comte
Posts: 2358
Joined: 2/4/2009
From: Be'eri, Hadarom, Israel
Status: offline
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Hey guys saw this interesting diagram on Reddit WarCollege subreddit.
This diagram depicts the U.S. Army Airmobile Rifle Platoon organization from 1965, which would have been effective during the Battle of Ia Drang.
The TO&E is No. 7-57F if you are so inclined. You can check out the full organization for the Airmobile rifle company here: https://www.battleorder.org/us-airmobile-1965
Notes:
1. The seating arrangement is hypothetical and is primarily meant to demonstrate the number of guys that'd be in the aircraft's crew and passenger areas, as well as the general crossloading to be expected.
2. This assumes the platoon is at full strength. Later in the war, most Army units went off the TO&E entirely.
3. The pilots at this stage were not perpetually attached to specific platoons/companies, whereas later in the war helicopters assigned to air cavalry troops acted as contiguous teams/sections in conjunction with ground troops/scout forces.
The majority would have been warrant officers, although officers would have held command positions within the aviation group's structure (Major Bruce Crandall commanded A Co., 229th Bn., 11th Aviation Group during the Battle of Ia Drang for example).
4. Although the standard rifle for the U.S. Army was the M14 at the time, the air cavalry (as well as airborne and special forces) had been outfitted with the XM16E1 by 1965. This was the predecessor to the M16A1, which was type classified in 1967 and made the standard service rifle in 1969.
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But when Territories are acquired in regions where there are differences in language, customs, and laws then great good fortune and much hard work are required to hold them.
-Machiavelli, Il Principe, Book III-
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Printable Version
1965 US Army Airmobile Rifle Platoon - 
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