A US Army UH-1 'Huey' seen offloading troops during the Vietnam War

Air Assault (or air mobile, in the U.S.) is the movement of forces by helicopter or aircraft to engage and destroy enemy forces or to seize and hold key terrain. In addition to regular infantry training, these forces usually receive training in rappelling and air transportation, and their equipment is sometimes modified as well to allow better transportation in aircraft. Due to the transport load restrictions of those aircraft, air assault troops are usually light infantry though light tracked armored fighting vehicles like the M113, Russian BMD-1, German Wiesel 1 and Swedish Bv206 now enable these forces to "air-mech"; have mobility on the ground even in the face of enemy fire. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x610, 85 KB)UH-1 Iroquois offloading troops during the Vietnam War source This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made during the course of the persons official duties. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (800x610, 85 KB)UH-1 Iroquois offloading troops during the Vietnam War source This image is a work of a U.S. Army soldier or employee, taken or made during the course of the persons official duties. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... For the twin-engined military models, see UH-1N Twin Huey and UH-1Y Venom. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more horizontal rotors consisting of two or more rotor blades. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, or other means. ... In British English, abseiling (from the German abseilen, to rope down) is the process of descending on a fixed rope. ... Airborne Military parachuting form of insertion. ... Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ... The M113 is an armored personnel carrier family of vehicles in use with the US military and many other nations. ... The BMD-1 is a Soviet airborne infantry fighting vehicle, which was introduced in 1969 and first seen by the West in 1970. ... The Wiesel AWC is a German light air-transportable armoured fighting vehicle, more specifically a lightly-armoured weapons carrier. ... French Army Bv206S fording a river BvS10 version The Bv206 is a tracked, all-terrain vehicle originally developed by Alvis Hägglunds (now part of BAE Land Systems) in conjunction with the Swedish Army. ...

If dropped by parachute instead, the troops are called paratroopers. The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ... An American Paratrooper using a T-10C series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and formed into an airborne force. ...

Organization and Employment

Air assault units can vary in organization, but all include infantry as the primary fighting element, supported heavily by helicopter transport, close air fire support, medical evacuation and resupply. Most include some air mobile artillery. Units vary in size, but typically are brigade or division sized units. An Apache attack helicopter provides close air support to United States Army soldiers patrolling the Tigris River southeast of Baghdad, Iraq during the Iraq War. ... A Beech KingAir of the Australian Royal Flying Doctor Service. ... In military science a brigade is a military unit that is part of a division and includes regiments (where that level exists), or (in modern armies) is composed of several battalions (typically two to four) and directly attached supporting units. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ...

Airmobile units are designed and trained for air insertion (sometimes referred to as vertical envelopment), air resupply, and if necessary air extraction.

One specific type of air assault is air cavalry. It differs from regular air assault only in being a normal helicopter squadron with a reconnaissance mission rather than infantry that dismounts from helicopters. Air cavalry is although it can also conduct limited air assault, such as by dropping cavalry scouts behind enemy lines.

History

Air mobility has been a key concept since World War II. Initial approaches to air mobility focused on airborne units, which consisted of paratroopers and sometimes glider-borne troops. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... An American Paratrooper using a MC1-B series parachute Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force. ... Gliders or Sailplanes are heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight. ...

Paratroopers were dropped from the skies at Sicily, Normandy, Holland and Crete. Meanwhile, the Germans were using the autogyro to airlift downed Luftwaffe pilots back to friendly lines. Husky was also the codename of Australian military support to Sierra Leone ending in February 2003. ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (US 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel (Heeresgruppe B... Combatants United Kingdom United States Canada Poland Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery Brian Horrocks Roy Urquhart James M. Gavin Maxwell Taylor Stanislaw Sosabowski Walter Model Wilhelm Bittrich Kurt Student Strength 35,000 20,000 Casualties 17,000 dead or wounded 4,000 - 8,000 dead or wounded Operation Market Garden (September... Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capability. ... Modern Autogyro, ELA-07, Casarrubios del Monte Airfield, Spain, 2004. ... This or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Airborne tactics in WWII differed between nationalities and theaters of war. In Europe, Allied airborne tactics often involved broad area landings in advance of conventional forces with limited reinforcement. The airborne forces then linked up with the conventional forces when they arrived.

The German tactic in Holland and Crete was to establish an airhead at an airfield using parachute and glider infantry—similar to a beachhead in amphibious tactics—and rapidly reinforce the airhead with specially trained troops, such as the 22.Luftlandeinfanteriedivision, in transport aircraft. In the Pacific, Allied forces performed a similar operation at Nadzab in 1943, with American paratroopers of the 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment taking the airhead and the Australian 7th Division providing the reinforcing infantry in conventional transports. This is closer to the air assault tactics of today. Combatants Greece United Kingdom New Zealand Australia Germany Italy Commanders Bernard Freyberg Kurt Student Strength United Kingdom: 15,000 Greece: 11,000 Australia: 7,100 New Zealand: 6,700 Total: 40,000 (10,000 without fighting capability. ... 22. ... The Rock Regiment patch The 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR) was among the most decorated airborne units during World War II. World War II On February 14 1942. ... The 7th Division of the Australian Army was formed to serve in World War II, as part of the Second Australian Imperial Force. ...

Units like the 1st Air Commando Group performed extensive aerial resupply using gliders and conventional transports in the China-Burma-India theater (CBI). The Germans fielded the first troop carrying helicopter, the FA-223 in WW2 and would have used it to rescue Italian dictator Mussolini after the glider assault had their machine not needed repairs. In its stead, a short take-off and landing (STOL) Fieseler Storch observation plane was used to fly him to safety. The United States Army Air Forces flew Sikorsky R-4 helicopters in the CBI theater, performing the first helicopter casualty evacuation. It could only carry one person other than the pilot. They also used the R-6 which could carry two casualties in pods on the side of the helicopter. All Allied helicopter pilots in WWII were trained by the United States Coast Guard at Brooklyn Air Station. The United States 1st Air Commando Group operated in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II as part of the U.S. Tenth Air Force in support of the British Fourteenth Army in the Burma Campaign. ... China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the name used by the United States Army for its forces in China, Burma, India during World War II. Well-known US units in this theater included the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and... The Fieseler Fi 156 Storch (stork) was a small liaison aircraft built by Fieseler before and during World War II, and production continued in other countries into the 1950s for the private market. ... The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) was a part of the U.S. Army during World War II. The direct precursor to the U.S. Air Force, the USAAF formally existed between 1941 and 1947. ... Sikorsky R-4B at National Museum of the United States Air Force The Sikorsky R-4 was the worlds third production helicopter, after the German Focke-Achgelis FA 223 Drache and the Flettner Fl 282, It was the United States Air Forces first service helicopter. ... USCG HH-65 Dolphin The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States armed forces and is involved in maritime law enforcement, mariner assistance, search and rescue, and national defense. ...

In 1946 U.S. Marine General Roy S. Geiger observed the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll and instantly recognized that atomic bombs could render amphibious landings difficult because of the dense concentrations of troops, ships and material at the beachhead. The Commandant of the Marine Corps convened a special board, the Hogaboom Board, that recommended that the USMC develop transport helicopters in order to allow a more diffuse attack on enemy shores. It also recommended that the USMC stand up an experimental helicopter squadron and HMX-1 was commissioned in 1947 with Sikorsky HO3S-1s. In 1948 the Marine Corps Schools came out with Amphibious Operations—Employment of Helicopters (Tentative), or Phib-31, which was the first manual for airmobile operations. The Marines used the term vertical envelopment instead of air mobility or air assault. HMX-1 performed its first vertical envelopment from the deck of an aircraft carrier in an exercise in 1949. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the United States military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces. ... Roy Geiger Roy Stanley Geiger (January 25, 1885 - January 23, 1947) was a United States Marine Corps general who, during World War II, became the first Marine to lead an army. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. ... Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), The Nighthawks, based at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Virginia, is responsible for the helicopter transportation of the President of the United States, Vice President, Cabinet members and VIPs. ... Sikorsky is an American aircraft and helicopter manufacturer. ... HO3S Dragonfly of the US Coast Guard. ...

After the start of the Korean War, four HMX-1 helicopters were attached to VMO-6 and sent to the Pusan Perimeter in 1950. They were used for battlefield observation and control as well as medical evacuation and the rescue of fliers. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir they were used for liaison between the different Marine units strung along the western edge of the Chosin Reservoir. The Marines began commissioning transport helicopter squadrons flying Sikorsky HRS-1s in 1951. After moving to Korea, these units began performing aerial resupply and aerial assault. HMR-161 transported over 200 Marines and 18,000 pounds of cargo in the first combat helicopter air assault in history in Operation Summit in September 1951. The first battalion-sized combat helicopter air assault was that of the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines in October 1951 in Operation Bumblebee. Combatants United Nations:  Republic of Korea,  Australia,  Belgium,  Luxembourg,  Canada,  Colombia,  Ethiopia,  France,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Netherlands,  New Zealand,  Philippines,  South Africa,  Thailand,  Turkey,  United Kingdom,  United States Medical staff:  Denmark,  Australia,  Italy,  Norway,  Sweden Communist states:  Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,  Peoples Republic of China,  Soviet Union Commanders... Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1), The Nighthawks, based at Marine Corps Air Facility, Quantico, Virginia, is responsible for the helicopter transportation of the President of the United States, Vice President, Cabinet members and VIPs. ... Indochina 1886 Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. ... The Pusan Perimeter was the area in extreme southeast Korea that was held by US and South Korean troops during the furthest advance of the North Korean troops, in the summer and fall of 1950, during the Korean War. ... Combatants Peoples Volunteer Army United Nations forces; including American and British Marines Commanders Song Shi-Lun Oliver Smith Strength 60,000 30,000 Casualties 25,000 killed, 12,500 wounded, 30,000 frostbite casualties 2,500 dead, 192 missing, 5,000 wounded, 7,500 cold-related injuries The Battle... The Sikorsky UH-19 Chickasaw (formerly known as H-19, outside the US by its manufacturers designation as S-55) was a multi-purpose helicopter used by the United States Army. ... Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 161 (HMM-161) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport helicopters. ... The 3rd Battalion 7th Marine Regiment (3/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ...

In addition, the U.S. Army had their first combat test of the Piasecki H-21 helicopter in Korea. It was unofficially called the "Flying Banana" because of its banana-like appearance. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). ...

General James Gavin, the famous U.S. Army airborne officer wrote "Cavalry, and I Don't Mean Horses" in Harper's, April 1954. This article was influential in getting the U.S. Army to start considering airmobile type operations, but the Army was held back by the U.S. Air Force, which thought that it should control all aircraft including helicopters that would be used to support the Army. James Maurice Jumpin Jim Gavin (born as James Nally Ryan; March 22, 1907-February 23, 1990 rose to the rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Army. ... An issue of Harpers Magazine from 1905 Another issue, from November 2004 Harpers Magazine (or simply Harpers) is a monthly general-interest magazine covering literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts from a progressive, moderate left perspective in a fashion often not found in the ordinary news... The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ...

Helicopter use in Indochina and North Africa, by the French Army was limited in the 1950s by the limited availability and capability of the helicopters of the time. Most application was in medical evacuation. However the utility of the helicopter was obvious to forward looking military planners. Combatants French Union France State of Vietnam Viet Minh Commanders Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque (1945-46) Jean-Étienne Valluy (1946-8) Roger Blaizot (1948-9) Marcel-Maurice Carpentier (1949-50) Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1950-51) Raoul Salan (1952-3) Henri Navarre (1953-4) Ho Chi Minh Vo Nguyen...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic North Africa, including the UN subregion North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided politically from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... The French Army (French: Armée de Terre) is the land-based component of the French Armed Forces. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ...

An early attempt to apply air mobility to warfare was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954. French military leaders believed that they could resupply the garrison there by air indefinitely. However, the air technology available, the means in which it was applied, and the terrain and geography led to failure. Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries Viet Minh, Chinese and possibly Japanese[1] consultants Commanders Christian de Castries, Pierre Langlais # Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[2] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[3] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5...

The French Army subsequently gained a lot of valuable experience during the Algerian War between 1954 and 1962. The French used American helicopters for what was termed "Aeromobilité". The first air assault operations were small, but quickly grew in size and scope to full battalion sized actions. French Army Light Aviation (Aviation Legère Armee de Terre, ALAT) helicopters were used as flying command posts, equipped with radios and to carry troops directly into battle. Helicopters were also used to supply units in the field and outposts. The Algerian War of Independence (1954–62) was a period of guerrilla strikes, maquis fighting, terrorism against civilians on both sides, and riots between the French army and colonists in Algeria and the FLN (Front de Libération Nationale) and other pro-independence Algerians. ... The French Army Light Aviation (French: Aviation Légère de l’Armée de Terre) (ALAT) is a the aviation part of the French Army. ...

On November 5, 1956 the Royal Marines' 45 Commando performed the first combat amphibious helicopter assault as part of Operation Musketeer, in Suez, Egypt. They were flown in Westland Whirlwind Mark 2s of 845 Naval Air Squadron from the deck of the HMS Theseus, and Whirlwinds and Bristol Sycamore HC.12s and HC.14s of the Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit (JEHU) of the RAF from the deck of HMS Ocean. November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Royal Marines (RM), are the Royal Navys elite fighting forces. ... 45 (RM) Commando is a battalion sized formation of the British Royal Marines. ... Combatants Israel United Kingdom France Egypt Commanders Moshe Dayan Charles Keightley Pierre Barjot Gamal Abdel Nasser Abdel Hakim Amer Strength 175,000 Israeli 45,000 British 34,000 French 70,000 Casualties 197 Israeli KIA 56 British KIA 91 British WIA 10 French KIA 43 French WIA 650 KIA 2... Northermost part of Gulf of Suez with town Suez on map of 1856. ... The Westland Whirlwind helicopter was a British-built version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw. ... HMS Theseus (R64) was a Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. ... Bristol Aeroplane Company logo The Bristol Aeroplane Company (formerly British and Colonial Aeroplane Company) was a major British aircraft company which, in 1959, merged with several major British aircraft companies, to become the British Aircraft Corporation and later still part of British Aerospace, now BAE Systems. ... Categories: Stub | British military utility aircraft 1940-1949 | Helicopters ... Categories: Stub | British military utility aircraft 1940-1949 | Helicopters ...

In 1956 the U.S. Navy modified and recommissioned the USS Thetis Bay, a WWII escort carrier, as an Assault Helicopter Aircraft Carrier (CVHA-1). It was the first ship purposely modified for air assault operations. The Marines started receiving their much-used Sikorsky HUS helicopters in 1957. They would be redesignated as UH-34s in 1962. Later three WWII Essex-class fleet carriers were also converted and in 1961 the U.S. Navy commissioned the USS Iwo Jima, the first carrier planned and built as a platform for air assault operations. The United States Navy, also known as the USN or the U.S. Navy, is a branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... USS Thetis Bay (CVE-90) was laid down under Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1127) on 22 December 1943 at Vancouver, Wash. ... The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, was a small aircraft carrier developed by the Royal Navy in the early part of World War II to deal with the U-boat crisis of the Battle of the Atlantic. ... The Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw (also known as the Sikorsky S-58) was a military helicopter originally designed for the US Navy for service in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. ... The Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw (also known as the Sikorsky S-58) was a military helicopter originally designed for the US Navy for service in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. ... The United States Navys Essex-class aircraft carriers constituted the Twentieth Centurys largest class of heavy warships, with 24 ships built. ... Four aircraft carriers, (bottom-to-top) Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault carrier USS Wasp, supercarrier USS Forrestal and light V/STOL carrier HMS Invincible, showing size differences of late 20th century carriers An aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and recover aircraft — in effect acting as a sea... USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2) was the lead ship of her class—the first ship to be designed and built from the keel up as an amphibious assault ship. ...

Vietnam War

Airmobile assault during the Vietnam War.

U.S. Army CH-21 helicopter transports arrived in Vietnam on 11 December 1961. Air assault operations using South Vietnamese (ARVN) troops began 12 days later in Operation Chopper. These were very successful at first but the Viet Cong (VC) began developing counter helicopter techniques and at Ap Bac on February 1962, 14 of 15 helicopters were hit and four shot down. The Army began adding machine guns and rockets to their smaller UH-1 Huey helicopters and developed the first purpose built gunship, the UH-1B with the M-6E3 armament system. Image File history File links UH-1D_helicopters_in_Vietnam_1966. ... Image File history File links UH-1D_helicopters_in_Vietnam_1966. ... The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). ... December 11 is the 345th day (346th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... Operation Chopper occurred on January 12, 1962 and was the first time US forces participated in major combat in the Vietnam War. ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders unknown battalion commander Bui Dinh Dam John Paul Vann Strength 350 1,400 Casualties 18 dead 39 wounded 83 dead 108 wounded The Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War that resulted in the first... For the twin-engined military models, see UH-1N Twin Huey and UH-1Y Venom. ... A helicopter gunship is a military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground, using automatic cannon and machinegun fire, rockets, and precision guided missiles such as the Hellfire. ... UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters eqipped with M60D machine guns near Najaf, Iraq in May 2005 The helicopter itself has added much to the modern battlefield, changing land warfare tactics across the board. ...

U.S. Marine helicopter squadrons began four month rotations through Vietnam as part of Operation SHUFLY on 15 April 1962. Six days later, they performed the first helicopter assault using U.S. Marine helicopters and ARVN troops. After April 1963 as losses began to mount, U.S. Army UH-1 Huey gunships escorted the Marine transports. The VC again used effective counter landing techniques and in Operation Sure Wind 202 on 27 April 1964, 17 of 21 helicopters were hit and three shot down. April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...

The 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines made a night helicopter assault in the Elephant Valley south of Da Nang on 12 August 1965 shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in country. On 17 August 1965 in Operation STARLITE the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines landed in three helicopter landing zones (LZs) west of the 1st VC Regiment in the Van Tuong village complex, 12 miles south of Chu Lai, while the 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines landed on the beaches to the east. The transport helicopters were 24 UH-34s from HMM-361 and HMM-261 escorted by Marine and Army Hueys. VC losses were 614 killed, Marine losses were 45 KIA and 203 WIA. 2nd Battalion 3rd Marines (2/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... Da Nang (occasionally Danang; in Vietnamese: Đà Nẵng  ) is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... 2nd Battalion 4th Marines (2/4) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. ... 3rd Battalion 3rd Marines (3/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors. ... The Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw (also known as the Sikorsky S-58) was a military helicopter originally designed for the US Navy for service in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) role. ... Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 (HMM-261) is a United States Marine Corps helicopter squadron consisting of CH-46E Sea Knight transport helicopters. ...

The need for a new type of unit became apparent to the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board (normally referred to as the Howze Board) of the U.S. Army in 1962 when they saw a new kind of war heading their way. The Army saw that Vietnam was varied in terrain, having jungles, mountains, and rivers, making ground movement very difficult. To circumvent this problem, they developed the idea to use helicopters to move troops in and out and around a battlefield area, carry out the wounded, and drop off supplies. Howze Board is the informal name ot the Tactical Mobility Requirements Board was created at the request of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to review and test new concepts integrating helicopters into the United States Army. ... The United States Army is the largest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ...

Initially a new experimental unit was formed, the 11th Air Assault Division on 11 February 1963, combining light infantry with integral helicopter transport and air support. Following training and testing, the unit was activated for Vietnam service with the designation 1st Air Cavalry Division, continuing the tradition of the 1st Cavalry Division. The 11th Airborne Division of the US Army was activated on the 25 February 1943. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav Div) is a heavy armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Hood, Texas. ... The 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav Div) is a heavy armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Hood, Texas. ...

The first unit of the new division to see action was the 1st Battalion/U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel Harold G. Moore, an old army paratrooper. The 7th Cavalry was the same regiment that Custer had commanded at the ill fated Battle of the Little Bighorn. On November 14, 1965, he led his troops in the first large unit engagement of the 1960s Vietnam War, which took place near the Chu Pong massif near the Vietnam-Cambodia border. It is known today as the Battle of Ia Drang Valley. 7th Cavalry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia The 7th United States Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army cavalry regiment, whose lineage traces back to the mid-19th century. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Harold Gregory Hal Moore, Jr. ... Combatants Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho United States Commanders Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse George Armstrong Custer â€ , Marcus Reno, Frederick Benteen, James Calhoun Strength 949 lodges (probably 950-1200 warriors) 31 officers, 566 troopers, 15 armed civilians, ~35-40 scouts Casualties ~138 killed ~168 wounded (according to Sitting Bull and Red Horse... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ... In geology, a massif is a section of a planets crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. ... The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle of the Vietnam War between the United States Army and the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN). ...

This unit gave common currency to the U.S. term Air Cavalry. Units of this type may also be referred to as Airmobile or with other terms that describe the integration of air and ground combat forces within a single unit. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Today

An important measure during an air assault: securing the landing zone.

In the United States military, the air assault mission is now the primary role of the 101st Airborne Division. This unit is the Army's only division-sized helicopter-borne fighting force. Many of its soldiers are graduates of the Air Assault course qualifying them to insert and extract using fast rope and rappel means from a hover in addition to the ordinary walk on and off from an airlanded helicopter. Since the 101st has relinquished its parachute capability, the 82nd Airborne Division is the United States Army's remaining parachute division. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (1110 × 745 pixel, file size: 687 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: US Army website images section File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (1110 × 745 pixel, file size: 687 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: US Army website images section File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A Landing Zone or LZ is a military term for any area where aircraft land. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... The 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army was formed originally as the 82nd Infantry Division on August 25, 1917, at Camp Gordon, Georgia. ...

All U.S. Marine Corps ground units are trained in basic air assault tactics and capable of performing heliborne operations that require them to walk off the airlanded helicopter. United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is the second smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. ...

There are other major "conventional" units in the United States Army that have parachute capabilities; the 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Italy and the Alaska-based 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division, which has its division headquarters in Hawaii. The former unit parachuted into Northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. These units are considered regional quick reaction parachute forces for the Pacific and Atlantic regions. Shoulder sleeve patch of the 173rd Airborne Brigrade. ... In American military history, the 25th Infantry Division (nicknamed Tropic Lightening) is a large military unit associated with operations in the Asia-Pacific region. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the...

See also

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Air assault

• Airborne forces
• Paratroopers