(Kalter Krieg) Vietnamkrieg

[Quintus Fabius]

Ein gar nicht so untypischer Einsatz, auch wenn Überschrift und Text das sugerieren: Tatsächlich lag die Verlustrate der SOG durchgehend bei mindestens 100%, dass heißt mal eben, dass absolut jeder der sich der SOG anschloss getötet, verwundet oder mehrfach verwundet wurde.

https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/st-idaho-th...d7d7885bbb

The men of ST Idaho, two Americans and four South Vietnamese indigenous troops, were tasked with locating enemy forces and activity in the A Shau Valley, close to the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Tet Offensive earlier that year had caught U.S. forces by surprise, and commanders were constantly anxious to know the location of large enemy formations and their intentions.

A snake-like tunnel and trail system that passed through nominally neutral Cambodia and Laos, the Ho Chi Minh Trail furnished North Vietnamese troops and Vietcong guerillas with materiel and supplies as they took the war to the South. The Trail was also ideal to move divisions of troops closer to the targets.

ST Idaho was comprised of One-Zero, or team leader, Glen Oliver Lane, One-One, or assistant team leader Robert Duval Owen, and four skilled South Vietnamese indigenous troops.

The highly experienced ST Idaho inserted on the morning hours of May 20, 1968. They sent the standard “Team Okay,” over the net. That was the last time anyone heard or saw them.

ST Oregon was inserted on the same landing zone, and they soon encountered numerous NVA troops. After a fierce battle, in which they lost one indigenous troop and all of the team members were wounded, ST Oregon was exfiltrated in the nick of time and only because of the heroics of the aircrews involved. The battle was so fierce, the indigenous commando who was killed was riddled with 94 separate wounds.

Before they managed to escape, ST Oregon spotted a trail in the grass they believed ST Idaho had taken. However, the NVA who attacked the Bright Light team had used weapons operated by SOG, including CAR-15 rifles and M-26 fragmentation grenades, further solidifying the belief that the ST Idaho had been so violently ambushed that they didn’t even have time to radio in distress.