Working Paper high, hot and heavy: the ch-47 chinook in combat assault operations in afghanistan
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| A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror (Lincoln, NE: US Army Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc. and iUniverse, 2005), 166.
56 Brigadier General William Maddox quoted in James Williams, A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror (Lincoln, NE: US Army Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc. and iUniverse, 2005), 171. 57 General William Westmoreland, A Soldier Reports (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1976), 348. 58 Unidentified Viet Cong commander quoted in Captain William Griffin, “Army Aviation in Support of Counterguerrilla Operations,” US Army Aviation Digest, September 1962, 9. 59 Herbert LaPore, “The Role of the Helicopter in the Vietnam War,” US Army Aviation Digest, July/August 1994, 33-39. 60 Captain Daniel Henk, “The Threat to Air Assault Operations,” US Army Aviation Digest, February 1976, 6-7, 16-18; 1st Cavalry Division, “America’s First Team: TRICAP Conversion,” 2010, 1 http://pao.hood.army.mil/1stcavdiv/about/history/tricapconversion.htm (accessed 8 February 2012). 61 US Army FACTFILES, “Black Hawk,” 1, http://www.army.mil/factfiles/equipment/aircraft/blackhawk.html (accessed 9 February 2012). 62 John Romjue, The Army of Excellence: The Development of the 1980s Army (Fort Monroe, VA: United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, 1993), 48, 78, 93-94; Kevin Stubbs, “Beyond the AOE,” Military Review, August 1988, 35-41; Congressional Budget Office, A CBO Study: An Analysis of US Army Helicopter Programs, Report to Congress, December 1995, 11, 20, 64-65. 63 Ronald Cole, Operation URGENT FURY: The Planning and Execution of Joint Operations in Grenada 12 October – 2 November 1983 (Washington, DC: Joint History Office, Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1997), 41-58; James Williams, A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror (Lincoln, NE: US Army Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc. and iUniverse, 2005), 223. 64 Cody Phillips, Operation JUST CAUSE: The Incursion into Panama (Washington, DC: US Army Center of Military History, 2004), 26-28, 34-35. 65 James Williams, A History of Army Aviation: From Its Beginnings to the War on Terror (Lincoln, NE: US Army Aviation Museum Foundation, Inc. and iUniverse, 2005), 236-258; VII Corps, “VII Corps in Desert Storm,” http://www.vii-corps.org/DesertStorm/DesertStorm.htm (accessed 9 February 2010). 66 John McGrath, The Brigade: A History: Its Organization and Employment in the US Army (Fort Leavenworth, KS: US Army Combat Studies Institute Press, 2004), 86-90, 131-138; Headquarters, Department of the Army, 2010 Army Modernization Strategy, 23 April 2010, 58. 67 Headquarters, Department of the Army, Field Manual (FM) 3-0, Operations (Washington, DC: 2008), C-10; Headquarters, Department of the Army, Field Manual ATTP 3-18.12 (FM 90-4), Air Assault Operations (Washington, DC: 2011), 1-3, 1-4. 68 Headquarters, Department of the Army, Field Manual ATTP 3-18.12 (FM 90-4), Air Assault Operations (Washington, DC: 2011), vi, 1-1, 1-2, 1-5. 69 Brigadier General John Mulholland, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 7 May 2007, 6. 70 Colonel Franklin Wiercinski quoted in “Colonel Sets Positions From Ridge,” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 16 March 2002, 1-2, http://lubbockonline.com/stories/031602/wor_0316020122.shtml (accessed 16 February 2012). 71 Colonel Frank Wiercinski, interview by Austin Bay, Creators Syndicate, 29 June 2002, 1-5, http://www.strategypage.com/on_point/20020627.aspx (accessed 14 February 2012). 72 Colonel James Marye, email correspondence with author, 17 February 2012, 1. 73 Lieutenant General Franklin Hagenbeck, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 30 March 2007, 6. 74 Lester Grau and Dodge Billingsley, Operation Anaconda : America’s First Major Battle in Afghanistan (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2011), 107-111. 75 In hindsight, some military commanders believed that failure to establish blocking positions during the Battle of Tora Bora (12-17 December 2001 in the Spin Ghar region of Nangarhar Province) allowed high-level Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders to escape. 76 A fully equipped brigade combat team would typically have 5,000 Soldiers, see Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 53. 77 Lester Grau and Dodge Billingsley, Operation Anaconda : America’s First Major Battle in Afghanistan (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2011), 96-98. The exact number of aircraft in TF Talon at the time is unclear. TF Commander Colonel James Marye later recalled 8 Chinooks initially, 4 more Chinooks arrived some time later, 8 Apaches, 8 Black Hawks, and 4 MEDEVAC helicopters. TF Talon Executive Officer, Colonel (as of 2012) Scott Kubica recalled 8 Chinooks initially, 8 more arriving from the 159th Aviation Regiment, 8 Apaches, 4 Black Hawks, and 3 MEDEVAC helicopters. On 28 January 2002, a Chinook from A Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Airborne crashed in Khost province while executing a night, brown-out conditions, landing. This aircraft was damaged beyond repair. See Colonel James Marye, email correspondence with author, 26 February 2012, 1-3; Colonel Scott Kubica, email correspondence with author, 27 February 2012, 1. 78 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 132-135; Richard Stewart, The United States Army in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, October 2001-March 2002, CMH Publication 70-83-1 (Washington, DC: US Army Center of Military History, 2006), 31. 79 Richard Stewart, The United States Army in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, October 2001-March 2002, CMH Publication 70-83-1 (Washington, DC: US Army Center of Military History, 2006), 33. 80 Lieutenant Colonel Jim Larsen quoted in Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 62. 81 CJTF Mountain, Operation Anaconda, Combat Operations Brief, 26 February 2002, slide 2. 82 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeffrey Simon quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 1. 83 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 141; Lester Grau and Dodge Billingsley, Operation Anaconda : America’s First Major Battle in Afghanistan (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2011), 130. 84 Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 68, 119, 122, 125, 126, 131, 139, 149. 85 Pete Blaber, The Men, The Mission, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2008), 241. 86 Colonel Franklin Wiercinski quoted in Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 179-180. 87 Kevin Kennedy, “Operation ANACONDA Virtual Staff Ride,” US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, July 2010, 37-43. 88 Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kenneth Gunter quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 2. 89 Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Quinlan quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 2. 90 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 142-146. 91 Major Franklin Baltazar, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 10 May 2007, 8-12. 92 Chief Warrant Officer Scott Breslin quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 3. 93 Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeffrey Simon quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 3. 94 Kevin Kennedy, “Operation ANACONDA Virtual Staff Ride,” US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, July 2010, 44-63; Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 149-154; Note - A/1-87 and the battalion scouts purposely remained in the valley covering blocking point EVE. 95 Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Ketchum quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 4-5. 96 After the initial air assault early on D-Day, the six Chinooks (including those that extracted casualties from TF Hammer) returned to Bagram to refuel and load the remaining 1-87 and 2-187 Soldiers for the second air assault lift to the Shahi Kowt. The second lift was postponed, however, due to the extensive enemy activity in the valley. The CH-47s with 2-187 Soldiers never left Bagram. The CH-47s with 1-87 troops flew to the AO at sunset on D-Day, but could not land because of enemy fire. The flight then waited at FARP TEXACO for a short period before attempting a second landing in the zone. Again the Chinooks were unable to land safely and subsequently returned to Bagram, see Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 269-270. 97 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 154-157; Kevin Kennedy, “Operation ANACONDA Virtual Staff Ride,” US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, July 2010, 64-69. 98 Richard Stewart, The United States Army in Afghanistan, Operation Enduring Freedom, October 2001-March 2002, CMH Publication 70-83-1 (Washington, DC: US Army Center of Military History, 2006), 43; Kevin Kennedy, “Operation ANACONDA Virtual Staff Ride,” US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, July 2010, 93-100, 103. 99 Charles Briscoe et al., Weapon of Choice: US Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan (Fort Leavenworth, KS: US Army Combat Studies institute Press, 2003), 322-324; Colonel Stephen Townsend, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 11 May 2007, 3; Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Stogran, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 5-15. 100 Colonel Stephen Townsend, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 11 May 2007, 6-11. 101 General Tommy Franks, American Soldier (New York: Harper-Collins Publishers Inc., 2004), 381. 102 Major General Franklin Hagenbeck quoted in Robert McElroy, “Afghanistan: Fire support for Operation Anaconda,” Field Artillery, September/October 2002, 6. 103 3d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), “TF Rakkasan Operation ANACONDA: The Battle of Shah-i-Kot Valley, 2-13 March 2002,” Briefing, Slide 57. 104 Sean Naylor, Not a Good Day to Die: The Untold Story of Operation Anaconda (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005), 173-176; Lester Grau and Dodge Billingsley, Operation Anaconda : America’s First Major Battle in Afghanistan (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 2011), 149. 105 Kevin Kennedy, “Operation ANACONDA Virtual Staff Ride,” US Army Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, July 2010, 70-92. 106 Chief Warrant Officer 2 John Quinlan quoted in Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Pilot Reports from Afghanistan,” Press Release, updated 21 January 2012, 5. 107 Colonel Scott Kubica, email correspondence with author, 27 February 2012, 1. 108 Colonel James Marye, email correspondence with author, 26 February 2012, 1-3. 109 Royal Marines Sergeant Darren Hughes quoted in Carlotta Gall, “Marines Say al-Qaeda Unable to Fight On,” The Times, 6 May 2002, 15. 110 Brigadier Roger Lane quoted in Carlotta Gall, “Marines Say al-Qaeda Unable to Fight On,” The Times, 6 May 2002, 15. 111 Lieutenant Colonel John O’Brien, Post Historian, Fort Campbell, KY, interview by the author, 14 March 2012, 1; Colonel Wiercinski, TF Rakkasan commander, realized the critical importance of CH-47s during pre-deployment mission analysis planning at Fort Campbell in the fall of 2001. 112 President George W. Bush, “President Outlines War Effort,” Remarks at the George C. Marshall ROTC Award Seminar on National Security at Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, VA, 17 April 2002, 3. 113 CJTF Mountain, Headquarters, 10th Mountain Division, Afghanistan and Operation ANACONDA Brief, undated, Slides 41 and 42; Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 184-185. 114 Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 4-1, 4-5, 6-1, 6-2; Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Stogran, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 18 May 2007; Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 185-187. 115 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 209-211. 116 Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 10-2; Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 211. 117 General Dan McNeill, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 16 June 2008, 10. 118 Jim Garamone, “Coalition Forces Complete Operation MOUNTAIN SWEEP,” American Forces Press Service, 26 August 2002, 1; Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 10-4 to 10-6. 119 Although Chinooks participated in these air assaults, the majority were conducted by Black Hawks - Brigadier General Martin Schweitzer, email correspondence with author, 17 March 2012, 1; see also David Zucchino, “The Changing Face of Battle,” Los Angeles Times, 13 October 2002, 1-7, http://articles.latimes.com/2002/oct/13/world/fg-82nd13 (accessed 16 March 2012). 120 Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 215-216; Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 12-2, 13-1. 121 HK94 Team Administration, “Operation MONGOOSE: Cave Clearing Taliban Strongholds,” 26 February 2003, 1-2, http://www.hk94.com/weblog/archives/75 (accessed 17 March 2012); Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 14-1. 122 Heike Hasenauer, “The War on Terror,” Soldiers, September 2003, 27. 123 Specialist Marie Schult, “Operation VALIANT STRIKE,” ARMY, May 2003, 59-60; Jim Garamone, “Errant Bomb Kills 11 Afghan Civilians,” American Forces Press Service, 9 April 2003, 1; StrategyPage, “Operation UNIFIED VENTURE,” 6 May 2003, 1, http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/afghan/articles/20030506.aspx (accessed 17 March 2012; Jim Garamone, “US, Italian Forces Launch Strike in Afghanistan,” American Forces Press Service, 4 June 2003, 1; Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 14-6. 124 According to Colonel (Ret) John Whitford, PAO, Connecticut National Guard, B Company, 2d Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment did not participate in air assault operations during its 2003 deployment to Afghanistan – interview by the author, 26 March 2012, 1. 125 Department of Defense, “DEFEND AMERICA: Afghanistan Update,” 19 August – 17 September, 2003, 1-6, http://www.defendamerica.mil/afghanistan/update/sep2003/au091703.html (accessed 18 March 2010); Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 14-8; Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 252-253. 126 Sergeant Greg Heath, “10th Division Shows Its Mettle in Operation MOUNTAIN RESOLVE,” The Mountaineer Online, 26 November 2003, 1-2, http://www.drum.army.mil/mountaineer/Article.aspx?ID=3423 (accessed 19 March 2012); Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 15-1. 127 CJTF-180 statement quoted in Liz Sly, US Launches New Afghan Ground Offensive,” Chicago Tribune, 9 December 2003, 4. 128 Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty quoted in “US Launches Largest Offensive to Date against Taliban, al-Qaeda,” ArmyTimes.com, 8 December 2003, 1, http://www.armytimes.com/legacy/new/1-292925-2460750.php (accessed 19 March 2012); Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 15-2. 129 Colonel Harry C. Glenn III, interview by the author, 19 March 2012, 1; Combined Forces Command Afghanistan (CFC-A), “Operation MOUNTAIN BLIZZARD has successfully ended here and Operation MOUNTAIN STORM has Begun,” News Release, 13 March 2004, 1. 130 Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty quoted in Ayaz Gul, “US Troops Arrest Dozens of Suspected Insurgents in Afghanistan,” VOANews.com, 16 February 2004, http://www.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-a-2004-02-16-11-US-66340037.html (accessed 19 March 2012). 131 Colonel Joseph Dichairo, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 27 August 2007, 11. 132 Terry Boyd, “Troops in Afghanistan Preparing Spring Offensive in Pursuit on Insurgents,” Stars and Stripes, 10 March 2004, http://www.stripes.com/news/troops-in-afghanistan-preparing-spring-offensive-in-pursuit-of-insurgents-1.17447 (accessed 19 March 2012); Donald Wright et al., A Different Kind of War (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press, 2010), 253. 133 Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jeffrey Hutchinson, Chief Warrant Officer 3 William Johnson, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Timothy Lidson, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mark Morris, and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Duane Sandbothe, group interview by the author, 14 March 2012, 1-3; Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, “Waging the War Against Terrorism: A Fight in Afghanistan,” Press Release, 18 February 2012, 16-1. 134 Captain Peter Farrell quoted in Georgia Department of Defense, “Aviators Rescue Soldiers from Besieged Afghan Town,” First Friday Briefing, 3 December 2004, 1-2, http://www.dod.state.ga.us/firstfridayonline/dec04/pages/ch47.htm (accessed 20 March 2012). 135 Task Force 2-5 Bobcat’s Newsletter, March 2005, 1, 5, http://www.bobcat.ws/Task%20Force%202-5%20NewsletterMar.pdf (accessed 20 March 2012). 136 Colonel Kevin Owens, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 9 and 10 December 2008, 9. 137 Colonel George T. Donovan, Jr., interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 21 January 2009, 27. 138 Colonel David P. Anders, interview by Contemporary Operations Study Team, Combat Studies Institute, Fort Leavenworth, KS, 14 January 2009, 6, 11-12. 139 “Coalition Launches Operation MOUNTAIN LION in Afghanistan,” Armed Forces Press Service, 12 April 2006, 1; Sergeant Joseph Lindsay, USMC, “Operation MOUNTAIN LION Roars into Korengal Valley,” Armed Forces Press Service, 8 May 2006, 1; Colonel Michael A. Coss, “Operation Mountain Lion: CJTF-76 in Afghanistan, Spring 2006,” Download 0.52 Mb. Share with your friends:
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