Salute
to Biet Kich Nha Ky Thuat and MACV-SOG Commandos,
who
dare to go forth to free the oppressed.
COLONEL
NGO THE LINH
MACV-SOG
awarded Presidential Unit Citation
Strategic
Technical Directorate & MACV-SOG
brothers-in-arms,
stories of RT-Idaho by John Meyer.
visitors
Strategic
Technical Directorate (STD) Re-Union in 1995, 20 years later
Colonel Ngo
The Linh re-united with his former STD Commandos.
1969, tuyên
dương công trạng trước Quân Đội, Trung Tá Ngô Thế
Linh
nguyên Chỉ Huy
Trưởng Sở Pḥng Vệ Duyên Hải, Nha Kỹ Thuật,
Bộ Tổng Tham
Mưu, Quân Lực Việt Nam Cộng Ḥa.
Colonel Ngo
The Linh, Commander of Special
Mission Service (So Cong Tac - Nha Trang) awarded a
Cross of Gallantry
to MACV-SOG Thomas Waskovich (One-Zero Recon Team South Carolina).
Article on
One-Zero Thomas Waskovich
PART I
and PART II
MACV-SOG
The Legacy
Major Ngô Thế
Linh, Chief of Special Branch in Thailand, 1964.
Presidential
Liaison Office (PLO) officers and U.S. Army Special Forces Captain Don
Fendler
(at right)
at Khe Sanh in fall 1961. Fendler was assigned as an adviser to the PLO's
1st
Observation Group by the Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam.
Major Ngo
The Linh parachuted, Đà Nẵng, 1964
Coastal Security
Service Commanding Officers, Đà Nẵng 1964
(Left to right:
unknown,
Captain
Trương Duy Tài - Sea Commandos Chief,
Captain
Lâm Nhật Ninh - Sea Commandos Commander,
Major Ngô
Thế Linh - Coastal Security Services Commander,
2nd Lieutenant
Trần
Kim Khánh - Major Linh's Attache')
(by 1975, Lieutenant
Colonel Truong commanded Special Mission Service Group 68,
while Lieutenant
Colonel Tran commanded Liaison Service - CCC/CCS Loi Ho in Komtum)
Nha Ky Thuat
(STD) and MACV-SOG regular dinner meeting in 1966.
L to R:
unknown LTC, Lieutenant Colonel Ngo The Linh (CSS Commander, partially
blocked by the waiter),
Colonel
Tran Van Ho (STD Chief), Colonel
Jack Singlaub (SOG Chief), Major George Gaspard (OP34),
unknown STD
Liaisons Officer, and his close friend:
Lieutenant
Colonel Robert McKnight (OP34 Chief).
Mr.
William Colby (Saigon Station Chief ) talking to So Bac
'long-term' agents before their mission to the North.
Captain Ngo
The Linh worked with Mr. William Colby from 1958 to 1964 commanding this
covert operation.
He was Chief
of 45B Bureau - Special Branch (Truong Phong 45B, So Lien Lac, Phu Tong
Thong).
Northern
Service long-term agents (So Phong Ve Duyen Hai) in Da Nang.
Team BULL
Leader - Northern Service, Mr. Nguyen Duc Nhon is far left in the front
row.
Commanded
by Colonel Linh, agents were inserted North by PT Boats or by C-46 transport.
Special Branch
and SOG inserted more than 500 agents in North Vietnam from 1958 to 1970.
Agent and Commando
training facility, Camp Long Thanh.
Viet Nam Quoc
Dan Dang stay-behind agent network.
CSS
- So Phong Ve Duyen Hai Nasty boats commanders trained with
American Seals
at Tien Sa Commando Training site, Da Nang, in 1964.
American never
went on these missions to avoid confrontation with China.
Paradise
island - SOG's secret Psy-Op for Sacred Sword Patriot League
to detain
and interrogate North Vietnamese prisonners captured
by Sea Commandos
raids from 1964 through 1972.
Click for
full-size version
Biet
Hai (Sea Commandos webpage)
SPVZH
(CSS) PT Boats. Lieutenant Colonel Ngo The Linh was in charge
of these
Swift &
Nasty PTF boats to insert agents and launch attack missions from Da Nang.
American flags
were still on the newly arrived boats.
Three PTFs
were charging full-speed ahead in a demonstration.
C-46 (later
C-47s were used) transport plane to drop supply, Psywar material, leaflets,
pre-tuned
radios, listening devices, as well as parachuting long-term agents and
commandos.
A Commando
team member being decorated by Colonel Ngo The Linh.
Since
1959, agents and commando teams have crossed Parallel 17th on hundred secret
missions:
Team Ares
in 1961 near Cam Pha, team Tourbillon in 1962 near Hoa Binh, team Easy
1963 near Son La,
team Eagle
in 1964 at Muc Nam Quan near China border, team Romeo in 1965 near Dong
Hoi,
team Hadley
in 1966 near Ha Tinh and team Red Dragon in 1967 Lao Cay Yen Bai near China
border.
By 1967, Northern
Service and Sog had 9 surviving teams and 112 agents in the enemy's heartland
operating.
Noise-suppressed
Helicopter carrying Strata
Commandos (Special Mission Service - So Cong Tac)
from
Nakhon
Phanom (NKP) Thailand secret airbase for 45 minutes flight to North
Vietnam insertion site.
Up to 15 man
teams on 15-30 day missions just north of DMZ (Parallel 17).
In thirteen
months since 1968, 26 teams were inserted North to sabotage,
capture prisoners,
planting mines, listening devices, and distributing psyop materials.
SMS Commandos
based in Da Nang and Long Thanh under the Command of Colonel Ngo The Linh.
Skyhook,
to rescue downed pilots or to pick up commandos
deep from
inside enemy territory using airplane at higher attitude
Nha Ky Thuat
and MACVSOG Recon Teams (RTs) operated from Da Nang (CCN),
Nha Trang
(CCC), and Komtum (CCS) on missions along Ho Chi Minh trail deep inside
Laos border.
Colonel Linh
commanded Special Mission Service (SMS) from 1970 through 1972.
Click for
full-size version
1971 New Year,
Liaison Service (CCS) greeting card, the Year of the Pig.
Operation
Tailwind, Hatchet Force Recon Team boarded plane for missions in Laos.
The Thunder
Tiger - Liaisons Service Commandos (Biet Kich Loi Ho) fought side by side
with
MACV-SOG
5th Special Forces in CCN/CCC/CCS, Da Nang, Nha Trang, and Komtum.
Ho Chi Minh
trail in Laos, MACV-SOG and STD focus since 1962 with
hundreds of
Recon missions each year. B-52 bomb craters along the trail.
Recon team
extracted by H-34 helicopter (the
famous King Bee 219 Air Squadron) under enemy fire.
Deep inside
Laos, behind enemy line, these top-secret missions were extremely dangerous.
Leghorn, a
SOG top secret radio relay outpost on a Laotian mountain top.
Lieutenant
Colonel Tran Ba Tuan
decorated
Biet Hai and Navy personnel after
a succesful
sea commando raid to North Vietnam
Biet Hai (sea
commandos) and U.S. advisors
after a successful
mission - displaying a captured NLF flag.
Major Taylor,
a very well-known Biet Hai's Advisor
Sea Commando
(Biet Hai) and U.S. Advisors
Sea Commando
(Biet Hai) in action
Sea Commando
(Biet Hai) in action
Sea Commando
(Biet Hai) insertion
Air patrol
above Da Nang base
Studies &
Observation Group (SOG) Officers
Biet Hai (sea
commandos) and U.S. advisors
dynamited
fresh fishes for CSS Chief welcoming party.
American MACSOG
and CSS Personnel - Cu Lao Cham 1967.
MACV-SOG
& Nha Ky Thuat commandos
The
Lost Commandos
