Hatchet Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hatchet Force | |
|---|---|
 The patch of the hatchet forces |
|
| Active | 1966—October 1972, January 1973[1] |
| Country | United States of America |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Branch | United States Special Forces |
| Type | Special Forces |
| Role | Ho Chi Minh trail operations |
| Size | 16 man teams |
| Engagements | Vietnam War |
A Hatchet Force or Hatchet Team was a special operations team of American and South Vietnamese members of MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War, who operated in small covert operations along the Ho Chi Minh trail from 1966.[2] The units specialised in search and destroy missions and in locating missing American servicemen in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam.[3]
Contents |
[edit] Organisation
Hatchet teams were organised under Central Command North, Centre and South (CCN, CCC and CCS respectively).[1] They formed a part of each Central Command, along with Spike Recon Teams and SLAM exploitation companies.[4] These Hatchet teams remained in operation until each Central Command was deactivated, for CCN this was on October 16, 1972, CCC on October 18, 1972, and CCS in January 1973.[1] Operating in small groups, a handfull of American special forces and 20—40 indigenous soliders, the teams were designed to "probe the border areas looking for a fight."[5] The American component consisted of a team leader, one radioman, and one medic.[5]
[edit] Operations
[edit] Khe Sanh 1967—1968
During the siege of Khe Sanh, the United States Marine Corps airfield, Hatchet Forces operated out of Firebase-3. While the Hatchet team consisted of six American special forces and 32 indigenous soliders, the firebase held 131 Americans and 457 Special Commando Units of indigenous soldiers.[6] The Hatchet teams were used as strike forces, operating in the jungle against targets located by recon teams operating from Khe Sanh.[6]
[edit] Searching for MIAs
On December 30, 1968 a Hatchet Force of 40 men under the command of 1st Lt. James R. Jerson was inserted one mile east of the Laos/Cambodian border to search for the missing Sergeant Robert Francis Scherdin. The Hatchet force triggered a claymore and were then attacked by two company-sized NVA forces. Three and a half hours later the Hatchet Force managed to blast a landing zone from which they were extracted with 50% casualties, including Jerson.[7] Jerson's second in command, Robert L. Howard, later received the Medal of Honor. A second team of Montagnards were sent in in January 1969 and spent four days searching for Scherdin, before being killed in a helicopter crash after extraction.[8]
On June 23, 1971 a Hatchet force were inserted 60 miles west-southwest of Da Nang, five miles from the Laos/Cambodia border. They were tasked with locating Madison Alexander Strohlein, a Sargeant inserted as part of a four man HALO team the day before. The Hatchet team located a CAR-15 rifle and a parachute at the base of a tree, however Strohlein was missing and there was no evidence of blood or bandages. Strohlein remains listed as missing in action.[9]
[edit] Operation Tailwind
Between September 11 and September 13, 1970, a covert incursion took place into southeastern Laos, which was led by a Hatchet Force, in order to create a diversion for an offensive by the Royal Lao Army against the People's Army of Vietnam. 16 Americans and 110 Montagnard tribesmen. The mission, commanded by Captain Eugene McCarley, landed 60 miles to the west of their launch site at Dak To. Equipment caches and enemy troop dispositions were located and bombarded from the air, despite constant enemy contact, and two footlockers of intelligence were retrieved. The Hatchet Force then divided into three teams and were evacuated, leaving at least 54 PAVN soldiers killed. The raid would later attract controversy over allegations of the use of Sarin.[10][11]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c Stanton, p. 252.
- ^ Military Special Forces Patches from the Vietnam War, retrieved November 22, 2007
- ^ Clark, G. R. p. 221.
- ^ Rottman, Special Forces p. 17.
- ^ a b Krasnoff, p. 38.
- ^ a b Rottman, Khe Sanh p. 45.
- ^ Robert Howard's MoH presentation retrieved November 22, 2007
- ^ Robert Scherdin Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22, 2007
- ^ Madison Strohlein Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22, 2007
- ^ DoD News Briefing, Operation TAILWIND, Tuesday, July 21, 1998. DefenseLINK, the official web site for the U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ Valley of Death CNN retrieved November 22, 2007
[edit] References
Printed sources:
- Clark, G. R. Words of the Vietnam War (Michigan, 1990)
- Krasnoff, S. Shadows on the Wall (Allen & Unwin, 2003) ISBN 1865088870
- Rottman, Khe Sanh 1967-68: Marines Battle for Vietnam's Vital Hilltop Base (Osprey, 2005) ISBN 1841768634
- Rottman, G. L. The US Army Special Forces 1952-1984 (Osprey, 1985) ISBN 085045610X
- Stanton, S. L. Vietnam Order of Battle (Stackpole, 2003) ISBN 0811700712
Websites:
- DoD News Briefing, Operation TAILWIND, Tuesday, July 21, 1998. DefenseLINK, the official web site for the U.S. Department of Defense. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- Madison Strohlein Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22, 2007
- Military Special Forces Patches from the Vietnam War, retrieved November 22, 2007
- Robert Howard's MoH presentation retrieved November 22, 2007
- Robert Scherdin Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22, 2007
- Valley of Death CNN retrieved November 22, 2007
