Special Forces in the Vietnam War (1965-1973)

Indochina had before the intervention of the Americans a checkered history: In the 2nd World War the previous occupying power France was driven by the new rulers, the Japanese. After the defeat of the French returned, but the Vietnamese did not want to be longer only colony. Thus began a bloody war in which more foreigners died in the ranks of the Legion, than ever before. Finally, the "Viet Minh" said communist guerrillas were victorious under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh and General Giap's in 1954 over the French. The land was along the 17th Latitude divided into a communist north and a capitalist, actually more dictatorial South.
But the infiltration of communist fighters from the north stopped and so decided to have the then government under Kennedy for sending of advisers. The Special Forces were the first to stay in Vietnam for a long time and this should be that way. After Kennedy's vision was this "secret" war never be disclosed to a conventional war, but after his assassination exactly the opposite occurred. In Vietnam, the beginning only the 5th SFG was used, but the other groups had to give substantial parts of their manpower to the huge demand for staff to deliver supplies.

Initially advised the Green Berets only the South Vietnamese army and were not involved in any fighting, but after the open outbreak of war in 1965, and the sending of hundreds of thousands of American soldiers, to make it more quickly. The "Green Berets" were among the favorite children of the CIA. Most of the "SOG" (Study and Observation Group) said unit were Special Forces. The functions of these CIA unit documents top secret and went on the training of local tribal fighters, to the liquidation of important enemy leaders. Applications were out of the south and the north of Vietnam and Laos, and Cambodia. In order to defeat the Viet Cong with his own means, who took the Special Forces in Southeast Asia, the ethnic multiracial mixture advantage. They formed from several small tribes powerful militia, which were designated CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Groups). Then usually has an A team sent to a village of the "Montagnards" and trained the small but very tough fighter in modern warfare. The A-Team often lived for months in the villages, spoke their language, and led the combat operations of the Group. The collaboration was seen in the South Vietnamese authorities do not like, but it brought the Viet Cong often with large and painful losses. The Green Berets operated as Fernspäher and commandos in all areas of Indochina, whether in the Mekong Delta, in the rice fields of the south, or the unreal plateaus. The infiltration of the Special Forces was possible in all ways, whether. Boating, rappelling from a helicopter, or long marches through the jungle But with the increasing military presence also gave more and more special forces their lives for the supposedly good thing.
The Tet Offensive in January 1968 with its heavy fighting also brought to the Green Berets some changes. As an example of the hard battles, the battle for the base Lang Vei, be considered an A-team and the local fighters. The Vietcong attacked during the offensive with massive resources, including with light tanks of the type PT-76. Despite massivstem resistance succeeded the Vietcong parts of the American positions to overrun what the Green Berets led most in need to request artillery fire on our positions. The Viet Cong could be forced out, but fell to half of the A-Team and the 90 local fighters.
Despite the self-sacrificing struggles that the climate in the American population opposed the initial heroes. Was focussed particularly unjustified criticism against the Special Forces, which has been accused of a cruel warfare. This was the increasing "Vietnamesierung" and the slow withdrawal of American troops to follow. Formed a smaller peak nor the invasion of Cambodia in 1970, but on 15 April of that year the United States began with the departure of their first troops. So the recent jungle camps were turned over to the South Vietnamese, who transformed it into Ranger positions.
One of the last major action of the Green Berets, the liberation of the prisoners in the camp Son Tay in North Vietnam represents the local camps were often detained for years by pilots shot down over North Vietnam aircraft. The Green Berets invaded by helicopter into the camp and fought despite inferior manpower the enemy forces present there, and their Chinese and Russian advisors reflected in a brief but intense firefight. The final Efolg never returned because the prisoner a short time previously moved to another camp. The Special Forces had to withdraw without having achieved anything.
On 1 May 1971 officially returned the last units back to the U.S.. Unofficially more Green Berets were still in the South Vietnamese army, whose combat power dramatically in the last few years has declined. Furthermore, orders the CIA were still mainly carried out by the Special Forces. But with the withdrawal of the last American soldiers in 1973 ended the commitment of the mysterious men with the green berets. They left more than 600 fallen comrades in the far reaches of Southeast Asia, received over 2,600 Wound Badge and the most decorated American unit of the entire Vietnam War.