The Use of Helicopters in the Vietnam War - Essay Example

?The use of Helicopters in Vietnam Changed the way the United s Waged War. Introduction In the history of the United s, several wars have been fought with the engagement of personnel and powerful military equipment. Many of the wars were supported by American citizens while other wars were criticized. The Vietnam War is one of the armed conflicts that changed in many ways the history of the United States. The war which began in 1955 and ended in 1975 involved combat with North Vietnam, air superiority at this stage being the hallmark of success. This paper will provide a historiography of the way US warfare has been impacted by the use of helicopters during the Vietnam War. This paper will provide a historiography of the way US warfare has been impacted by the use of helicopters during the Vietnam War. When the United Sates engaged Vietnam in military combat in the 60s, the former was undoubtedly the most powerful in air combat in the entire world1. However, the general idea of bombing the enemy to stone-age could not work in this case as it had worked in other wars before. This was mainly because the nature of the war was much different from those of the past. One of the major differences in this case was the fact that there was no clear definition of the enemy as one side rolled and rumbled across the skies while the other tried to garner success from the ground. The events preceding the Vietnam War include the training of South Vietnamese by the US’ Military Assistance Advisory Group according to Bradley, Jayne, and Luu. This view is also held by Wiest and Barbier. Wiest and Barbier further state that this training was conducted in the 1960s so that the region would have the capacity to defend itself in the event of attack by its neighbors some of whom were communists. The US Air Force in a show of might presented a number of powerful planes with which their trained Vietnamese soldiers in aerial techniques and tactics. The boundary between the original objective of the US and reconnaissance however began to blur in time as the US military personnel got onboard the planes as against the Viet Cong2. Later, attacks on American planes by communist forces began prompting President Johnson to issue an order for the bombing of the communist forces. The campaign dabbed Rolling Thunder which whose operations and commands came from Washington faced serious problems as decision making and flow of command was slow. This made the Viet Cong to escape attack every so often. The use of ware planes and fighter jets became real as the war ranged in earnest. One thing however that is evoked by the mention of the Vietnam war is the sound of whirling powerful helicopter blades. Both the United States and South Vietnam used helicopters and powerful weapons in combating the enemy3. Helicopters were literally engaged in every aspect of the war according to Centennialofflight and Bradley, Jayne, and Luu. While only hoping to sell 500 units of helicopters, Bell Incorporated managed to make a big catch by selling over 15000 units of the same4. Bell’s Huey was so powerful as to be a solution to several problems including rescuing downed military personnel and cargo according to Bradley, Jayne, and Luu. Huynh. In agreement with Bradley, Jayne, and Luu, Allen further states that the Helicopters were also used for ferrying ground troops to and from the battle front. The use of helicopters proved very reliable as the mobility of ground troops increased thereby improving the efficiency of the military significantly. Apart from being used or transportation, they were also equipped with heavy armament so as to serve as gun ships flying over targets and destroying them with significant ease according to Heath and Everett. This kind of operation ended up being a great relief to the ground troops. In 1975, North Vietnam conquered in a couple of months South Vietnam. The US with the use of only about 70 military helicopters evacuated over 8000 individuals from Saigon in just about 18 hours5. This event has been recorded in the books of history as the largest helicopter evacuation mission in an overseas action that was a disaster. The US and Warfare Strategy Today Following the Vietnam War and the characteristic use of the helicopter in performing various tasks, the US has had a lot of change toward its approach to warfare. Some of the most famous helicopters at this time included the AH-1 Cobra, the Huey, the OH-58, the OH-6, the CH-47 and the scout and observation helicopter6. As there were no clear lines during the battle, the South Vietnamese Military introduced a search and destroy mission so as to attack the enemy which had the numbers. The purpose of the helicopters included searching for positions occupied by the enemy and removing or destroying them to ensure that the US military took their positions. The AH-1B helicopter proved to be the best for the prevailing harsh conditions as it could be used to extract soldiers under untenable conditions on the ground. The cobra, which was an upgraded AH-1E, was used for supporting the marines on the ground. Helicopters were used mostly for medical, search and rescue activities and troop transport during the military campaigns. Today, the US military uses the helicopter as a platform of maneuver. The equipment is used for transporting supplies, reconnaissance, medical evacuation, attacking enemy targets as well as performing air assault. In effect, with the use of helicopters, the war continued all through from 1966 to 1967 increasing military buildup7. With the intensification of the war, the United States military in Vietnam totaled around half a million. The Apache Longbow helicopter gives specific testimony to these facts as its power is adored worldwide by those who have the ability to appreciate its capabilities, thanks to the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War led to the perfection and improvement of helicopter technology and war tactics8. The number of military helicopter units owned by the US has significantly increased henceforth with about 9500 being the inventory as of 1969. The Army Aviation doctrine held the US is also a product of the helicopter mission at the time of the war. More than ever, the US has come to appreciate the potential of the helicopter in navigating rough or rugged terrain as that of Vietnam9. North Vietnam initially boasted the advantage of rough terrain that made it difficult for the enemy to hit its targets. This difficulty was overcome by use of the helicopter. Conclusion The air war including use of helicopters in Vietnam slowly increased and spread all through the US as campaigns were done in favor and consistence with America’s military and political objectives. This largely contributed to a change in the United States political history in staging war. There was the utilization of air components in all the military services and the history of war changed greatly in United States. For instance, there was extensive use of Jet bombers as well as fighters jets for the first time in the history of contemporary warfare. Among all the attack helicopters in use during the war, the most prominent was the Huey AH-1B attack helicopter. The success following the use of attack helicopters in the Vietnam War contributed to the setting of a stage for conducting future conflicts. It also did set a stage for ground operations in yet to be fought wars. Works cited: 1. Bradley, Mark, Jayne, Werner. & Luu, Huynh. The Vietnam War: Vietnamese and American Perspectives. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe. 1993. 2. Rhodes, Joel. The Voice of Violence: Performative Violence as Protest in the Vietnam Era. New York: Praeger Publishers. 2001. 3. Centennialofflight. The Air War in Vietnam. Nd. Viewed 1st April, 2011 http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Air_Power/vietnam/AP40.htm 4. Heath John. Helicopters in Combat. New York, New York: Sterling Publishing Co. 1992. 5. Wiest, Andrew & Barbier, Mary. America and the Vietnam War: Re-Examining the Culture and History of a Generation. London: Taylor & Francis. 2010 6. Allen Matthew. Military Helicopter Doctrines of the Major Powers, 1945-1992. Westport,Connecticut: Greenwood Press.1993. Read More