Military Assistance Command, Vietnam: Difference between revisions
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The two major evacuation points chosen for [[Operation Frequent Wind]] were the DAO Compound for American civilian and Vietnamese evacuees and the [[United States Embassy, Saigon]] for Embassy staff<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunham |first=George R |title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973-1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series) |publisher=Marine Corps Association |year=1990 |isbn=978-0160264559|p. 196}}</ref>. |
The two major evacuation points chosen for [[Operation Frequent Wind]] were the DAO Compound for American civilian and Vietnamese evacuees and the [[United States Embassy, Saigon]] for Embassy staff<ref>{{cite book |last=Dunham |first=George R |title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973-1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series) |publisher=Marine Corps Association |year=1990 |isbn=978-0160264559|p. 196}}</ref>. |
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At 2250, with the evacuation of the landing control teams from the Annex and Alamo completed, General Carey ordered the withdrawal of the ground security forces from the DAO Compound<ref name="Dunham197">Dunham, p. 197.</ref>. |
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Just after midnight (0030) on 30 April, thermite grenades, having been previously placed in selected buildings, ignited as two CH-53s left the DAO parking lot carrying the last elements of BLT 2/4<ref name="Dunham197">Dunham, p. 197.</ref>. |
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The evacuation of personnel from the compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters with the total evacuated to 395 Americans and 4,475 Vietnamese and third-country nationals<ref name="Dunham197">Dunham, p. 197.</ref>. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 10:14, 14 January 2010
| Military Assistance Command, Vietnam | |
|---|---|
| File:Military Assistance Command Vietnam.gif | |
| Active | 1962-1973 |
| Land | United States of America |
| Branch | Joint Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Tan Son Nhut Air Base |
| Engagements | Vietnam War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | William C. Westmoreland Creighton Abrams Frederick C. Weyand |
The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, MACV, (mack vee), was the United States' unified command structure for all of its military forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
History
MACV was created on February 8, 1962, in response to the increase in U.S. military assistance to South Vietnam. MACV was first implemented to assist the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) Vietnam, controlling every advisory and assistance effort in Vietnam, but was reorganized on May 15, 1964 and absorbed MAAG Vietnam to its command when combat unit deployment became too large for advisory group control.
The first commanding general of MACV, General Paul D. Harkins, was also the commander of MAAG Vietnam, and after reorganization was succeeded by General William C. Westmoreland in June, 1964, followed by General Creighton Abrams (July 1968) and General Frederick C. Weyand (June 1972).
With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords all American and third country forces were to be withdrawn within 60 days of the cease-fire. MACV was therefore disbanded on March 29, 1973.
MACV Component Commands
Major component commands of MACV were:
- United States Army Vietnam (USARV)
- Naval Forces Vietnam (NAVFORV)
- Seventh Air Force (7AF)
- III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF)
- I Field Force, Vietnam (I FFV)
- II Field Force, Vietnam (II FFV)
- XXIV Corps
- 5th Special Forces Group
- Civil Operations and Rural Development Support (CORDS)
- Studies and Observations Group under Joint "High Command" (Joint Chiefs of Staff & Commander in Chief) covert
Defence Attaché Office
The Defense Attaché Office Saigon was organized according to requirements established by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, CINCPAC, and MACV, and was activated on 28 January 1973[1].
DAO Saigon was a unique organization. It performed the traditional functions of a defense attaché, managed American military affairs in Vietnam after the cease-fire including the programs for the support of South Vietnam's armed forces, administered procurement contracts in support of the RVNAF, and furnished housekeeping support to Americans remaining in Vietnam after the ceasefire. Aside from the support of the RVNAF, it reported on operational matters, such as violations of the cease-fire, and produced intelligence information on which subsequent decisions concerning the Military Assistance Program and American interests in Southeast Asia could be based.
The DAO occupied the offices turned over to it by the MACV adjacent to Tan Son Nhut Airport, outside of Saigon, and most of its employees and officials conducted their work from those offices. Small field offices were located in Da Nang, Pleiku, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Bien Hoa, Long Binh, Nha Be, Dong Tam, Binh Thuy, and Can Tho.
To perform the traditional representational and information-collecting functions of military attaches, five professional attaches - two Army, two Air Force, and one Navy - were assigned to the DAO with offices in the United States Embassy, Saigon. The senior member of this group was the assistant defense attaché, an Army colonel who reported to the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington through attache channels. The attaches made frequent visits to the field where they observed RVNAF units and activities and reported those observations to the defense attaché and to Washington.
The largest element in the Operations and Plans Division was the Intelligence Branch. The Chief of the Intelligence Branch was responsible for American military intelligence activities in the Republic of Vietnam. He reported directly to the Ambassador and the Defense Attache, coordinated with RVNAF intelligence agencies and other U.S. intelligence activities in South Vietnam, and, in intelligence channels, reported simultaneously on most matters to USSAG, CINCPAC, and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
The Communications and Electronics Division had functions which, like those of the Operations and Plans Division, included support of U.S. military activities as well as continued military assistance to RVNAF. The Communications and Electronics Division supervised a contract which provided communications for DAO, the American Embassy, and other U.S. agencies. The division also gave technical support, through contractors, to RVNAF military communications systems. It also provided liaison and assistance to the RVNAF Joint General Staff and the ARVN Signal Department.
Three divisions within DAO managed the complex military assistance programs for the ARVN, the VNAF, and the Vietnamese Navy: the Army, Air Force, and Navy Divisions.
Despite its broad responsibilities, DAO was authorized only 50 military and 1,200 civilians. It was also told to plan for an early reduction in strength and disestablishment, the latter expected to occur within a year. To accomplish its mission while planning on phasing out, DAO had to employ contractors to perform many functions. The contracts, however, were also to be reduced in number and scope throughout the year. When DAO Saigon became operational upon the disestablishment of MACV, no fewer than 383 separate contracts were on the books with a total value of $255 million. Over 23,000 people were employed by contractors in South Vietnam, of whom over 5,000 were Americans, 16,000 were Vietnamese, and the remainder were third-country nationals. By mid-year of 1973 the total was reduced by half. More than half the American contract employees were involved in training programs for the RVNAF. Of these, more than half were involved in aircraft maintenance, another large group was in communications and electronics, and the rest worked in technical fields ranging from vehicle repair and overhaul to ship overhaul and maintenance. Although most contract employees were located in the Saigon region, sizable groups were at the air bases at Da Nang, in Military Region 2 at Pleiku, Phu Cat, and Phan Rang, and at Binh Thuy, the VNAF air base near Can Tho in MR 4.
The cease-fire agreement in Vietnam signaled the end of the American advisory effort. The senior officials of DAO avoided offering operational advice to the Vietnamese with whom they worked intimately and continuously. The technical assistance provided by the military and senior civilian officials of DAO and by the contractors was essential to the RVNAF's modernization and expansion, but the South Vietnamese military would get no advice on military operations, tactics, or techniques of employment.
MACV/DAO Headquarters location
The original MACV Headquarters were at 137 Pasteur Street (MACV, Saigon 10°46′58.25″N 106°41′35.94″E / 10.7828472°N 106.6933167°EInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function) in central Saigon.
As the US military presence in South Vietnam grew, MACV quickly outgrew these quarters and moved into a new purpose-built facility (MACV, Saigon 10°48′45.62″N 106°39′57.49″E / 10.8126722°N 106.6659694°EInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function) adjacent to Tan Son Nhut Airport and the ARVN Joint General Staff Compound. Due to the size of this facility, the new headquarters were labelled Pentagon East.
Fall of Saigon and Operation Frequent Wind
.
The two major evacuation points chosen for Operation Frequent Wind were the DAO Compound for American civilian and Vietnamese evacuees and the United States Embassy, Saigon for Embassy staff[2].
At 2250, with the evacuation of the landing control teams from the Annex and Alamo completed, General Carey ordered the withdrawal of the ground security forces from the DAO Compound[3].
Just after midnight (0030) on 30 April, thermite grenades, having been previously placed in selected buildings, ignited as two CH-53s left the DAO parking lot carrying the last elements of BLT 2/4[3].
The evacuation of personnel from the compound had lasted nine hours and involved over 50 Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters with the total evacuated to 395 Americans and 4,475 Vietnamese and third-country nationals[3].
See also
- John Paul Vann, US Army Lieutenant Colonel and adviser in Viet Nam who became a critic of MACV
- Military Assistance Advisory Group
- George Patton IV was part of MACV-SOF during its early years
References
- ^ Le Gro, William (1985). Vietnam: Cease Fire To Capitulation. US Army Center of Military History CMH Pub 90-29. ISBN 978-1410225429.
{{cite book}}: Text "Chapter 2: U. S. Organization for the Cease-Fire" ignored (help) - ^ Dunham, George R (1990). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973-1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series). Marine Corps Association. ISBN 978-0160264559.
{{cite book}}: Text "p. 196" ignored (help) - ^ a b c Dunham, p. 197.
Sources
- Stanton, Shelby, Vietnam Order of Battle, ISBN 0-89193-700-5
- Sorley, Lewis, A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam, ISBN 0-15-601309-6