21.       What was a “beehive”?

 

The answer is: A type of ammunition round

Interesting Information:

The beehive was a type of ammunition used in tank shells, aerial rockets and artillery shells. The shells contained literally thousands of small tiny steel pointed projectiles. Helicopter gunship pilots called them “Nails”.

 

22.       What was Operation Game Warden?

 

The answer is: Interdiction of VC supplies in Mekong Delta area

Interesting Information:

Game Warden was a long term project, lasting 1965-1970. It goal was to disrupt VC use of the the network of streams and rivers in the Mekong Delta for military operations.

 

23.       Laos was divided into how many military regions?

 

The answer is: 5

Interesting Information:

Military region (MR): one was in the NW of the country; MR 2 was in the NE; MR 3 was in the upper panhandle; MR 4 was in the lower panhandle; MR 5 was an area around the capital of Vientiane.

 

24.       Who was tasked with capturing Ap Bia?

 

The answer is: 3/187th Airborne Infantry

Interesting Information:

Lieutenant-Colonel Honeycutt’s 3/187th were given Hill 937 (Ap Bia) as their objective. It turned out they had been given the toughest part of Operation Apache Snow. The 3/187th were also known by their nickname the ‘Rakkasans’.

25.       What was the name of the “trail” used by the Vietcong to transport supplies all over Vietnam?

 

The answer is: Ho Chi Minh

Interesting Information:

It was impossible for America to stop this network of supply lines as it ran to a large extent through neighboring countries, such as Laos, that America did not want to get involved with.

 

26.       Which American battle group engaged the NVA at the Ia Drang Valley in October of 1965?

 

The answer is: 1st Cavalry Division

The other incorrect choices for this question were: (a) 3rd Cavalry Division, (b) 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, (c) 7th Cavalry Division

Interesting Information:

This was the first time that Americans engaged the NVA.

 

27.       It is still the year 1962, and things seem more threatening in North Vietnam. The Viet Cong had begun attacking South Vietnam more often. John F. Kennedy had sent one man to examine the damage the Viet Cong had caused. Who was the man sent by Kennedy to evaluate the problems?

 

The answer is: Maxwell D. Taylor

Interesting Information:

Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor was sent to evaluate the economy and military issues. Taylor reported that the economy began to tumble down and that we needed more troops. By 1963, over 16,000 soldiers were sent to battle. This held up the attacks of the Viet Cong for a while, but then Ngo Dinh Diem prohibited the flying of the Buddhist flag which made the communists rebels begin to attack harder.

 

 

28.       The RAAF’s first contribution to the allied efforts was in 1964. Three planes were committed to transport and evacuation duties. Which plane first saw service?

 

The answer is: DHC4 Caribou

The other incorrect choices for this question were: (a) C47 Douglas, (b) DC2 Douglas, (c) C130 Hercules

Interesting Information:

At the end of August 1964, three more Caribous were sent to Vietnam, where the unit, working under USAF control, operated over the length and breadth of Vietnam, mostly in support of the US Special Forces.

 

29.       The Communist leaders of the VietMinh gladly accepted the challenge of fighting at Dien Bien Phu. Who was their field Commander-in-Chief?

 

The answer is: Vo Nguyen Giap

Interesting Information:

General Giap is commonly regarded as a master of strategy. Many analysts disagree, but it must be taken into account that Giap played a key role in the only war the U.S. has failed to win.

Ho Chi Minh was the political leader of the VietMinh and Giap’s only boss.

Ngo Dinh Diem, a Catholic, was elected president of South Vietnam once the French were gone, and was deposed and murdered in 1963.

Van Tien Dung was Giap’s succesor and led the final assault of the North Vietnamese Army on Saigon, which ended the war in 1975.

 

30.       The Victoria Cross is the highest Military Award (equivalent to the Medal of Honor) for an Australian soldier. How many Victoria Crosses were awarded during the Vietnam War?

 

The answer is: 4

Interesting Information:

The four VC winners were all members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV), the most highly decorated Australian unit of the Vietnam War.

 

31.       In March of 1965 the first large U.S. combat units arrived in South Vietnam. In what area?

 

The answer is: Danang

Interesting Information:

Units of the Third Marine Division. Although there were quite a few American military personnel already there, this was the first large deployment of American forces at any one time in Vietnam.

32.      How many engines are on a B-52-B?

 

The answer is: 8

33.      What European colonial power had held Vietnam (or Indochina) since the late 1800’s?

 

The answer is: France

 

34.      How many Air Force EB-66B/C/E aircraft were lost from enemy action?

 

The answer is: 4

Interesting Information:

Lost to Surface to Air Missiles (SAM) and air-to-air combat.

11.       The first Australian killed in the Vietnam War was in 1963. What was his occupation?

 

The answer is: Military Advisor

Interesting Information:

In 1963, Australia sent over 30 Military Advisors as a show of support to the USA. Over the duration of the war, many Advisors led South Vietnamese companies into battle. In fact the only Victoria Cross Medals awarded during the war (4 in total) were to Advisors.

12.       What was the standard issue Australian infantry weapon during the Vietnam War?

 

The answer is: L1A1 SLR

Interesting Information:

The L1A1 Self Loading Rifle (SLR) was made under licence at the Lithgow Small Arms Factory in Australia and was based on the Belgian FN. The SLR was a semi-automatic, gas operated weapon that fired the NATO 7.62mm round from a 20 round magazine. It was preferred over the M16 by Australian troops because of its greater stopping power (usually one hit – one kill). It could be converted to automatic fire (by grinding down the safety sear) but became hard to control. The SLR served the Australian Army for nearly 30 years before being replaced by the Austeyr 5.56mm rifle.

 

13.       What happened on May 7, 1954 at a place called Dien Bien Phu?

 

The answer is: French defeat

Interesting Information:

It was a battle between the French and the Communist Vietminh. Fiercely fought for 57 days, the French suffered 1,726 killed, another 1,649 missing in action and over 5,000 wounded. The Vietminh never divulged their losses but they attacked with roughly 100,000 men against 15,000 Frenchmen. A conservative estimate of 8,000 killed and 15,000 wounded according to the French General Staff. As a result of this battle the impetus would now shift to the United States, which gradually became increasingly involved in Vietnam.

14.       How many crew members were on a typical bombing flight during missions over Vietnam?

 

The answer is: 6

15.       What Vietnamese Nationalist eventually changed his name to Ho Chi Minh?

 

The answer is: Nguyen That Thanh

 

16.       Both sides of the war used helicopters, but who used the famous “Huey”?

 

The answer is: United States of America

Interesting Information:

Japan did not play a part in the war. After World War Two Japan had to disband its armed forces completely in view of the acts of aggression that the country had committed from 1931-45. When it was allowed to rebuild its armed forces again from 1954 onwards their purpose was defined in the Japanese Constitution as purely for self-defense, and there were restrictions on their use.

 

17.       How many Air Force F-4C/D/E Phantom II aircraft were lost between 1964-1975?

 

The answer is: 382

Interesting Information:

Air Force F-4C/D/E combat losses; 33 to MiG fighters; 30 to Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAM), and 307 to multiple forms of ground fire.

 

18.       During the Vietnam War, what did soldiers and Marines call the M60 machine gun?

 

The answer is: a pig or hog

Interesting Information:

Servicemen called the M60 machine gun a pig or a hog. It received that name because of the ammo it ate.

 

19.       During WWII, after most of France was occupied by Germany, the French were obliged to give up their land holdings in what had become French Indochina. To what country did the spoils go?

 

The answer is: Japan

Interesting Information:

Quite naturally, the riches of Vietnam’s rubber plantations, along with the resources of wealth owned by its near neighbors were exploited in turn by Japan to aid its own war-making capabilities.

After WWII, the French returned …

 

20.       What did MACV stand for?

 

The answer is: Military Assistance Command – Vietnam

Interesting Information:

**MACV was the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam. It was based at the Tan Son Nhut Airbase. It was first established in 1962 and wound up in 1973. Over the years it was commanded by Generals Harkins, Westmoreland, Abrams and Weyand.

**MACV controlled all the US Military Forces that were in Vietnam and reported to the Commander in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC).

 

To be continued…

 

 

Vietnam War

1.      How many B-52 Stratofortresses lost during the Linebacker II Raids 18-29 December 1972?

The answer is: 15

Interesting Information:

Poor planning and poor micromanagement from Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska brought about staggering losses of the large B-52D/G/H Stratofortress heavy bombers. As the air campaign continued the crews flying the missions began to express their dislike of the continued same poor tactics by SAC, especially while the tactical fighter bombers of Tactical Air Command (TAC) continually adjusted there tactics to keep North Vietnam off balance with different approaches to target, different altitude, and SAC flew the same, day in and day out.

2.           During the Vietnam war, US infantrymen had the MOS number 11B also called 11 Bravo. What did the average soldier call the ‘B’?

 

The answer is: bush

Interesting Information:

Almost every soldier who was 11B was headed to the ‘Nam. Soldiers called themselves “11 bush”. Hello Vietnam’!

3.         What South Vietnamese decoration was issued to almost all US soldiers in Vietnam?

 

The answer is: Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm

Interesting Information:

The Gallantry Cross Unit Citation was extensively awarded to foreign troops by the government of the RVN. By 1974 it was decided to award it retroactively to any American Army unit involved in the Vietnam Conflict between 1961 and 1974, and therefore the soldiers.

4.            Well, there’s just no place to start like the beginning. When did Viet Nam first break away from China to begin its tenuous venture as an independent country?

 

The answer is: 938

Interesting Information:

Vietnam had gained self-rule by A.D. 938, but it had not obtained independence at that time. Several dynasties and hundreds of years later, the French were destined to enter the region, as they looked for rubber plantations to support their country’s modernization.

By that time, Vietnamese “infighting” had become a notorious and integral part of that country’s self-identity, if not their national pastime.

5.         Who commanded the 9th Marine Forces that landed on the beaches of Vietnam in 1965?

The answer is: General Frederick Karch

Interesting Information:

**General Nathan Twining was in the airforce. From 1953 until 1957 he was the Chief of Staff for the US Airforce

**Harkins was the first commander of MAC-V, he was eventually replaced by General Westmoreland.

**General Frederick Karch stepped ashore with the Marines on 8 March 1965. Instead of being greeted by gunfire and explosions they were greeted with flowers, banners and smiling people. Karch was photographed looking very unhappy with a garland of flowers draped around his neck. He stated that the photograph was the source of a lot of trouble for him and people would ask why he was not smiling. In response he was quoted as saying “If I had to do it over, that picture would have been the same. When you have a son in Vietnam and he gets killed, you don’t want a smiling general with flowers around his neck as leader at that point.”

6.         Agent Orange was the herbicide used to defoliate areas within Vietnam to reduce the ability of guerrilla units to conduct ambushes and hide in base camps. How did Agent Orange get its name?

The answer is: It was the color of the band around the shipping drums

Interesting Information:

The defoliation program lasted from 1962 to 1969 in Vietnam and over 46 percent of the forests were sprayed with Agent Orange. There have been links to Agent Orange and illnesses suffered by Vietnam Veterans and their children

 

7.         What was Operation Lam Son 719/Dewey Canyon Two (II)?

The answer is: Invasion of Laos by South Vietnamese forces

Interesting Information:

Lam Son 719 was the invasion of Laos by ARVN troops in 1971. As a test of ‘Vietnamization”, the operation was conducted without American advisors. The Dewey Canyon part was conducted by American troops to keep supply lines open to the Lao border. The 719 came from the year of the operation, 1971, and the area were it took place, Highway 9.

8.         He was the last emperor/king of Vietnam?

The answer is: Bao Dai

Interesting Information:

Bao Dai became emperor in 1928, but the French wouldn’t let him return until 1932, but he was restricted in his power. During WW II he cooperated with the Japanese, who encouraged him to declare independence in 1945. After the 1964 Geneva Accords he appointed Diem to be premier. In a Diem controlled election, Diem was voted in as president. Bao Dai retuned to France and died in 1997.

Diem was president until he was assasinated in 1963. Ky was premier and Thieu was president in the late sixties and early seventies.

9.         In which direction from Vietnam is Laos?

 

The answer is: West

Interesting Information:

Laos is a landlocked country to the west of Vietnam. Together with Cambodia and Vietnam, it was part of French Indochina till 1949-54.

10.       In which valley would you find Ap Bia?

 

The answer is: A Shau

Interesting Information:

During 1968’s Tet Offensive the NVA (North Vietnamese Army) had staged an entire Division and also VC (Viet Cong) forces in the A Shau. In part, the valley was used as the springboard for the attacks on Hue and Da Nang. During the fierce fighting for Hue the NVA lost over 5,000 men.

To be continued…