Hatchet Force
Encyclopedia
A Hatchet Force or Hatchet Team was a special operations team of American and South Vietnam
ese members of MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War
, who operated in small covert operation
s along the Ho Chi Minh trail
from 1966. The units specialized in search and destroy
missions and in locating missing American servicemen in Laos
, Cambodia and North Vietnam
.
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". Hatchet Force teams remained in operation until each field command was deactivated; for CCN this was on 16 October 1972, CCC on 18 October 1972, and CCS in January 1973.
airfield, Hatchet Forces operated out of Firebase-3. While the Hatchet team consisted of six American special forces and 32 indigenous soldiers, the firebase held 131 Americans and 457 Special Commando Units of indigenous soldiers. The Hatchet teams were used as strike forces, operating in the jungle against targets located by recon teams operating from Khe Sanh.
n 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. 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.
On 23 June 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
.
, 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 allegedly 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.
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
ese members of MACV-SOG during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, who operated in small covert operation
Covert operation
A covert operation is a military, intelligence or law enforcement operation that is carried clandestinely and, often, outside of official channels. Covert operations aim to fulfill their mission objectives without any parties knowing who sponsored or carried out the operation...
s along the Ho Chi Minh trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
from 1966. The units specialized in search and destroy
Search and destroy
Search and Destroy, Seek and Destroy, or even simply S&D, refers to a military strategy that became a notorious component of the Vietnam War. The idea was to insert ground forces into hostile territory, search out the enemy, destroy them, and withdraw immediately afterward...
missions and in locating missing American servicemen in Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, Cambodia and North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
.
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). Operating in small groups, usually three American Special ForcesUnited States Army Special Forces
The United States Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets because of their distinctive service headgear, are a special operations force tasked with six primary missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, hostage rescue, and...
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". Hatchet Force teams remained in operation until each field command was deactivated; for CCN this was on 16 October 1972, CCC on 18 October 1972, and CCS in January 1973.
Khe Sanh 1967–1968
During the siege of Khe Sanh, the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
airfield, Hatchet Forces operated out of Firebase-3. While the Hatchet team consisted of six American special forces and 32 indigenous soldiers, the firebase held 131 Americans and 457 Special Commando Units of indigenous soldiers. The Hatchet teams were used as strike forces, operating in the jungle against targets located by recon teams operating from Khe Sanh.
Searching for MIAs
On 30 December 1968 a Hatchet Force of 40 men under the command of 1st Lt. James R. Jerson was inserted one mile east of the Laos/CambodiaCambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
n border to search for the missing Sergeant Robert Francis Scherdin. The Hatchet force triggered a claymore
Claymore
The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...
and were then attacked by two company-sized NVA
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
forces. Three and a half hours later the Hatchet Force managed to blast a landing zone
Landing Zone
A Landing Zone or "LZ" is a military term for any area where an aircraft can land.In the United States military, a landing zone is the actual point where aircraft land...
from which they were extracted with 50% casualties, including Jerson. Jerson's second in command, Robert L. Howard
Robert L. Howard
Robert Lewis Howard was a highly decorated United States Army soldier and Medal of Honor recipient of the Vietnam War. He was wounded 14 times over 54 months of combat, was awarded 8 Purple Hearts, 4 Bronze Stars, and was nominated for the Medal of Honor three separate times...
, later received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
. 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.
On 23 June 1971 a Hatchet force were inserted 60 miles west-southwest of Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
, 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
CAR-15
The Colt Automatic Rifle-15 Military Weapons System or CAR-15 was a family of AR-15 and M16 rifle–based firearms marketed by Colt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Due to their compact size, the short-barreled Colt Commando and XM177 versions of this family continued to be issued to the U.S...
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
Missing in action
Missing in action is a casualty Category assigned under the Status of Missing to armed services personnel who are reported missing during active service. They may have been killed, wounded, become a prisoner of war, or deserted. If deceased, neither their remains nor grave can be positively...
.
Operation Tailwind
Between 11 September and 13 September 1970, a covert incursion took place into southeastern LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, which was led by a Hatchet Force, in order to create a diversion for an offensive by the Royal Lao Army
Royal Lao Army
The Royal Lao Army was the armed forces of the Kingdom of Laos. Its predecessor was the National Laotian Army - NLA of the French Union, created in 1947 from 'maquis', or guerrilla units gathered by French commandos. It was created in 1954 after the French granted Laos complete autonomy...
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
Dak To
Đắk Tô is a village in the Central Highlands of Vietnam and in the so-called "tri-border" area where the borders of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all come together. Located just north of the Vietnamese town of Tan Canh , Dak To is populated by a Montagnard tribal people known as the Degar...
. 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 allegedly fabricated CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
report of the use of Sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
, and other alleged war crimes by Peter Arnett
Peter Arnett
Peter Gregg Arnett, ONZM is a New Zealand-American journalist.Arnett worked for National Geographic magazine, and later for various television networks, most notably CNN. He is well known for his coverage of war, including the Vietnam War and the Gulf War...
, Producer April Oliver, Producer Jack Smith, Sr. Producer Pam Hill, and others.