Emphasis on the word "Vietnamization" after 1968 has tended to hide the fact that there was a great deal of mutual cooperation, training, and planning all along. In literally hundreds of specific areas, we had already long ago agreed that the Vietnamese should have full control of operations; and, in the Delta, which we will review in this chapter, it had always been the modus operandi. Notwithstanding, we saw the need to do much more. The U. S. Army increased existing programs to train the South Vietnamese in all aspects of airmobility including pilot and crew instruction, joint operations, in many cases from collocated U. S. and Army of the Republic of Vietnam division and brigade bases, and joint logistics. The operation into Cambodia in 1970 was an extremely successful example of what we could do together. The outstanding actions of all Army of the Republic of Vietnam units involved showed us that we were on solid ground in phasing our responsibilities over to the South Vietnamese. This was followed by a successful return to the same area the following year and by an incursion into Laos—LAMSON 719—in which Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces took on the very best that the North Vietnamese could muster and came out on top. This phase has been marked by the best spirit and mutual cooperation that the war has yet seen and by a dramatic tightening of the airmobile capabilities of Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces.

Earlier in this volume we touched on U.S. operations in the Delta region, but our examination of airmobility in Vietnam would be incomplete without mentioning the extraordinary accomplishments of our Army aviation units who for many years had been

supporting the Army of the Republic of Vietnam operations in the IV Corps Tactical Zone. In several ways, their contributions were unique. Brigadier General George W. Putnam, Jr., who took command of the 1st Aviation Brigade on 6 January 1970 from Major General Allen M. Burdett, Jr., was to remark:

In December 1969 Colonel William J. Maddox, Jr.,¹ was assigned as Commanding Officer of the 164th Aviation Group, after commanding the 3d Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division. It was a fortuitous choice since Colonel Maddox had had extensive experience in the Delta—first, as Commanding Officer of the 13th Aviation Battalion, from July 1965 to August 1966; and, second, as Senior Advisor to the 21st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Infantry Division, from September 1966 to June 1967. Besides the unique geographic features, the big difference between the operations in the IV Corps Tactical Zone and the other areas of Vietnam was the lack of any long-term division-size U. S. troop commitment. This made the aviation group commander in a very large sense the "airmobile commander" in the Delta.

When Colonel Maddox returned to the Delta in 1969 he found that the allocation of the Group's 570 aircraft had not changed materially since the time he had been the Commanding Officer of the 13th Aviation Battalion, and he instituted major organizational changes to make airmobile support more responsive. The key change was the decentralization of the aviation assets into task forces-flexible organizations built around the assigned battalion and squadron headquarters. The 13th Aviation Battalion became Task Force GUARDIAN in support of the 21st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Division. Task Force COUGAR was built around the 214th Aviation Battalion and supported both the 9th and 7th Army of the Republic of Vietnam Divisions. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces in the border provinces, which had been desig-

1. Colonel Maddox, one of the most decorated officers in the United States Army, was to be promoted to Brigadier General in July 1970 and become Director of Army Aviation on 18 September 1970.

nated the 44th Special Tactical Zone, were supported by the 7th of the 1st Cavalry, organized as Task Force BLACKHAWK. A general support task force was organized at Can Tho with the assets of the 307th Aviation Battalion. This latter unit was assigned the general support mission because it had the Chinook and Mohawk companies. This task force organization had a marked impact on the effectiveness of airmobile operations in the Delta and was warmly welcomed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam commanders and their senior advisors. Colonel Maddox insisted that the battalion commanders visit each division they supported on a daily basis for personal coordination with either the division commander or his senior advisor.

The 13th Aviation Battalion had a long and proud history of airmobile support in the Delta even before there was a major U. S. presence in Vietnam. During the buildup in 1965, operations in the Delta received a lesser priority because of the overwhelming need to provide aviation assets to the major U. S. units arriving in country. Nevertheless, throughout this growth period the 13th Aviation Battalion was supporting major Army of the Republic of Vietnam operations against a well-organized powerful enemy.

In 1965 the IV Corps Tactical Zone was organized into 15 separate provinces. An additional province—Sa Dec—was formed in 1966. Each one of these provinces had an airfield at or near its provincial capital. Colonel Maddox set up a system of rearm and refuel points at each one of the fifteen airfields. This gave the 13th Aviation Battalion a "grid" across the Delta so that, with the exception of the extreme southern tip of the Ca Mau Peninsula [typographical error in original text "Penisula"], no aircraft was more than twenty minutes away from a place where it could be rearmed and refueled.

Colonel Maddox would recall that when he arrived in 1965 refueling was accomplished by sending fuel trucks to the nearest airfield in the proposed area of operation on D-1. This was an obvious message to the Viet Cong that an operation was to take place and was a completely unreliable method of establishing a refueling point. Colonel Maddox pressured the appropriate Vietnamese and U.S. agencies to establish a pool of a million gallons of petroleum, oils, and lubricants which was broken out among the 15 airfields. Eventually, these same refueling points would handle rearmament as well.

In 1965 it was conservatively estimated that the Viet Cong had a strength in the Delta of 26 battalions including some very strong provisional battalions. One of these, known as the Tay Do Battalion in Can Tho Province, was considered to be a far more deter-

mined enemy than the Viet Cong main force units. During heavy contact with this enemy battalion in Operation DAN CHI 157, the 13th Aviation Battalion won the Presidential Unit Citation.

During 1965 and 1966 the three Army of the Republic of Vietnam divisions chipped away at the Viet Cong strength until they were able to reduce the size of their airmobile operations to company size units because of the lessening threat. The 21st Division, in particular, commanded by Colonel (later Major General) Nguyen Van Minh, was aggressive and imaginative in pursuing the hard core Viet Cong. Colonel Minh and Colonel Robert B. Spilman, who was the 21st Division Senior Advisor, were largely responsible for building the enviable record of the 21st Division.

The helicopter gunship became the one weapons system that could respond to the farflung outposts in a few moments notice day or night. The Vietnamese depended very heavily on gunship support and to a lesser extent on tube artillery. Operations in the Delta usually utilized three 5-helicopter gun platoons in the assault. One platoon would prepare a landing zone; a second platoon would accompany the lift ships into the landing zone; and the third platoon came in behind the lift ships to take over responsibility for fire support. Two officers of the 13th Aviation Battalion—Major Robert F. Molinelli and Captain Robin K. Miller—were singled out for official and unofficial recognition. Both of these individuals had made major contributions to gunship tactics in the Delta.

Major Molinelli and Captain Miller would be honored by being selected at different times by the Army Aviation Association as "Aviator of the Year." Space will not permit a full account of their accomplishments nor even a mention of the many other splendid young men who served in the Delta—especially, those brave soldiers who manned the lonely rearm and refuel points for months on end. However, they formed the backbone of the major airmobility innovation in the Delta—the dedicated task force concept.

Colonel Maddox, in explaining his rationale for forming task forces, remarked:

Probably no single operation better demonstrated the airmobile concept than the 1st Cavalry Division's Cambodian campaign. Complete documentation of this important battle, to include the major Army of the Republic of Vietnam operation in the "Parrot's Beak," is an appropriate subject for a separate monograph. Here we will only be able to highlight this operation to bring out those salient points of the airmobility concept not touched upon in earlier chapters. This was the first example of a large-scale U. S. airmobile force in operation outside the borders of South Vietnam. It was the first time our commanders were allowed to cross the frustratingly close borders into the heart of the enemy sanctuary.

Beginning in the fall of 1968 the 1st Cavalry Division had straddled the enemy trails leading southward from the Cambodian border toward Saigon. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army made desperate attempts to reestablish their logistical net in this area, with an obvious aim of repeating the attacks of Tet 1968. Beginning early in 1969 the 1st Cavalry fought a series of heavy skirmishes along these trails as three separate North Vietnamese Army divisions attempted to gain positions closer to the capital. The enemy effort was not successful. The 1st Cavalry's interdiction of the planned enemy operations for Tet 1969 is an untold story that merits much further study; although the enemy force was equally strong as it had been a year earlier during the infamous Tet attacks, the North Vietnamese Army plans were frustrated by the wide-ranging air cavalry surveillance and the superior mobility of the 1st Cavalry.

The enemy attempt during the early months of 1970 was weaker than the previous year. Nevertheless, several battalions did try to operate in force along the trail systems. At this time the 1st Cavalry area of operation covered 14,000 square kilometers. Airmobile troops kept a careful eye on five major north-to-south trails stretching from Tay Ninh Province across Binh Long and into the western two-thirds of Phuoc Long. There were several instances in which the cavalrymen uncovered base camps and fair-sized caches; however, it was evident that there was more to be found. Logistical trails of this size had to be supplied by warehouse type cache sites far more extensive than anything yet discovered.

Although very little intelligence information was available concerning enemy operations in Cambodia, it was quite clear that a major enemy logistics effort was going on there. The staff of the 1st Cavalry felt that with the trails cut off the Division was causing

the enemy to backlog supplies in Cambodia, increasing their already large depots. It was apparent that there could be no better time to strike at the heart of the enemy's supply base.

This area of Cambodia that borders III Corps Tactical Zone of the Republic of Vietnam had been used extensively by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese since 1961 after the organization of Central Office South Vietnam, the headquarters commanding all Viet Cong and North Vietnam Army forces in III and IV Corps. During this period of nine years, the enemy had developed a series of base camps to house the administrative units of the Central Office South Vietnam headquarters plus a large number of associated units and subordinate commands. This included an artillery command, a security guard regiment, the 5th Viet Cong Division, the 7th North Vietnam Army Division, the 9th Viet Cong Division, and many service regiments. Although Allied forces had approached the border in large operations such as JUNCTION CITY, ATTLEBORO, and more recently the operations of the 1st Cavalry Division, the enemy had always had the advantage of being able to withdraw to the safety of his Cambodian sanctuaries.

The "Fishhook" of Cambodia extended from the generally flat plains adjacent to Mimot (Map 9) northeast through roughly rolling plains; and east to the roughly dissected hills and low mountains near O'Rang. Multi-canopied, dense undergrowth forest was the dominant natural vegetation throughout the area. Rubber plantations were found primarily in the western section. Open areas with dry crops, upland rice or marshes were scattered throughout. This area, because of its inaccessibility and the dense vegetation cover was extremely favorable to guerrilla warfare and restricted heliborne and mechanized operations. Generally, concealment from both aerial and ground observations was excellent.

The sequence of events which unfolded during the weeks which preceded the operation—the removal of Prince Norodom Sihanouk as Cambodian Chief of State, the closing of the port of Sihanoukville, and limited allied operations in other portions of Cambodia—had alerted the enemy to possible cross-border operations. Nevertheless, the enemy was not prepared for the massive assault to follow, nor was he prepared for an assault in depth. It is clear now that the North Vietnam Army felt that any crossing of the border would be a shallow operation of perhaps two or three kilometers. He was to discover, to his consternation, that the allied forces were at times twenty kilometers to his rear.

On 26 April 1970 Major General Elvy B. Roberts, the Division Commander, received instructions from Lieutenant Gen-

eral Michael S. Davison, Commanding General, II Field Force Vietnam, to prepare plans for a coordinated attack to neutralize the Central Office South Vietnam base area in the "Fishhook" of Cambodia. He was told that the 1st Cavalry should be prepared to implement this operation within 72 hours of notification.

This operation, here referred to as the "Cambodian Campaign," was officially entitled "Operation TOAN THANG 43, TOAN THANG 45, and TOAN THANG 46." It did not include the Army of the Republic of Vietnam operations in the area of the "Parrot's Beak" to the south which were concurrent and continued after the operations of the 1st Cavalry Division.

During the period 26 to 28 April, the 1st Cavalry Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division conducted joint planning for the operation. The major consideration at that time was the allocation of sufficient forces to insure successful accomplishment of the mission while continuing to conduct tactical operations within the III Corps Tactical Zone. The Allied forces that were to be used for the Cambodian Campaign were then deployed against the northern tier of III Corps Tactical Zone. The 1st Brigade of the 1st Cavalry was deployed in the far western War Zone "C"; the 3d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade was in central War Zone "C"; and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and 3d Brigade, 1st Cavalry, were in the eastern portion. The 9th Regiment, 5th Army of the Republic of Vietnam Division was operating in Binh Long Province with the 2d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade to their east. The 2d Brigade of the Cavalry was in Phuoc Long Province. The Division Artillery Commander was responsible for the defense of a large sector centering on the division headquarters at Camp Gorvad.

Essentially, an attack into Cambodia meant little change in the operations of the 1st Cavalry. The Division had been moving progressively up to the border and expanding its interdiction operations both to the east and the west. Small hasty fire bases, each established only for a few days, had become the method of operation. Company and platoon-size airmobile units fanned out through wide areas of jungle and forest, traveling light, receiving resupply only once every three days. Since the division was already concentrating on fast-moving, light operations, leap-frogging from one small hasty fire base to the next, the order for the Cambodian campaign simply told it to do more of the same.

On 28 April, the division was further directed to be prepared to commence operations within 48 hours of notification. It had

been decided that a combined task force would make the initial assaults into Cambodia. Command and control of this operation was given to the Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver of the 1st Cavalry Division, Brigadier General Robert M. Shoemaker. A combined U.S. and Army of the Republic of Vietnam staff was assembled at this time and prepared the final plans for the operation.

For Bob Shoemaker, this would be the culmination of years of dedicated effort to prove the airmobility concept. Ever since the early days of the 11th Air Assault Division and the movement of the 1st Cavalry to Vietnam, he had been recognized as one of the foremost tacticians of airmobility.

The concept of the operation was that Task Force Shoemaker, consisting of the 3d Brigade with one mechanized infantry battalion and one tank battalion under operational control, the 3d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade, and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, would conduct air assaults and ground attacks into the "Fishhook" of Cambodia. Following an intensive preparation phase of B-52 strikes, tactical air strikes, and artillery bombardment, the 3d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade would air assault into the area north of the objective to seal off escape routes and begin operations to the south. Simultaneously, the task force (-) would attack north across the Cambodian Border with the 3d Brigade on the west and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment on the south and east. The 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry (-) would conduct screening operations in the task force area of operations while elements of the 9th Army of the Republic of Vietnam Regiment and the 1st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Armored Cavalry Regiment would screen to the east in Binh Long Province adjacent to the objective area. All elements would then conduct search and interdiction operations to locate and exploit enemy- lines of communication and cache sites in the objective area.

In the early hours of 1 May, six serials of B-52's dropped their heavy ordnance on hard targets within the primary objective area. The last bomb went off at 0545. Fifteen minutes later an intense artillery preparation began with the priority to the proposed landing zones in the 3d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade's objective area. D-day had arrived.

At 0630 the 1st Army of the Republic of Vietnam Cavalry Regiment began its movement from the northwest of An Loc toward the border. At the same time a 15,000 pound bomb, with an extended fuse designed to detonate about seven feet above the ground,

was dropped to clear the jungle at landing zone EAST. This was followed fifteen minutes later by a similar drop at landing zone CENTER. Shortly after first light, the Forward Air Controllers began directing tactical air strikes on pre-planned targets, shifting to the 3d Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Brigade's objective area during the period from 0700 to 0800.

The 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cavalry began aerial reconnaissance operations early on D-day and by 0740 had established contact. Five North Vietnam Army soldiers and their 2½-ton truck became the first recorded casualties of the operation. At 0800 hours the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry conducted a landing zone reconnaissance which was followed ten minutes later by the combat assault of an Army of the Republic of Vietnam airborne battalion into landing zone EAST. The landing zone was secured and became a fire support base when six 105-mm howitzers and three 155-mm howitzers were inserted shortly thereafter. During this air assault, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment had moved out of their staging area and crossed the line of departure, moving north. In the 3d Brigade area, C Company, 2d Battalion, 47th Infantry (Mechanized) crossed the Cambodian border at 0945, followed by elements of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment to the east which crossed approximately fifteen minutes later.

The 5th Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Battalion in a 42-ship lift supported by 22 Cobra gunships began its combat assault into Objective "B" at 0946 and reached landing zone CENTER by 1005. The 9th Army of the Republic of Vietnam Airborne Battalion completed its combat assault into Objective "A" on the west.

Contact was immediately established with a panicked North Vietnam Army force of approximately 200 men. The Cobras supporting the contact expended most of their rockets and machine gun ammunition on groups of 10 to 30 North Vietnam Army men fleeing the area in a dozen directions. It was apparent that tactical surprise had been achieved during the combat assaults as there were no reported instances of .51-caliber ground-to-air firing.

During the afternoon of D-day, two companies of the 2d Battalion, 7th Cavalry made a combat assault into Objective X-RAY in the northern portion of the 3d Brigade area of operation. This movement had been tentatively planned by General Shoemaker and, due to the relatively light resistance throughout the area, he ordered its execution as the final combat assault of D-day.

The enemy reaction to the opening of the Allied Offensive took the form of a confused, milling crowd, ill-prepared to deal with the

massive onslaught that was unleashed. Tactical surprise was complete. The enemy had not left the area, nor had he reinforced or prepared his defenses. The heliborne assault forces were not greeted with heavy anti-aircraft fire but rather only with small arms fire from a few individuals. Nowhere in evidence were the heavy machineguns from the three antiaircraft battalion-size units known to be in the area. While later evidence showed that while some strategic preparations had been made hedging against a possible allied thrust, the enemy tacticians had not taken steps to counter an air assault. Airmobility had again caught the enemy off-balance. The results were evident, as noted in the following official excerpts of the day's activities:

The next few days of operations were characterized by a continuation of maneuvers begun on D-day. The enemy made strenuous efforts to avoid contact and to determine the extent and placement of the Allied forces. His command and control apparatus was completely disrupted and he was caught off guard and ill prepared. The High Command scattered in two's and three's and a large exodus of trucks going in all directions was noted by the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry.

On 3 May Task Force Shoemaker was reinforced with elements of the 2d Brigade. Multiple small caches were being discovered by the ground units while the first large weapons cache was observed from the air by A Troop of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. This area was engaged with gunships and Tactical Air resulting in the

destruction of 7 2½-ton trucks, 13 ¾-ton trucks, and 3 jeeps. Another truck park in the nearby area was discovered and the Cavalry Troop destroyed nine trucks with their own gunships.

On 4 May 1970, B Troop of the Cavalry Squadron observed numerous bunkers and military structures in a densely vegetated

area northwest of the current ground operations. Additional aerial reconnaissance teams further reported that these structures and bunkers were connected with bamboo matted trails. One pilot also reported seeing numerous antennas in the southern part of the complex. On 5 May, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, in response to the aerial reconnaissance sighting reports, displaced into the northern half of the complex which had been dubbed "the city". Immediately upon entering the suspected area, the Cavalry troopers reported finding numerous storage bunkers measuring 16 feet long, 10 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. Subsequent reports indicated that most of the bunkers contained large quantities of weapons and munitions and that the enemy had just recently evacuated the area. Throughout the period 5-13 May 182 storage bunkers, 18 mess halls, a training area and a small animal farm were discovered in the area.

The logistical storage bunkers contained clothing, food stocks, medical supplies, weapons and munitions. The bulk consisted of ammunition. Generally, all types of equipment and supplies were

in an excellent state of preservation and in good operating condition when discovered. "The city" (Map 10) covered approximately three square kilometers and consisted of a well-organized storage depot that was capable of rapid receipt and issue of large quantities of supplies. Judging from the general condition of the oldest bunker and from translation of supply documents found in the area, it was apparent that the storage depot had been in operation for two to two and one-half years. Some bunkers had been constructed within the last six months.

Captured supply records indicated that the supply depot primarily supported the 7th North Vietnam Army Division. Based on the discovery of classroom facilities, numerous mess halls, firing ranges, as well as large stocks of items of personal clothing and equipment in the cache site area, it was determined that "the city" was also used to provide refresher military and political training to recent replacements from North Vietnam.

Selected items of equipment captured at this cache site complex included:

Throughout the Cambodian campaign, Allied forces would uncover other major caches of equipment which proved that this area was truly one of the most important logistical bases of the enemy. On 25 May a large automotive parts cache was discovered by A Company of the 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry which was the first of a series of caches of various supplies discovered in the area from 25 May to 9 June. One of these, a communications depot, discovered by D Company, 2d Battalion, 8th Cavalry, indicated that the enemy did not have time to evacuate his most valuable communications equipment. Considering the critical nature of enemy signal

equipment, it was felt that his equipment would have received top priority for evacuation. Like "the city" cache site, this area also had supplies segregated, by type, to facilitate storage and distribution to receiving units. Equipment and supplies were for the most part new and in excellent condition.

Unlike the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the Cambodian caches were filled with material transported for the most part by truck. Truck repair centers and spare parts were part of the logistics complex. The 1st Cavalry had deprived the enemy of over 305 vehicles in its Cambodian operations. While a few of these were primarily for passengers, such as a captured Porche, Mercedes-Benz and jeeps, the vast majority were cargo carriers. These trucks had a total capacity of 442 tons. Intelligence showed that the captured vehicles were only a small part of the North Vietnam Army truck inventory in Cambodia. During the early days of the operation the Air Cavalry Squadron reported that many Cambodian roads showed heavy use of trucks away from the area of operations. Obviously, they had been among the first items to be moved out of the area.

The size of the North Vietnamese Army logistics system in Cambodia adjoining III Corps Tactical Zone was vast. It had the capacity to move thousands of tons of material from various points in Cambodia to supply depots along the South Vietnamese border and move these supplies quickly over the network of roads that connected the various caches. The system was so dependent on trucks that an extensive refueling and repair organization was necessary. Sophisticated and effective, the North Vietnam Army supply system was a major weapon in the enemy's arsenal.

By mid-May, the search had expanded eastward to the border area north of Phuoc Long Province where on 8 May the 2d Brigade discovered a new significant cache site. This North Vietnam Army base camp, nick-named ROCK ISLAND EAST, eventually yielded 329 tons of munitions. As the operation continued, the 1st Brigade was moved from War Zone C to the O'Rang area east of the 2d Brigade. Both Brigades used the airstrip at Bu Gia Map as a forward logistics base. One rifle company patrolled out of the abandoned Special Forces camp there as security for the refuel, rearm point and the tons of palletized supplies which were offloaded from C-130's and C-123's.

The withdrawal of the 1st Cavalry from Cambodia, although the most critical of all the operations, was executed in a truly classic manner. The withdrawal sequence was time-phased to allow for the redeployment of one fire support base each day. This phasing would allow for even utilization of aircraft assets, particularly the CH-54 Cranes of the 273d Aviation Company which were required for the movement of bridges, 155-mm. howitzers, 2½-ton trucks, and bulldozers. On the second day of extraction, while lifting the 1st Battalion, 50th Cavalry from Fire Support Base DAVID, the aviation units ran into extremely poor weather with ceilings at zero, fog and rain. The Chinooks from the 228th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion showed the ultimate in professionalism by flying at extremely low levels through the valleys, skirting the fog-covered hills, and extracting the unit. On 24 June, while extracting Fire Support Base BRONCHO, one aircraft was downed and five others were hit. At the same time the fire support base was taking indirect fire regularly throughout the day. Using all possible suppressive fires from the armed helicopters, Fire Support Base BRONCHO was extracted at last light.

Besides the Division's organic Cranes, the 273d Aviation Company (Heavy Helicopter) was under operational control of the 1st Cavalry during the sixty days of the Cambodian Campaign. This company with its CH-54 Flying Cranes lifted essential engi-

neering equipment (272 bulldozers, 54 backhoes, and 41 road graders) as well as all 155-mm howitzers into (and out of) the operational area. They moved bridge sections and recovered $7,315,000.00 worth of downed aircraft. During the Cambodian Campaign, this company flew 2,486 sorties, or, as a logistician might put it, 177,688 ton-miles.

On the final day of the operation, in the actual crossing of the border by all U. S. troops, every possible precaution was taken to insure success. Troop ladders, smoke ships, pathfinders, and recovery aircraft were available to cover any contingency. The crossing proved uneventful with the last CH-47 aircraft leaving Cambodia at 1523, 29 June. The honor of being the last U. S. Army aircraft out of Cambodia went to B Company of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry whose screening "Pink Team" reported reentering Vietnam at 1728, 29 June.

The 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cavalry proved again during the Cambodian Campaign how invaluable this capability is to any airmobile operation. During the period 1 May 1970 to 30 June 1970

the Squadron had performed intensive ground and aerial reconnaissance operations almost every flyable hour. The Squadron's assets were shifted as necessary, capitalizing on mobility, reconnaissance, and firepower in order to determine enemy locations and escape routes. Using "Pink Teams"-one Cobra gunship and one OH-6A observation helicopter-the Air Cavalry troops were able to cover large areas effectively. When the situation warranted, the aero-rifle platoon would be inserted to face the enemy until a larger force could be committed into the area. The intelligence provided by the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry enabled the division to redeploy its assets and effectively destroy many of the enemy's large cache sites.

The 1st Cavalry Division was not sure that they would be able to evacuate or destroy all the large quantities of enemy supplies that were found during this operation; but, as the engineers repaired roads and constructed bridges to allow a convoy evacuation, these problems were solved. The enormous quantities of rice discovered were distributed to the various agencies under the watchful eyes of the G-5. This captured rice was also used to feed the large number of refugees that came pouring into the Cavalry area of operations.

The operation had revealed several previously unknown facts and confirmed several suspicions. The size and locations of the enemy's base areas were plotted and for the first time the extent and depth of the enemy's, logistical system was documented. Whereas the base areas had previously been thought to all be close to the border, it was discovered that the depth extended far into Cambodia, often serviced by unknown roads and trails built specifically for this purpose. The existence of recovery and replacement regiments as well as the organization and operations area were discovered. Vast quantities of new weapons and munitions were captured, possibly preempting their intended use against Allied forces. During the Cambodian Campaign, the 1st Cavalry Division (including those units under its operational control) accounted for 2,574 enemy killed in action and 31 prisoners of war. They captured 2,244 tons of rice and over ten million rounds of ammunition.

The 1st Cavalry Division operation in Cambodia far exceeded all expectations and proved to be one of the most successful operations in the history of the First Team. All aspects of ground and air combat were utilized-air cavalry, armor, infantry, and mechanized infantry. The U.S. Air Force reconnaissance, tactical air, and B-52's performed yeoman duty throughout the campaign

there. This team effort, spearheaded by the airmobile flexibility inherent in the 1st Cavalry, carried the war to the enemy and defeated him in his own backyard.

Major General George W. Casey had taken command of the 1st Cavalry on 12 May from General Roberts. General Roberts, who had been scheduled to turn over command of the division on 3 May, had been extended until 12 May in order to plan, organize, and command the initial phases of the Cambodian operation. On 6 July 1970, he wrote 'a letter to his troops summing up the 1st Cavalry's part in the Cambodian Campaign. Excerpts from the letter are as follows:

The following day on the morning of 7 July, General Casey was enroute to Cam Ranh Bay to visit wounded Sky Troopers in the hospital. Flying over the rugged mountains of the Central Highlands, General Casey's helicopter entered a thick cloudbank and disappeared from sight. In the late afternoon of 9 July, the wreckage of the General's helicopter was found. General Casey and all the officers and men aboard had been killed instantly in the crash. George had served with me as my Chief of Staff during 1967. Prior to that he commanded the 2d Brigade under General Norton. His death was a great personal loss to me and everyone who had served with him. Major General George Putnam, whose 1st Aviation Brigade had been doing a fantastic job in supporting Army of the Republic of Vietnam operations in the Parrot's Beak to the south, was ordered to take command of the 1st Cavalry Division.