Operation Snakehunt in South Vietnam's Mekong Delta Features Cobras, Mekong Delta, South Vietnam

Description

TMENT OF DEPARTMENT NEWSFILM RELEASE OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (PUBLIC AFFAIRS) LINITED AMERICA WASHINGTON, D.C. - 20301 STATES OF PLEASE NOTE DATE April 15, 1968 IMMEDIATE RELEASE Footage: 61' Time: 1142 OXford 7-5111 Number: V-117-68 16mm color composite print Room 2E 771 OPERATION SNAKEHUNT IN SOUTH VIETNAM MEKONG DELTA FEATURES COBRAS (Official Department of Defense motion picture Film by the U.S. Marine Corps under the direction of the MACV Office of Information. ) In the Mekong Delta recently, the United States Army used Cobras in Operation Snake- hunt. In this instance, however, all references to snakes were purely figurative. Operation Snakehunt was a joint operation with South Vietnamese ground forces to interdict Viet Cong supplies in the 44th Special Zone located near the Cambodian border. The Cobras used in the operation were, of course, the now-famous helicopter gunships, armed with miniguns and rockets. In contrast to the machines of modern warfare, the Viet Cong had been moving weapons and supplies, and even men, through the Delta by oxcart and sampan, with surprising success. The Cobra pilots called upon to help put a stop to this were the men of the Delta Devils, the only armed Helicopter Company in the U.S. Army. Once L-19 Observation planes, using information from Vietnamese Army Intelligence channels, spot likely targets such as enemy weapons caches and ammunition storage points, armament factor- ies and Viet Cong sampans, Cobra pilots and Vietnamese liaison personnel insure the target is Viet Cong. ARVN officers and U.S. Army advisors go through a very thorough check of maps and all targets. The suspected areas are carefully coordinated with ARVN officials and clearance obtained from Province chiefs before missions are assigned and the helicopter's firepower is brought to bear on carefully identified targets along a cana1 in the Western Delta. To allow more time on targets, forward refueling and ammunition resupply points are positioned in or near the zone of operation. Since the start of Operation Snakehunt early in March, the joint operation has damaged more than three hundred sampans and one hundred Viet Cong structures. SEQUENCES FOOTAGE VIDEO AUDIO 6 (a) Cobras land at forward supply area Wild track 4 (b) Cobras refueled 11 7 (c) Cobra moves from refueling to reloading " 9 (d) Armorers reload rocket pods 11 6 (e) Miniguns reloaded 11 5 (F) Coordination w/ARVN officers & pilots carefully check 11 4 (g) Takeoff targets on maps 11 14 (h) Cobras attack VC storage buildings & sampans along canal 11 6 (i) Pan canal, VC storage buildings burning. 11 NOTE TO EDITOR: 61' 16mm color composite print released to NBC-TV, CBS-TV, ABC-TV, UPI-Newsfilm, Telenews, Fox Movietone & a master and optical track to Deluxe Labs. DITORS: PLEASE CREDIT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IN TITLE OR COMMENTARY. This is a Series color composite print released to each individual DOD pool member and IS available commercially to non-pool members and other authorized agencies from Deluxe Laboratories, 350 Tenth Avenue, New York City, telephone CIrcle 7-3220

Collection

Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer

Series

Filmed News Releases