The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile): Ia Drang to Khe Sanh
by Al Berke

Introduction

If there is one image that is indelibly associated with the American War in Vietnam, it is the helicopter. For many, the distinctive phip, phip, phip of rotor blades holds a visceral fascination. Whatever one thinks of the premise or realism in the movie Apocalypse Now, there is no denying the power of the air assault scene, with its deadly ballet of gunships and troop carriers to the accompaniment of "The Ride of the Valkyries."

A large part of that mystique arises from the real life accomplishments of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile). Though small scale air assaults had been pioneered in Vietnam, it was the arrival of the Air Cavalry that brought the concept of air assault to the fore (Tolson, 40). Air Assault is more than just airmobility using helicopters, but the swift and sudden application of massed firepower, including artillery, aircraft, rocket artillery and infantry from the air. And it was the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) that first validated that concept on the battlefields of Vietnam. The nickname "The First Team" may have predated Vietnam, but the 1st Cavalry continued to live up to it during the seven years it operated in South East Asia. The Skytroopers fought in more areas, received more honors, including 26 Medals of Honor, and suffered more casualties than any other US division in the war (Summers, 63). This article will discuss the evolution of the air assault concept and the organization of the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) as well as several of the campaigns in Vietnam where the concept was validated.

11th Air Assault Division (Test) Insignia (QM Museum).

Beginnings

Cavalry as a combat arm has many roles suited to its mobility. This includes scouting for enemy forces and delaying them if necessary, screening friendly movements, pursuing a retreating enemy and conducting raids behind enemy lines. In the United States, cavalry for the most part has been less about valiant charges and swirling mounted melees than about the use of mounts to swiftly move troops who then normally fought dismounted. Best exemplified by Beddford Forrest's simple maxim "Get there fustest with the mostest," the list includes Buford's delay of Heth's division before Gettysburg, Jeb Stuart's slashing cavalry raids against the Army of the Potomac, and General Sheridan's powerful Union Cavalry Corps (Stanton, 5). 

By the end of World War II cavalry had become mechanized, road bound and pretty much subsumed into the armor community (Stanton, 7). In some cases, its functions were also being conducted by aircraft, such as Patton's use of the Ninth Air Force to screen his flanks during the Third Army's liberation of France. The Korean War brought the realization to a small group of officers that the Army, focused on preparing for a nuclear ground war in Central Europe, had largely lost its cavalry capability, especially in the rugged terrain of countries such as Korea and Vietnam. 

The debate was sparked by the distinguished Airborne Commander, Major General James Gavin, who proposed the use of helicopters to provide the mobility and cavalry functions currently lacking in the US Army (Stanton, 10-11) The idea slowly gained momentum against the army bureaucracy until it was given a jump start by Secretary of Defense McNamara in 1962 (Stanton, 14-15) The result of his constant prodding and a lot of hard work and effort by some dedicated officers was the establishment of the 11th Air Assault Division (Test) to explore concepts of airmobility. The division grew from a battalion sized force to three brigades of two infantry battalions each integrated with an aviation group, artillery battalions and other necessary support elements. Many obstacles had to be overcome, including personnel shortages (especially pilots), helicopter reliability problems, an intransigent US Air Force and perceived vulnerabilities of the helicopters from enemy fire and during night and bad weather conditions (Stanton, 24-31). In the end the naysayers were proven wrong. The big test, dubbed Exercise AIR ASSAULT II started in October 1964. 

"In one month the test division conclusively demonstrated that its elements could seek out the enemy over a wide area despite unfavorable weather conditions, find him, and then rapidly bring together the necessary firepower and troops to destroy him." (Stanton, 33)

Troop Helicopters picking up Infantry (Tolson, 35).

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