On 1 July 1965 the 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was officially activated and was ordered to Vietnam beginning 28 July 1965. In a matter of three and half weeks the newly formed division, with 16,000 men and 434 helicopters--Chinooks (CH-47s), Flying Cranes (CH-54s), Mohawks (OV-1s), UH-1s and OH-13s--was prepared to enter combat. Within 90 days of becoming the Army's first airmobile division, the 'First Team' was in combat as the first fully committed division of the Vietnam War. On 10 October 1965, in Operation 'Shiny Bayonet', the First Team initiated its first brigade-size airmobile action against the enemy. The division would go on to take part in many more air assaults and play a leading role in defence against the Tet offensive, driving out the NVA and Viet Cong invaders from Hue and, in Operation 'Pegasus', relieving the 3,500 U.S. Marines and 2,100 ARVN soldiers besieged by nearly 20,000 enemy at Khe Sanh. On 1 May 1970, the 'First Team' was 'First into Cambodia' hitting what was previously a Communist sanctuary but the campaign had severe political repercussions for the Nixon Administration. Pressure was mounting to withdraw US forces from the war. Although there would be further assault operations, the war was beginning to wind down and 26 March 1971 officially marked the end of duties in Vietnam for the 1st Cavalry Division, although it was only on 5 May 1971 that the colours moved from Vietnam to Fort Hood, Texas.
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A well-established author, filmmaker and photographer, Simon Dunstan has written more than 50 books on military history, particularly on World War II and Vietnam. He has also written and directed numerous military history documentaries for the History Channel.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Visual History, Well Presented,
By AdvanceBookReviews.com (Sunnyvale, California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The 'First Team (Spearhead) (Paperback)
Once again Ian Allen has produced an excellent short history as part of its SPEARHEAD series. "1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The `First Team,'" by Simon Dunstan is a 96-page, full-color (and mostly) photographic treatment of the First Team's tour in Vietnam. Dunstan's study provides a comprehensive introduction to the Air Cavalry. The 1st Cavalry Division traces its linage back to the early 19th Century and fought proudly and well in both World War II and Korea. The unit was re-designated as the Army's first Airmobile Division on July 1, 1965 and ordered to Vietnam. Within a month, the division's16,000 men and more than 400 helicopters were prepared to enter combat. The unit fought its first major engagement in November 1965 in the Ia Drang Valley, a bloody battle fully covered in Lt. General Hal Moore's award-winning book (and subsequent movie) We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young.
The First Team's history in Vietnam mirrors all of the units that fought there. It was also the first unit into Cambodia in 1970 and in nearly continuous combat from 1965-1970. The unit returned to Fort Hood, Texas, in 1970. The 1st Cavalry Division served in Bosnia and elements are in Iraq as of the writing of this review. The well selected and outstanding photos are complimented by a short but well-written text. Several informative sidebars describe a variety of things, including the design of the division's colorful unit crest. Includes nearly 100 color and a few black and white photographs, maps, glossary, timeline. "1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The `First Team,'" by Simon Dunstan. ISBN 0-7110-3042-1 (Ian Allen), paper, 96 pages, $19.95. Recommended for Vietnam, air history buffs. Review by Lee Merideth
1.0 out of 5 stars
An outline,
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This review is from: 1st Air Cavalry in Vietnam: The 'First Team (Spearhead) (Paperback)
I was expecting more in depth history of the Cav in Vietnam. I was very disappointed with how thin the book was.
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