MACV SOG diorama

BigGreg

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Dear all as you know me, i always think ahead for a new diorama...
so the next one after Easting 73 will be return to the Vietnam war... i will represent an extraction of a SOG team.
so here it is.

Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a highly classified, multi-service United States special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War.
Established on 24 January 1964, the unit conducted strategic reconnaissance missions in the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), Laos, and Cambodia; carried out the capture of enemy prisoners, rescued downed pilots, and conducted rescue operations to retrieve prisoners of war throughout Southeast Asia; and conducted clandestine agent team activities and psychological operations.

Covert reconnaissance operations into Laos, code named SHINING BRASS and later PRAIRIE FIRE, began in 1965. Using the call sign Pony Express, Sikorsky CH-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters from the 20th Helicopter Squadron (later re-designated the 20th Special Operations Squadron) operated from Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base in support of these secret missions and the radar sites. Later, the squadron received Bell UH-1F/P "Huey" helicopters to support the effort. The 20th's mission expanded as they started working closely with forward air controllers and other USAF aircraft in Laos to rescue downed American pilots.

In 1967 the U.S. expanded its secret reconnaissance operations into Cambodia under the code names DANIEL BOONE and later SALEM HOUSE. The 20th's UH-1s supported these operations using the call sign Green Hornet. During a Green Hornet mission on Nov. 26, 1968, Capt. James P. Fleming earned the Medal of Honor while rescuing a six-man reconnaissance team

Everything in the SOG was experimental MSG Billy Vaghun said “there is no book we are writing it”, so everything started from scratch. The new Commander Colonel Donald D. Blackbrun decided for Laos and the Ho Chi Minh trail as the SOG primary objectives and gave the order, to Col Arthur D. “Bull” Simons to start operation SHINING BRASS. The Green Berets immediately recruited and started the training of Indigenous Commandos groups, to the art of recon warfare. The next phase was to find the infiltration tool of the SOG; the Korean War era H-34 from the 219 VNAF (Vietnamese Air Force), became the trademark of the clandestine operation of the Special Forces. The H-34 engine allowed the carrying of heavier loads and operating at higher altitudes than the new “Huey” helicopters.
SOG Headquarters was located in Saigon near Tan Son Nhut Air base. Missions were planned at SOG HQ but they were formally “launched” from forward sites known as Forward Operation Bases (FOB’s) later called Command and Control. Fob-1 was located at Phu Bai, just south of the ancient capital city of Hué, FOB-2 at Kontum, FOB-3 at Khe Sahn , and FOB-4 at DaNang.
Three Command and Control units then were formed in November 1967 to consolidate the 4 FOBs.
Command Control North (CCN) based at Da Nang, coordinated missions into Laos and North Vietnam. CCN was the largest of the CC with launch sites at Hue, Phu Bai, Khe Sahn, Quan Tri and Kham Duc.
Command and Control Central (CCC) based at Kontum carried out missions in the area of Cambodia, Laos and South Vietnam..
Command and Control South (CCS) at Ban Me Thout was the smallest of the 3 and controlled manly missions in Cambodia:
For secrecy and to confuse the enemy the Recon Team would use names of Us States, Snakes, Spiders, Tools and Weather.
This is the list of all the known RT divided by the Command and Control centers.
-CCN, SOG’s largest command fielded approximately 36 Reconnaissance Teams named after US States, Snakes and Spiders. CCN Recon Teams were: Adder, Alaska, Anaconda, Asp, Bushmaster, Cobra Alakapong, Connecticut, Crusader, Habu, Hunter, Idaho, Indiana, Indigo, Intruder, Hot Cake, Kansas, Krait, Louisiana, Mamba, Mississippi, Missouri, Moccasin, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Python, Rhode Island, Rattler, Sidewinder, Tarantula, Viper, Virginia, Wyoming and Wasp.
-CCC, fielded approximately 25 Reconnaissance Teams which were named after US States. CCC Recon Teams were:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia. Command and Control Central also had four “SLAM” Companies A, B, C, and D and used indigenous personnel recruited and paid for by MACV-SOG.
-CCS, SOG’s smallest command fielded approximately 11 Reconnaissance Teams which were name mostly after tools. CCS Recon Teams were:
Chisel, Fork, Lightning, Mike Facs, Plane, Pike, Spike, Trowel, Weather, Sickle, Level and Measure.

Leading each team would be a Green Beret with the code number One-Zero (1-0), which became SOG’s the most prestigious title; any man appointed a 1-0 had proven his judgment under life and death situation. On the ground he was the man everyone would have look to react in front of terrible odds and outwit everything the numerically superior foe could throw at his team. It was experience, not rank, that determined who was eligible to serve in the OneZero position. Lower graded enlisted men often led other Americans who were senior in ranks. 1-0 was with other two Green Berets One-One (1-1) the assistant Team leader and the One-Two (1-2) the Radio Operator. In addition to the Green Berets the remainder of the team was made up to six indigenous commandos. These usually operated in their same ethnic groups; Chinese Nungs, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Montagnards and so on. To avoid any name confusion, numbers were attributed to them; Zero-One (0-1) for the most senior commando and so on :
Typical 12 men Recon Team

1-0 Team Leader
1-1 Assistant Team Leader
1-2 RTO
0-1 Indigenous Team Leader
0-2 Interpreter
0-3 Point Man
0-4 Grenadier
0-5 Scout
0-6 Scout
0-7 Scout
0-8 Grenadier
0-9 Tail Gunner
A twelve man full team was called heavy team. It was not unusual for a 1-0 to tailor the size of his team based on mission requirements. The smallest team would be the 1-0 and four commandos.
MACV-SOG RTs had five primary responsibilities and these were:
1. Cross-border operations conducted to disrupt VC, Khmer Rouge, Pathet Lao and NVA in their own territories.
2. Keeping track of all imprisoned and missing Americans and conducting rescue operations (save other SF units or recon teams for example) code name: Bright Light
3. Intelligence gathering cross border operations.
4. “Black” psychological operations like the project “Eldest son” (insert exploding ammunition into ammo dumps)
The most dangerous of these missions were the cross border operations, designed to collect intelligence on NVA traffic, operations, activities as well as finding facilities (rest camps, supply transfer points, trucks, supply depots, AA guns, Bridges and so on) found on the infamous Ho Chi Minh Trail; also tap telephone lines, sabotage, prisoner snatch, bomb damage assessment

Sources:
Wikipedia
SOG " A photo History of the Secret Wars" John L. Plaster

so the diorama will be a portion of Cambodian jungle on November 26th 1968 with:
-20th SOS Helicopter UH-1F (I will do a modification of a academy kit UH-1C) then i will represent the crew Lt. James P. Fleming (MOH) as commander, Maj. Paul McClellan as Co-pilot and the 2 door gunners Paul Jensen and Fred Cook
-RT CHISEL (Recon Team) composed by 3 composed of Staff Sergeant Ancil “Sonny” Franks, Sergeant Charles Hughes, three Montagnards, and Captain Randolph Harrison (he was the new CCS Recon Company commander and there to learn ops). The Americans were SOG personnel (Green Berets) while the Montagnards were indigenous personnel that worked with SOG. All six were safely recovered during the operation.
 
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BigGreg

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Here is the picture of Lt Jim Fleming(up) and Staff Sergeant Ancil “Sonny” Franks RT 1-0 with a Montagnard(down) after mission
20190720_201706.jpg20190720_201733.jpg
 
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BigGreg

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and here is the GREEN HORNET Helicoptermarked as 1LT James Fleming’s UH-1F, 64-15492 the version is UH-1F with 2 M60

Bell-UH-1P-BF-iroquois-64-15476-marked-as-James-P.-Flemings-UH-1P-64-15497-at-NASM1.jpg
 
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scottie3158

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Greg,
That was a really interesting introduction to what I am sure will be another great build. So crack on and get it started.
 

BigGreg

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Thanks Paul i have all the recon guys, the trunks, leaves and all the vegetation... awaiting for the helicopter, eduard photoeched, the crew and the 2 PIGS.... :smiling6: :smiling6: :smiling6: :smiling2: :smiling2: :smiling2:
 
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Steve Jones

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Another Greg spectacular. Looking forward to seeing all things Vietnam
 

BigGreg

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Ok gents.....20191015_201708.jpg look what arrived via the post....now i have to study a lot of pictures to make it as a UH-1 F/P..have a nice evening
 

BigGreg

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ok gentlement i found a display of Cpt. Fleming Helicopter 492 in the National museum the USAF
look at this 1:1 Diorama
160914-F-IO108-005.JPG160914-F-IO108-006.JPG160914-F-IO108-009 (1).JPGmaxresdefault.jpg

those pictures are a GOLD MINE for my Diorama ;)
 

BigGreg

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now i have a question for you all.. since i have to tranform de UH-1C that i have in UH-1F/P that was used (luckly there is only a couple of minor changes like the antennas and filling some holes)
there is one in the exhast that is a bit more challenging...
SOOO my question is... since i have to shift the exhaust to one side of the engine compartment... on the other there is a bulge that, to me looks like a hole covered by a mesh...... what do you think i should use... did you used mesh in aviation??? if yes which brand?
heli 01.jpg
here you can see the bulge
heli02.jpg
thank you for you help....
 
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BigGreg

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Thanks Peter i'll try with some mesh and see how it looks like.. ;)
 

BigGreg

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gentlemen i found some extra information of flight crew left and right door gunner and Cpt Harrison
here is
MSgt. (Ret.) Fred Cook stands in front of the Secret War diorama in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 15, 2016. Cook served his second tour in Southeast Asia with the 20th SOS "Green Hornets" at Nha Trang and Ban Me Thout, Vietnam. He was the right door gunner on the 26 Nov 1968 mission that is depicted in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s UH-1P, 20th SOS “Green Hornets,” legacy diorama display. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Valor for his part in this mission.(U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock)
160918-F-IO108-001.JPG
and here is
SSgt. Paul Jensen stands in front of the Secret War diorama in the Southeast Asia War Gallery at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on Sept. 15, 2016. From 1967 to 1971, he served in the U.S. Air Force with duties as Helicopter Tech/door gunner. Served combat tours in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969 and 1970-1971with the 20th SOS “Green Hornets” as a Sgt. (E-4) Flight Mechanic/Gunner on UH-1F/P “slicks.” Jensen was the left door gunner on the 26 Nov 1968 mission that is depicted in the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force’s UH-1P, 20th SOS “Green Hornets,” legacy diorama display. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Valor for his part in this mission.U.S. Air Force photo by Ken LaRock)
160918-F-IO108-002.JPG

and here the 2 Gunners and the SOG Capt. Harrison in the mission "training" with RT CHISEL

160918-F-IO108-003.JPG
 

JR

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Greg, some introduction wow.
Will have a seat next to Paul .
 
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