Quote Originally Posted by Rifleman View Post
FWIW, it's also not at all unlike the Viet Nam era air cavalry. When I say air cavalry, I don't mean airmobile infantry battalions but the cavalry squadrons made famous (infamous?) by Apocolype Now's portrayal of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry (1/9 Headhunters) of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Supposedly 1/9 was responsble for more kills than all the airmoble infantry battalions in the 1st Cavalry Division?

The squadron had three troops with each troop having a red, white, and blue platoon. I think red was aero-guns, white was aero-scouts, and blue was aero-rifles?

Does the Army still use that particular organization?
Air Cavalry squadrons in Vietnam also had a fourth troop which was a ground troop mounted in jeeps and 3/4 ton trucks. As regarding the three other troops you are correct, the "Blues" also included its own lift element of Hueys. Each of the divsional armoured cavalry sqns also had an air cav troop organised the same as the ones in air cav sqns. Today as I wrote above most air cav sqns have several troops of Kiowas and nothing else; 3rdACRs sqn has Apaches, Blackhawks and Kiowas in separate troops. None have an infantry element. Here are a few good sites on Air Cav in Vietnam:

http://northwestvets.com/spurs/spurs.htm

http://www.ruthlessriders.net/

http://www.eleven-bravo.co.uk/the-wa...-cav-troop.php