man of war vietnam weapons cache location

This unit was known as the “Foreign Legion of the Marine Corps” because of a large international composition that included a member of the World War II-era Polish underground and an Armenian who had lived most of his life in Iran and Russia. This legacy continued in the Korean War, most notably with D Company, 5th Marine Regiment under Capt. As a result, most senior commanders were philosophically ill-equipped for the guerrilla warfare reality that confronted them and how to best use such assets as Force Recon.įorce Recon Marines traced their origin to the Marine Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion of World War II, which conducted more than 180 separate pre-assault and post-assault reconnaissance operations and earned a Presidential Unit Citation that, because of the top secret nature of the battalion’s operations, had to be classified. Initially, the experiences gained in World War II and the Korean War, with their large-scale operations and clearly defined front lines, heavily dominated the strategy and planning of the American high command in Vietnam.

By the time the last unit left Vietnam, they had recorded a remarkable record that distinguished them as an elite group within a branch of the military that regards itself as an elite service.īut such an achievement did not happen overnight. To answer them, the Marine Corps high command turned to the special group of men who were trained to operate in four- to eight-man teams deep behind enemy lines, the Marine Force Reconnaissance companies.įorce Recon companies were active throughout the Vietnam War. But in South Vietnam, how could a commander obtain intelligence, particularly tactical intelligence, about the enemy he faced if the enemy held no ground except that which he was transiting, was an expert in camouflage, and would only fight if cornered or had local superiority? These questions were especially important to the Marines because the northern border of II Zone, its area of operations, was the demilitarized zone that divided communist North Vietnam from democratic South Vietnam. In World War II and the Korean War, obtaining intelligence about enemy strength on “Hill 609” or the defenses of beach conditions on “Beach Green” was a relatively straightforward, if sometimes perilous, exercise.

Accurate and timely intelligence about the enemy’s strength, intentions, actions, and location was one of the most vexing problems confronting U.S.

Man of war vietnam weapons cache location