Project DELTA
Project DELTA was the first of the Reconnaissance Projects, which were special reconnaissance (SR) units named with a Greek letter. The Reconnaissance Projects were formed by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) during the Vietnam War to collect operational intelligence in remote areas of South Vietnam.[1]
Project DELTA was established at
Mission
DELTA's mission included operational and strategic reconnaissance into long-held
History
DELTA originated as LEAPING LENA which was established on 15 May 1964 in order for the USSF to train
Helicopter insertions and extractions were particularly complex and dangerous. As a result, Delta's senior NCOs devised multiple methods of extraction including ladders and the McGuire rig (named after Sergeant Major Charles T. McGuire). The STABO rig, later developed by SOG, was also incorporated.[6]
Project DELTA ceased operations on 30 June 1970,[7] prior to the establishment of "Operation Blue Light", a unit within 5th SFG (Mott Lake Fort Bragg NC), which was the precursor to the modern Delta Force.[citation needed]
Organization
By 1966, Project DELTA consisted of the following:
- Headquarters Section consisting of 31 US Special Forces and over 50 South Vietnamese Special Forces
- Recon Section consisting of 12 Recon teams (RT), made up of two USSF and four South Vietnamese Special Forces.
- Roadrunner Platoon consisting of six and then later twelve five-man CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group program) teams.
- A Security Company consisting of 124 Nungs.
- Bomb Damage Assessment Platoon consisting of four US and 24 Nungs; in 1968 the Nungs became the Primary Immediate Reaction force when Recon Teams were compromised.
- A 200+ civilian work force was based at the Nha Trang base camp and elements of it would accompany DELTA when it traveled to establish Forward Operating Bases (FOB).[8]
Project Delta helicopter aviation support was initially provided by the
Radio relay was initially handled by Vietnamese Air Force C-47 but was switched, due to inadequate loiter time, to the L19/O-1 Bird Dog. Delta also used the U-6 Beaver and/or U-1 Otter of whichever Army Aviation unit was responsible for the Corps area the mission would be conducted in. Nighttime radio relay was provided by the US Air Force's Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center (ABCCC), a C-130 using the callsign "Moonbeam".[9]
See also
- Project GAMMA
- Delta Force
- Operation Wandering Soul (Vietnam War)
- Reconnaissance Projects
References
- ^ Kelly 1989.
- ^ Kelly 1989, p. 123.
- ^ a b c d "History of Project Delta - Part I". Project DELTA. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ Kelly 1989, p. 53.
- ^ Kelly 1989, p. 4.
- ^ Taylor, Donald J. "The McGuire Rig". Project Delta. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
- ^ Kelly 1989, p. 177.
- ^ Kelly 1989, p. 138.
- ^ a b c "History of Aviation Support for Project Delta". Project DELTA. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
Further reading
- Kelly, Francis J. (1989) [1973]. U.S. Army Special Forces 1961-1971 (PDF). United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 90-23. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2022.
- Stanton, Shelby L. (1981). Vietnam Order of Battle. Washington, D.C.: U.S. News Books. OCLC 7739323.
- Sorley, Lewis (1999). A Better War : The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co. OCLC 40609184.