The answer seemed to lie in a new capability uncovered during the Korean War—the helicopter. Some forward thinkers wondered what might happen if the helicopter’s role was expanded beyond its introductory Korean role as an air ambulance. The helicopter escaped the natural hindrance of geography, rapidly extracted the wounded from the battlefield, and then transported them to a Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals (MASH). If helicopters could transport casualties from the field, then why couldn’t they move fighters to the field and within it?

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The first problem was the machine was itself. The old Korean ‘erector set’ Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) chopper only carried two wounded troops on each skid. This was obviously not a viable troop load. To work, the troop assault helicopter had to carry a squad at least. This eventually led to the UH-1 Huey. This was the bird that hopscotched all over Fort Benning, Georgia, with the test division, the 11th Air Assault Division. The Benning trials proved the rotary wing concept.

The helicopter allowed dismounted troops to move rapidly from point to point through the jungle. Its’ ability to move above the jungle enhanced troop survivability by removing them from the disease ridden tropical environment and brought them to the decisive point fresh and ready to fight. It overcame the airborne drop zone problem in that a guided insertion into the landing zone allowed for a smaller landing zone. The air assault trials vindicated a new form of warfare—one that promised expanded mobility, rapid response, and the warrior’s dominance over terrain.

The 11th Air Assault concept was fielded in Vietnam as the newly minted 1st Cavalry Division. They faced their historic first test in the Ia Drang Valley in November 1965 at LZ X-Ray and Albany. Hal Moore’s battle at LZ X-Ray was the one that showcased what air assault could do. He put troops on the ground where they were needed and his support inserted artillery batteries where they were needed. It was clear the helicopter and air assault were now a permanent addition to the war making repertoire. 

The combination of aviation and infantry along with other members of the combined arms team is not new. The helicopter is just a new and more precise delivery platform—having progressed from gliders to planes to choppers. The air / infantry mix forms a powerful and flexible team that projects combat power throughout the entire depth, width, and breadth of the battlefield without being restricted by terrain.

AIR ASSAULT – WHAT IT CAN DO

The versatility of air assault comes from its combination of the helicopter’s operational agility with the firepower and tactical mobility of the infantry and its’ close combat capability. Throw in combat support arms and you have a veritable witches brew of combat power. This lethal and versatile combination can be effectively employed on the low, mid, and high-intensity battlefield.

Air assault operations are those in which the assault forces (combat, combat support, and combat service support), using the firepower, mobility, and total integration of helicopter assets, maneuver on the battlefield. They do so under the control of the ground maneuver commander (GMC). They get to the battlefield under the command of the air maneuver commander (AMC). Once on the ground, using vertical envelopment, they engage and destroy enemy forces or seize and hold key terrain.

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