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SCUBAPRO Sunday – Navy Seawolves Task Force 116 Vietnam “Rowell’s Rats”

Sunday, June 21st, 2020

You have heard of the Seawolves if you have ever read any stories about the SEALs or The Brown Water Navy in Vietnam. The Navy Seawolves became the most decorated Helo squadron in the Vietnam war. The Navy Seawolves were stood up overseas, and they were decommissioned overseas. They were set up to provide air support for Navy units fighting in the Rung Sat Special Zone, to support the SEAL Teams and Boat Units. They provide insertion and extraction platforms, close air support, medevac, and taxis from base to base. They did it all. They used hand me down aircraft from the Army and turned them into Navy Seawolves Helicopters. I love learning about the history of units like this, there will never be a movie about them, but the man that made up the Seawolves are the backbone of the U.S. and our military history.

Retired Army Major General Carl McNair, who commanded the 121st Assault Helicopter Company during the Vietnam War, once recalled a story about Army General Creighton Abrams—commander of all military forces in Vietnam—visiting an airbase for an awards ceremony for Army aviation personnel. Riding as a passenger in a jeep along what passed as a flight line, he noted a young man not wearing a cover and ordered his driver to pull over. Abrams had served under General George S. Patton during World War II, so he was tough. Questioning what he thought was a soldier out of uniform, he received a response that went something like: “Sir, I am not a soldier. I am a sailor and a Seawolf, and in the Navy, we don’t wear covers on the flight line.” Abrams responded, “Very well, carry on,” and proceeded on his way. There is nothing better than a General having no idea who you are.

www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/june/i-am-sailor-and-seawolf

video.kpbs.org/video/scramble-the-seawolves-yacuzi

Posted in Aviation, Guest Post, History | 1 Comment »

Pre-Order Now Open Vickers Guide: SIG Sauer (Volume 1)

Tuesday, June 16th, 2020

MSG Larry Vickers (USA, Ret) made a name for himself while in the Army, but word spread once he retired and started Vickers Tactical. Over the past few years he has applied his passion for history and small arms to authoring the Vickers Guide series of books.

Written in conjunction with Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons and photographer James Rupley, the firearms of SIG Sauer now join an ever growing list of crucial reference books which include the AR-15, AK, and WWII-era German small arms.

Vickers Guide: SIG Sauer sets out to track the course of SIG Sauer through the 1900s and up to the present day, with visits to the SIG Sauer Museum and SIG Sauer AG manufacturing facilities in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland, SIG Sauer manufacturing facilities in New Hampshire, USA, and visits to private collections in Switzerland and the United States.

This First Volume of Vickers Guide: SIG Sauer focuses on the pistols and submachine guns produced by SIG Sauer on both sides of the Atlantic – starting with the P210-series of pistols, which are perhaps the finest production service pistols ever produced. This book then continues on to cover the modernized P220-series and the Swiss P75 service pistol, detailing how the P220 would evolve and find growing adoption and support in the United States with special operations units, law enforcement, and the civilian market.

This Volume continues its look into modern developments at SIG Sauer with behind the scenes glimpses into the introduction of the P320 pistol and its adoption by the U.S. armed forces as the country’s newest standard service pistol – in the form of the M17 and M18. Also covered are inside looks into a number of other pistols produced by SIG, including the P230, P232, P239, SIG PRO-series, and the industry changing P365 line of pistols. This First Volume also delves into submachine guns – starting with the Swiss-produced Modell 1930 and continuing all the way through the present day in the United States with the MPX and its various derivatives.

Pre-order yours at www.vickersguide.com/purchase/sig-standard.

Posted in History, weapons | Comments Off on Pre-Order Now Open Vickers Guide: SIG Sauer (Volume 1)

June 88 – 160th SOAG Recovers Mi-24 in Chad

Monday, June 15th, 2020

June 1988, the 160th SOAG (Originally Task Force 160, the unit was later Designated a Group, the Regiment) received a short-notice directive to recover a Russian made Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter from a remote location in Chad.

At midnight on June 11, 1988, two MH-47s flew 490 miles at night without outside navigational aids to the target location, the Ouadi Doum airfield in northern Chad.

The first Chinook landed and configured the Mi-24, while the second hovered overhead and sling loaded it for return to Ndjamena.

A surprise sandstorm slowed the return trip, but less than 67 hours after the arrival of the C-5 in Chad, the ground crew had the Mi-24 and Chinooks aboard and ready for return to the U.S.

Operation Mount Hope demonstrated incredible teamwork by aviation, ground, and support personnel. Their efforts resulted in the unit’s ability to strike deep and accomplish the mission.

Night Stalkers Don’t Quit!

Posted in Aviation, History, SOF | 10 Comments »

SCUBAPRO SUNDAY – The Battle of Normandy 6 June thru 29 August

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

When most people think of Normandy, they think about the invasion on 6 June, and leave it there. But the Battle of Normandy did not end until 29 August when the last German troops crossed the Seine river. The Allies had estimated the casualties on D-day could be as many as 40,000, but they were far fewer – around 10,000. Even on Omaha Beach, the Allies lost about 842 dead. But it could have been a lot worse. German casualty numbers on D-Day are not as precise, but estimates put them at a similar amount. By the end of the battle, the Allies would have over 2,850,000 soldiers on the ground in Europe.

Overlord was the code name for the invasion. The first six weeks had come to a stalemate, an operation on 18 July by the U.K. forces known as GOODWILL did advance them about 10 square miles, but it came at the cost of over 5500 Allies casualties, and about 400 tanks lost. The Germany losses were about 100 tanks and about 200 people captured. It is conceded by many the biggest tank battle fought by the U.K.

General Bradley’s idea was named Operation Cobra, and it was put into motion on 10 July. It started with the carpet bombing of a 4-mile-long line in front of the Germans along the U.S. lines. As soon as the bombs were dropped, the U.S. 2nd and 3rd Armored Divisions would punch a hole through the German defenders and finally break out of the peninsula.

As the Allied forces advanced in all directions, the German divisions tried desperately to reorganize. Patton’s 3rd Army advanced towards the east of France during the weeks that follow, only being slowed down because they were outrunning their supply of fuel and ammo. Now the Allies could pursue the Germans into the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.

This battle would set the tone for the rest of the war, Germany lost about one battalion worth of man a week to death and injury as they retreated about 50,000 German soldiers. They also had approximately 200,000 men captured. The Allies lost more than 36,000 soldiers, and the fighting had also affected civilians living in Normandy; about 20,000 people killed, and around 300,000 homes destroyed.

Overall, the Normandy campaign was one of the most brutal of the war. The combined average daily casualty rate on each of the 77 days of the battle was 6,675: higher than the Somme, Passchendaele, and Verdun in the First World War. The Battle of Normandy was a decisive first step in the liberation of Europe.

###I want to add a note about the number and dates I have used for this article. You can ready about this campaign, and you will get different numbers and dates, depending on who wrote it and when. To this day, the numbers are still changing.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History | 2 Comments »

USAF SERE Training Film – How To Catch A Fish

Sunday, June 7th, 2020

United States Air Force Film Training Aid FTA, 279Q. “Survival Training”. This is a 1950s, black and white military training film. The film is intended to show stranded persons how to catch fish through several means to survive. The film is narrated. Fishing. The film opens with a man fishing on the side of the river with a branch. A soldier is seen walking along the banks of a river 1:10. A man is creating fishing gear 1:40. A man fashions a hook from a key 2:09. A man makes a fishing pole out of a branch 2:34. A man digs for bait 3:12. Earthworms are found 3:22. A man fashions fishing lures out of regular items 4:00. Man fashions a spear from a branch and kills a fish 4:15. Man creates a gaffe 4:50. Man fashions a spear out of bamboo 5:00. Man creates a fishing trap out of his parachute 5:30. Man punctures trap to allow water to flow through 6:07. Man places bait into fish trap 6:23. Man creates mesh net to catch fish 8:35. Man ties weights to the bottom of the net to hold it in the water 9:06. Man places net across the river 9:38. The net catches fish by the gills in the riverbed 10:30. Man creates a trite line with several hooks along a single line 11:15. Produced by United States Air Force Photographic and Charting Service. (MATS). 1958.

Posted in History, SERE | Comments Off on USAF SERE Training Film – How To Catch A Fish

“Changing Stripes” (a Tiger Stripe History Teaser)

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020

Sunday, May 31st we ran a SCUBA Pro Sunday article celebrating the birthday of the US Navy SEALs. You probably noticed a couple of interesting gear modifications and iconic camouflage patterns in the last picture of that article.

You know, the one right before you learned that SEAL Team 2 is older than Team 1?

That picture features both tiger stripe and ERDL pattern cammies like those worn by Vietnam era New Zealand SAS soldiers, current OPFOR role-players, and others (including Philippine SOF units).

Recently freelance journalist (and militaria SME) Peter Suciu wrote an article for the Breach-Bang-Clear crew about the history and development of tiger stripe camouflage on their “House Morningwood” site. In it he addresses both historical and contemporary use of the pattern.

If you’re interested in that, check out,

Changing Stripes: a history of Tiger Stripe Camo.

And remember…you don’t wear tiger stripes in Japan.

By Dave Reeder, correspondent extraordinaire and magnificent bastard.

Posted in Camo, Guest Post, History | 1 Comment »

AUSA graphic novel – Medal of Honor: Daniel Inouye

Monday, June 1st, 2020

The Association of the United States Army is proud to announce the publication of a new graphic novel, Medal of Honor: Daniel Inouye.

I invite you to share this complimentary digital graphic novel with your readership. Interested readers can view the work or download a free copy at www.ausa.org/inouye.

Daniel Inouye personally witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor and volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which became one of the most decorated units in World War II. As a second lieutenant, Inouye led an assault on the German defenses in Italy during the final weeks of the war, where he lost an arm but continued fighting the battle. He entered politics upon his return to Hawaii and became the first Japanese American elected to the U.S. Senate.

The AUSA Book Program recognizes these remarkable acts of valor with Medal of Honor: Daniel Inouye. This full-color digital graphic novel was created by a talented team of professionals:

Script: Chuck Dixon (Batman, The Punisher, The ‘Nam)

Pencils, Inks, Cover: Christopher Ivy (G.I. Joe, Avengers, Flash)

Colors: Peter Pantazis (Justice League, Superman, Wolverine)

Lettering: Troy Peteri (Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men)

The Association of the United States Army is a non-profit organization devoted to the US Army and Its Soldiers, and the book is being distributed free of charge as part of our educational mission. The new graphic novel is the first issue in the second volume of the Medal of Honor series, which launched October 2018 with Medal of Honor: Alvin York and continued with profiles of Roy Benavidez, Audie Murphy, and Sal Giunta. These graphic novels are available on Medal of Honor series page at www.ausa.org/moh.

This year’s graphic novels, in addition to Inouye, will highlight Sgt. Henry Johnson, the Harlem Hellfighter who fought in World War I; Dr. Mary Walker, a Civil War surgeon and the only woman to receive the Medal of Honor; and Cpl. Tibor Rubin, the Holocaust survivor who later fought in Korea.

To read Medal of Honor: Daniel Inouye online or download a free copy, please visit www.ausa.org/inouye.

Posted in AUSA, History, Press Release, Profession of Arms | 3 Comments »

SCUBAPRO Sunday – SEALs Birthday

Sunday, May 31st, 2020

On 25 May 1961, President John F. Kennedy, addressing a joint session of Congress, delivered a speech that most people remember as his challenge to the country to put an American on the moon before the end of the decade. The most important part of that speech you seldom hear about. But, it mandated that the military broaden its numbers and the use of Special Operation in all branches of service: “I am directing the secretary of defense to expand rapidly and substantially … the orientation of existing forces for the conduct of … unconventional wars. … In addition, our special forces and unconventional warfare units will be increased and reoriented. …”

The East Coast and West coast teams have always joked about what team is older, Team One, or Team Two. Team Two says they are because of the 3-hour time difference, and the west coast says they are because they supposal received their message to commission first. But this isn’t really about that. The SEAL Teams use 01 Jan 1962, the day the teams were commissioned as their birthday. But if you look through old messages, you can find about different dates that you could say should or could be the birthday of SEAL Teams. Before Kennedy gave his speech, the Navy and all the other branches had already started to plan for a new kind of warfare and a new group to fight it. The U.S. has just ended significant involvement in Korea and sent advisers to Vietnam around 1955, so we had an idea of what the next generation of warfare might look like.

“To augment present naval capabilities in restricted waters and rivers with particular reference to the conduct and support of paramilitary operations, it is desirable to establish Special Operations teams as a separate component within Underwater Demolition Units One and Two. An appropriate cover name for such units is “SEAL” being a contraction of SEA, AIR, LAND.”

– Vice Adm. Wallace M. Beakley,
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations, 05 Jun 1961

I love that the name “SEAL” started as a cover name, I am sure they never thought of what that name would come to mean. I say that in a good way and also a little wrong. I miss the days of being quiet professionals.

The Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Arleigh Burke, in a memo dated 11 Jul 1960, tasked Vice Adm Beakley with studying how the Navy could contribute to unconventional warfare. Beakley responded to that tasking in a memo dated 12 Aug 1960, saying, “Navy Underwater Demolition Teams and Marine reconnaissance units were the logical organizations for an expanded naval capability in unconventional warfare.” Beakley further recommended that a working group be formed to study how the Navy could “assist or participate” in covert operations. Then, on 13 Sept 1960, an Unconventional Activities Working Group was formed. Like the military now, the progress was slow, and on 10 Mar 1961, when the Navy’s Unconventional Activities Committee presented a mission statement for the new special operations unit and officially used for the first time the acronym “SEAL.”

Beakley sent another memo saying, “If you agree in the foregoing proposals, I will take action to establish a Special Operations Team on each coast.” Burke wasted no time in giving the green light. On 05 Jun 1961, the CNO issued a letter notifying the commanders in chief U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Pacific, and U.S. Naval Forces Europe about the Navy’s intentions regarding SEAL units. So, if you look at all the about dates, you can choose 25 May, 05 Jun, 13 Sept, 10 Mar or 01 Jan. I do not really care about what date that it happened on; I am just glad that it did, and I think it is good to look back at the process that went from idea to a finished product.

Oh, and Team Two is the Oldest Team.

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, History, SOF | 7 Comments »