Speaker 1: Welcome back everybody. Yesterday we talked about the MACV SAG
and we bumped into the hatchet teams of the MACV SAG.
So I decided to do a podcast today on who
they are. So let's take a look. Today. We focus
on the exploitation forces here so commonly designated as hatchet
forces or hatchet teams, these platoon and company size elements
formed the striking arm of SOG's ground operations, bridging the
gap between small reconnaissance teams and larger scale direct action
Operating under conditions of extreme secrecy and peril, hatchet forces
conducted raids, ambushes, and rescue missions that inflicted significant disruption
on enemy supply lines while sustaining some of the highest
casualty rates in modern American military history. Hatchet forces emerged
as SOOG expanded its capabilities beyond initial retic reconnaissance efforts
in the mid nineteen sixties. By late nineteen sixty seven,
with the establish of Command and Control North CSEN at Dagnang,
Command and Control Center CCC at Contum and Command and
Control Centers current Command and Control South CCS at bon Mantoat,
dedicated exploitation units performalized under the Broader Ground Studies Group.
These forces drew from US Army Special Forces personnel often
assigned on temporary duty from the First Special Forces Group
on Okinawa and Snake Bite teams, alongside Navy Seals, Marine
Force recon and other services. Indigenous components like the Multi
Nard Tribesmen, the Nung Mercenaries, and South Vietnameans commanders provided
the majority of manpower valued for their combat prowess, terrain, familiarity,
and loyalty. A typical hatchet platoon comprised approximately of three
to five American Green berets and leadership, communications and medical roles,
paired with twenty to forty Indigenous soldiers. Multiple platoons could
combine the company sized Havoc or Hornet elements or even
larger search, Locate, annihilate, and monitor SLAM companies. For major operations,
the primary roles included reinforcing pinned down reconnaissance teams, launching
independent raids on enemy base areas and supply cachets, conducting
ambushes along infiltration routes, and executing personnel recovery missions under
the bright Light program, operating without identifiable insignia or documentation
to maintain deniability. These teams inserted via helicopter, often relying
on South Vietnamese aged thirty four king bees, into heavily
contested border regions. Hatchet Forces engaged in relentless cross border activity,
targeting the Ho Chi Min Trail complex. They probe for
enemy concentrations, destroy logistical hubs, and gathered intelligence that informed
broader air campaigns. Their mobility and firepower, augmented by close
air support, enabled them to engage superior numbers effectively. One
emblematic properation was the June nineteen sixty seven raid on
Oscar eight, a suspected PAVIN headquarters near Quisan. Following B
fifty two strikes. A Hatchet force inserted by helicopter encountered
fierce resistance, resulting in significant casualties among US and Indigenous
personnel during a prolonged extraction. The action underscored both the
tactical risks and the value of coordinated air ground integration.
The most celebrated Hatchet Force mission, though remains, Operation Tailwind
in nineteen seventy, commanded by Captain eug McCarley, a reinforced
company of sixteen Americans and approximately one hundred and ten
Montennards from CCC's company B inserted deep into southern Laos,
farther than prior AESAG incursions to divert North Vietnamese forces
from a concurrent CIA supported operation on the Bullivance Plateau.
Over four days, a force conducted aggressive movement called devastating airstrikes,
seized valuable intelligence documents, and inflicted substantial enemy losses before extraction.
Despite heavy contact and numerous wounded, the operation achieved as
diversionary objectives and represented one of SOG's deepest and most
successful raids. Hatchet elements also performed critical quick reaction roles,
extracting compromised reconnaissance teams under fire and conducting prisoners snatches
or sabotage against fuel pipelines and supply depots. Their operations
complement smaller spike recon teams, creating a layered approach to
denied area warfare. The operational environment imposed extraordinary demands. Hatchet
forces frequently confronted numerically superior North Vietnamese Army units equipped
with anti aircraft weapons and tracker teams. Missions unfolded in
complete isolation, with no conventional support and stringent rules of engagement.
Shape of political constraints. Casualty rates reflected the intensity. SG
overall sustained the highest losses of only any US Army
formation since the Civil War. The indigenous partners also bore
disproportionate share of the toll, yet their contributions remained vital
to mission's success. Despite these hardships, Hatchet forces achieved remarkable
effectiveness through superior training, small unit tactics. They generated kill
ratios far exceeding conventional forces, and if you ever heard
of stories of the Macvie sovs, it's through the wild
what they've done. Their adaptability from platoon, from platoon ambushes
to company raids highlighted the strategic leverage of these elite groups.
As vietnamization progressed and cross border authorities diminished in the
early seventies, Hatchet Operations contracted the commands transition responsibilities to
South Vietnamese counterparts, with final deactivations occurring between late seventy
two and early seventy three. The innovations of Hatchet Forces
joined Special Operations integration significantly influenced subsequent US doctor informing structures,
such as today as modern jaysock their veterans accounts and
declassify records continue to eliminate the complexities of covert warfare.
In two thousand and one, SOG received the Presidential Unit Citation,
as we mentioned, including the Hatchet Forces. The Hatchet Forces,
how would you say, embodied the audacity and sacrifice inherent
and special operations conducted in the shadows their story honors
there of American operators, Indigenous warriors, and support personnel who
advanced the mission admit immense PERILM Well, thanks for joining
us again. Make sure to share and subscribe if you
enjoyed our podcast, and we'll talk to you all next time.