Hatchet Force

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Hatchet Force


caption=The patch of Company C, Command & Control Central, MACV-SOG
dates=1966—October 1972, January 1973Stanton, p. 252.]
country= United States of America
allegiance= United States of America
Republic of Vietnam
branch= United States Army Special Forces
branch=Studies and Observations Group
type=Special Forces
role=Ho Chi Minh trail operations
size= 16 man teams, or larger
command_structure=USASF
garrison=
garrison_label=
nickname="Hatchet Force"
patron=
motto=
colors=
colors_label=
march=
mascot=
equipment=
equipment_label=
battles=Vietnam War
anniversaries=
decorations=
battle_honours=
commander1=
commander1_label=
commander2=
commander2_label=
commander3=
commander3_label=
notable_commanders=
identification_symbol=
identification_symbol_label=
identification_symbol_2=
identification_symbol_2_label=
identification_symbol_3=
identification_symbol_3_label=
aircraft_attack=
aircraft_bomber=
aircraft_electronic=
aircraft_fighter=
aircraft_interceptor=
aircraft_patrol=
aircraft_recon=
aircraft_trainer=
aircraft_transport=

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. [http://www.vetshome.com/military_special_forces_patches_history2.htm Military Special Forces Patches] from the Vietnam War, retrieved November 22 2007] The units specialised in search and destroy missions and in locating missing American servicemen in Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam. [Clark, G. R. p. 221.]

Organization

Hatchet Force teams were organized under three field commands: Command and Control North (CCN), Command and Control Center (CCC) and Command and Control South (CCS). [Rottman, "Special Forces" p. 17.] Operating in small groups, usually three American Special Forces soldiers – a team leader, a radioman and a medic – and 20—40 indigenous soldiers, the teams' purpose was to "probe the border areas looking for a fight."Krasnoff, p. 38.] Hatchet Force teams remained in operation until each field command was deactivated; for CCN this was on October 16 1972, CCC on October 18 1972, and CCS in January 1973.

Operations

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.Rottman, "Khe Sanh" p. 45.] The Hatchet teams were used as strike forces, operating in the jungle against targets located by recon teams operating from Khe Sanh.

earching 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. [ [http://homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_a_howard.html Robert Howard's MoH presentation] retrieved November 22 2007] 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. [http://taskforceomegainc.org/s005.html Robert Scherdin] Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22 2007]

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 Sergeant 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. [http://taskforceomegainc.org/S176.htm Madison Strohlein] Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22 2007]

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 attract controversy in 1998 over the fabricated CNN report of the use of Sarin, and other alleged war crimes by Peter Arnett, Producer April Oliver, Producer Jack Smith, Sr. Producer Pam Hill, and others. [cite web
publisher = DefenseLINK, the official web site for the U.S. Department of Defense
url = http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=1678
title = DoD News Briefing, Operation TAILWIND, Tuesday, July 21, 1998
accessdate = 2007-05-09] [ [http://www.cnn.com/US/9807/02/tailwind.findings/index.html "Valley of Death"] CNN retrieved November 22 2007]

Notes

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:

*cite web
publisher = DefenseLINK, the official web site for the U.S. Department of Defense
url = http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=1678
title = DoD News Briefing, Operation TAILWIND, Tuesday, July 21, 1998
accessdate = 2007-05-09
* [http://taskforceomegainc.org/S176.htm Madison Strohlein] Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22 2007
* [http://www.vetshome.com/military_special_forces_patches_history2.htm Military Special Forces Patches] from the Vietnam War, retrieved November 22 2007
* [http://homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_living/vn_a_howard.html Robert Howard's MoH presentation] retrieved November 22 2007
* [http://taskforceomegainc.org/s005.html Robert Scherdin] Task Force Omega, retrieved November 22 2007
* [http://www.cnn.com/US/9807/02/tailwind.findings/index.html "Valley of Death"] CNN retrieved November 22 2007