogram wouldprovide neededsurvey controlinareas ofoperationsinIIICTZ.mwawm* Thatthephotogrammetrie surveycontrolprogrambeadopted and ex-pandedtoincludeallareasinHICTZ withprioritiesto LONGA N ,HAUJ f G H I A ,BINHDUONG,PHUOCTUYandL O f t KHANH Provinces.

B.C)alibrationof Artillery Pieces* Acalibrationteam ona fulltimebasisis required byI I P5DKCBVArtillery*hepresentcalibrationteam furnishesadequatesupportfo rUSartillerymita *however units do no talways receivecalibrationwhendesired duetotheteam'sabsenceorthechanging tacticalsitua-tion

ThatacalibrationteambeprovidedtodirectlysupportIIFPORCBVArtilleryona permanentbasis*

Colonal,Artillery uCommanding

C O NFIDENTIAL it


22/34

#

04>

3h8

a .

&

C M

5tfg


23/34

"""""i" % "% *f%> * t ft ftu , > , * x

2f jCO X 1 t t ft * 1 c v

t *f A IN tNt *->0 i o

.6 MQC c 0)5 1 ! v cv V Z > SJL H s < 0 v* * ah*a

fc 1 PL. 1 Et tP UN H V. o C A U\ " i 3 b 0 s "j * s \~s > > E u a P v 0. > * > * X x 4 4 f t *5 >+ j TJ +J


24/34

A !O M O as!6to < 1 dII,S3

s 5

&

fa o9

M

8 5 mp > '!IT

$PP

8 5 ur S IT *

I C M

*m

8 5 inITS5 "

s .0 0

S85sico

l

P Pwoi,c o

inm

rP

3 PP

10

Li-.S 8 5

Si

Sa C M

8\C M

Pi

\C M

I5 C M

3 3 C M

P P rm

inPH I

&

1 P f9r-C MVO

C P

0 3

P

b!

00

I a nCM

PPj r P in

C O

5 8CM

PP

*PP

a C O

8 o P'PP ttl

O Tt-

r00

ps\C Mm O

4 PiPPWol>ncot-o o

p*C O

C D

m

5 B

-itCM m CM

P P

5tiii


25/34

O > f tJ 38||zH3ill

ftC 5f

5d3

ftO

s

3 i M8

I_ 0 C O in

0 0

iintoC M

P Q

top q

in

5inCM

o

P Q m

c o L_4ft__4-

C O

o

C V J m P O

ft.incqn

I g M

ft

o e

s S 3 o H

a I S

>>

tia :c o

\i>


26/34

UM!

A3DU0I


27/34

6o


28/34

*< DZBAHTMENt OFTHEAYHeadquarters,IIFieldForeVietnam ArtilleryAFOSenFrancisco6266

After ActionReport(ProjectWayside)(U)

1C)Background Information?a.rtilleryunitsdeployedtoSouthVietnam Initiallyoperatedwithoutsurveyorwithlimitedsurvey controlbaaedon assumedlocaldata.The Engineer TopographicCompanyandth e Field ArtilleryTarget AcquisitionBatteryestablishedsurveycontrolfo rallUSartilleryInbasecampebytheendofJanuary1967.argetareasurveywasno nexistent en dverylimitedsurveycontrolexistedfo rartilleryunitsonoperationsoutof

basecamplocations.b.SARVsubmittedeproposaltoprovideasolutionto the problemofinadequatesurveycontrol.I FFORCEV statedthatthe proposalappearedto be highlydesirable andshould beInitiatedimmediately.c.G USARV directedIIFFORCEvtoselectanareaandto conductatest ofthephotogrammetrlc conceptofprovidingsurveycontrol points.The areaknownes"WarZoneC"wetselected.

2 .C)Conductofthe Testa.hephotogrammetrlcmaterial,consisting ofXYZ coordinatesofcontrolpoints,photographs,overlays,sndtriglists wasreceivedin

January1967.b.he8 th Battalion25thArtilleryTargetAcquisitionBatterycheckedthecoordinatesofthreephotogrammetrlc points byconventionalsurveymethods.herewasanaveragesdiscrepancyof9meters northing11meterseestlng snd9 metersinheightfromsurveyedcoordinatespreliminaryfiringtestutilizing alightandheavyartillerybatterywasslsoconductedwithsatisfactoryresultsc.heevaluationofthe photogrammetrlcpropossl wasconductedluringthe period31January -4 April1967usingsixlight,sixmedium,andthreeheavyartillerybatterieaparticipatinginOperation"JunctionCity! ' ,d.he useof photogrammetrlcsurveycontrolproducedthefollowingresults:

INCL0SUR4 o CONHKNTlAi


29/34

CTWWDiNIlAIAfter ActionReport(Project Vsyslde)(U)

(1)rtillery batteriesere providedwith dateWhichallowedregistrationoncoononsurveyedpoints andfacilitatedmassingoffires.(2)hefirstroundaccuracyofartillerywasincreased andresultedinsavingofroundsduringadjustment.(3)ergets f e r eattackedinareascontainingphotogrammetriccontrol withminimum adjustmentthusexploitingthe element ofsurprise.

e .hefollowingpoints werenoted duringtheconduct of thetest:(1)he1:12,500and1:5,000scalephotographsweretoounwieldyforusebyserialobservers.

>*

(2)hotogranmetrlcinformationon1:25,000scaleplctomspsnecessitatedtwo setsofmaps,sincethefire directionmapsand equipmentare 1:50,000scale.

(3)egistrations/checkpoints onthephotographsusingvegetationweremattdifficulttoidentify.(4)henetworkof positionarea,registrationand checkpointswasnot ofsufficientdensityandtherewerelergeareas withoutasurveycontrolpoint.densityofone pointeach2000matersisdesirable.(5)hesurvey control pointswere classified ssposition areas,registration andcheckpoints.his wasno tnecessaryss allpointsca nbeusedforeitherpurpose.(6)hecoordinatesofphotogrammatricpositionsshouldbe

onfrontofphotographsfo rconvenience. (7)he numbering system usedfo rthephotograunetricpointsprecludedrapidmatchingofphotossndoverlays.he pointshaveto becheckedagainstthemissionnumberonthelegendoftheoverlaytoselecttheproperphotograph.dditionally,this createdafilingproblem.

3 .C)Conclusions:a.hephotogrammatricconceptisfeasible andisa valuablesupplementto conventionalsurvey methodstoprovidesurvey controlfo rIIICTZ.b.heprocess providedslimitedtargetareasurveyfo rthefirst

timeinIIICTZ.c .hedifficultiesencounteredwereminorsnd presentednoseriousobstaclestoconductingthetestorusingthedata.

x* cotranw


30/34

r 7 AfterActionReport(ProjectWayside)(U)

4.C)Recommendations:a.ha tthephotogrammetrlcprocesshe1edlatelyextendedtootherareasofII ICT Zheremarginalsurveycontrolexistsb.ha tallphotographyheof1:25,000teals.c.hs tthephotogrsjeaetrlcoverlaysbe1:50,000scale.d.urveycontrol points heselectedInth efollowingpriorities:

(1)oadJunctions(2)unctionofRoadsand Stri(3)snnsdeobjects(4)rominentHillnasser(5)railintersections(6)rominentcurveinaRoad(7)rominentbendinaStream

*r


31/34

*E C R E T^LA V J B C - Htad /S U B J E C T OperationalDeportorQuarterlyPeriodIndingOApril1967 IHeadquarters,IFieldForceYietnauArtilleryc*J M,H d IIF O B C E V K >Sa nFrancisco 96266 29M AY I 9 6 7 T H S U i OodlagGeneral,aiKV, I T H * A V H G C - J f l ,P O 96307

C o B B a n d e rnChief,18AxsyPacific,AIWi G P Q F - M H , P O 96536T O t Ass i a t an tChiefofStaffforIbrooBevel ifnt,DaptofheAmy ,ashington,D.C.0310

1 * (U ) Subject eportsorwarded.2. (S ) Pertinentonsentsollovt

a ReferenceParaA,page}ofSectionII,Pa r t2. Concur * T h e r m yMaterialConund1 M B )ha s dvised S A H 7thatA irConditionerunits renot uthorisedorhe * / < f l B C - 4 6 . An/ffl-142ndAH/GBC-122radiosets ressuednhepriorityndicatedonhe S A H Y distributionplan. T h eorecastcallsordistributionto rtyunitsoonaence1stqtrFT68andtobecom pletedby2dqtrF T 68providingproeureaentand shippingproceeds splanned.

b. BeferenceParaB ,page13ofSectionII P ar t2. Concurandreoonsendha t43additionaloountexm ortardetachm entsbereinstatedinheroopprograa.o. BtferenoeParaC,age13ofSectionIP ar t2oncerningthe equirensntforadditionalaircraftt Thisheadquartersrecognisesarequirenent. A shortageofaircraftpresentlyexistsnunits u-thorised O E aircraftndncn eeparateaviationunits. These

criticalhortagesprecludehessueofadditionalaircrafttoar-tilleryunitsatthisim e . X L FieldForceYietnaa(II F O B C K V ) , throughhe2thAviation r o u p controlsheassetsofeparateavia-tionunitsnts reancludingsurveillance irplaneom panies.Missionequirem entsbeyr>2ibecapabilityofassignedaircraftwillcontinueobeoordinatedbyUP F O B G B Vn ccordancewithprioritiesestablishedbythisheadquarters.F O B T 2 B C O MM A s H E B iS-S-87 f 11

A Y C - 8 7 - S0jte4&2Incl3U S A a T i OvAIiESA.ULVENESnc-7- / 0 m LycPT .AGC S E C R E T

->67-W-Egmi\w*>/ARV678W


32/34

S E C R E T,AVHGC-D3T(15May6?)dtadSUBJECTiperationalReport-LeasonsLearned fo r thePerioddnding30 April 1967RCSCSFOR-65)( U )HEADQUARTERS,UNITED STATESARM*VIETNAM,APO San Francisco6307 VJ L 1 9 6 7TO:ommanderinChief,UnitedStatesArmy,Pacific,ATTN:POP-OTAPO6558

1 .U )hisheadquartershasreviewedtheOperationalReport-LessonsLearned fo rtheperiodending30April 1967fromHeadquarters,IIField ForceVietnamArtillery asindorsed2 .S )ertinentcommentsfollow:

a*eferenceitemconcerningcalibrationofartillery pieces,paragraphB7b,page8 ;and paragraphS ,pageHin additionalcal-ibrationcapabilityi sno tavailablein-country no ri s anadditionalcapability provided fo rin Program 4*incethepresentcalibrationteam apparently furnishesadequatesupport arequest fo ranadditionalteamwouldfallin a non-essentialcategory.owever,anothercai~ibration teamhasbeen requestedfromOkinawa andIIFieldForcehasbeennotified*

b .eferenceitemconcerningphotogrammetry,paragraph7c(2),page9 ;andparagraphD ,pageK:heconceptwa sforwarded to MACVwith arecommendationfo r adoptionandrequirementsare no wbeinges-tablishedfo rspecificareasofoperationalinterestapplicabletophotogrammetriccontrol*IICTZinaccessibleareasar ebeingincludedintheprogram*c .eferenceitemconcerningutilizationoftheM4 2asamaneuver vehicle,page11:oncur.SARVmessageAVHGD-MD38387,DTG020H5Z December1966advisedunitsofmaintenance andsupplysupportproblemsandrecommendedclose andcontinuouscontrolbeestablishedoveroperationand maintenancetoavoidnon-essential use*d *eferenceitemconcerningproblemsencounteredwithBA-200/U ,page1 2 :tthepresenttime,thereareadequatestocksofBA^200/Ubatteriesincountry*lthoughtemporaryshortagesofcertainbatteriesmayoccuratoneor moresites,cross-levelingofincountrystocksgen-erallycorrectstheshortage*mergency proceduresareavailablefo robtainingassetson anexpeditedbasisfrom USARPAC.heautomaticresupplysystemofbatteriesreducesexposuretoextremeheatandhumiditytotheminimum*e .eferenceitemconcerningRadioSet M/GRC-46,paragraphA ,page1 3 ;andparagraph2 a ,1stIndorsement:oncurwithunitrecommenda-tion*uetoconditionsofheatandhumidity,iti sstronglyrecommended

G4-S-67- /.T JS E C R E T G3-S-67.

ot.X.P g3 CjU...of.Xcys**-L*eJL.tNUOLUilL I"s-/tfrt-1DX/7C. 11" 0tt-'H! .1-1001 ARV67S-..


33/34

S E C R E T i AVKGC-DST( 1 5 Ma y 6 7 )dIndSUBJECT;perationalReport-LessonsLearned fcr the Periodaiding30 Ipril 1967R C S CSFOR-65)( U )that eoDBiderationb e given to providairconditioning fo rAN/GBC-46radio shelters.hisHeadquartersI s advised that the earliest avail-ability dateof the AN/GRC-142and 122radios i slate 2dQuarterofn68 .FOEHE O t t t A N B B E t s

1nclnc AG C AsstAdjutantGenera l

S E C R E T ^Z-of ^JCys


34/34

S E C R E T J V

GP0P-DT(15May67)dInd( S )SUBJECT:perationalReport-LessonsLearnedforCheperiodZndlng30 April1967(RCSCSFOR-65),HQ IIFF V ArtyHQ ,USAROT,PACIFIC,APOSanFrancisco96558 A61967TO:ssistantChiefofStafffor ForceDevelopment,DepartmentoftheArmy,Washington,D .C .20310

( S )This - headquartershasreviewedsubjectreportandconcursinthereport,asIndorsed,withthefollowingcomments:a .eferenceparagraph2e,2dIndorsement.hepresentforecastforintroductionoftheAN/GRC-142*ndAN/GRC-122i s 65per monthbeginningInOctober1967.incetheseradiosar ereplace-mentsfortheAN/GRC-46,non-concurinauthorizingai rconditioningfortheAN/GRC-46.b .eferenceparagraph2a,2dIndorsement.SARPACMaterielManagementAgencymessage19190,DT G140410EtoCGWECOMcontainsthemissionsupportplanfortheRadarChronograph.hisequipment,scheduledfordistributionin3dQuarterFY 68,providesorganiccali-brationcapabilitydowntoandincludingDivisionArtillery.ECOM wa srequestedto providetheimpactwhichthisequipmentwouldhaveonthepresentcalibrationteamsintheater.eceiptofthisequipmentwillsolvecalibrationproblemsinUSARV.

FO R THECOMMANDERIN CHIEF:" 7 \" I I E A V R I H

1 i n c l ; ifAsstAQn c

WUSUMO711357S-67- fy/0 _ S E C R E T ~" rmG3-S -67_

field force 30 avril 1967.pdf

Documents