1 - The Black Vault

COMBAT SPEAR
killed, and 187 were wounded with 600 homes
destroyed. 44 Other than a few bullet holes, the
Anh Hoa Hotel escaped unscathed, as did the air
base. Combat Talon aircraft parked there were
unharmed. The Tet offensive of 1968 would prove
to be the watershed event defining the course by
which the United States would pursue the Vietnam
War. There was little immediate impact on
the Talon mission, but the resultant bombing halt
nine months later would eliminate all combat operations
into NVN.
On 15 March 1968 Detachment 1, 314th TAW
was redesignated the 15th ACS and was assigned
to the 14th SOW by PACAF Special Order G-43,
dated 23 February 1968. Existing OPCON arrangements
continued in effect, with the transfer
of four aircraft, 39 officers, and 122 airmen to the
14th ACW. Colonel Rogers, a P-47 combat vet -
eran of 38 missions during WW II and the incumbent
Detachment 1, 314th TAW commander, was
designated the first commander of the 15th
ACS. 45 The following mission statement of the
squadron reflected the unit’s unconventional
warfare nature.
The mission of the 15th ACS is to conduct tactical airlift
operations in support of selected US and South Viet -
namese counterinsurgency forces in Southeast Asia; to
conduct rescue and recovery operations as directed by
the Joint Personnel Recovery Center, using the Fulton
Recovery System; and to carry out a program of uncon -
ventional warfare operations assigned under 7AF
OPORD 460-68, “Combat Spear,” classified Top Secr et. 46
On 29 April 1968 Rogers passed command of the
15th ACS to his operations officer, Colonel Hines.
Hines continued in command until 4 September,
when he returned to the United States after passing
command to Lt Col Russell A. Bunn.
During the spring and summer of 1968, the
15th ACS experienced a near 100 percent turnover
of assigned aircrew and support personnel.
Crew S-01, which was lost the previous December,
was replaced by crew S-07 in March; Crew
S-02 rotated to the United States in May and its
replacement, S-08, was certified crew ready in
June. Crews S-03 through S-06 rotated in
July/August and were replaced by Crews S-09
through S-11, respectively. The net result of these
rotations was a reduction of six to five crews, for a
manning ratio of 1.33 crews per assigned aircraft.
A sixth crew, crew S-12, was formed of mixed crew
members and was combat qualified during the
summer transition period. Crew S-12 lacked two
pilots; therefore, the squadron commander and the
operations officer, along with pilots from other
formed crews, augmented these two pos itions. 47
Photo courtesy of Robert Zura
Some US facilities located in Nha Trang City were
heavily damaged during intense fighting on 30/31 January
1968 at the onset of the Tet offensive. Pictured is
the MAC Civil Operations District Office (CORDS). The
Anh Hoa Hotel and Nha Trang AB escaped attack,
thanks to the effort of both US and South Vietnamese
personnel.
Manning was actually based on 1.5 aircrew per
assigned aircraft for six crews. With crew S-12,
the squadron effectively maintained six crews,
even though S-12 was out of hide. By October
additional crew members were assigned, and
the unit stabilized again with six assigned
crews. Consolidation of the squadron under
14th SOW also resulted in 68 maintenance
personnel being transferred to the 14th Field
Maintenance Squadron, thus leaving 39 officers
and 54 enlisted personnel in the unit. 48
The shortage of aircrew and the transfer of
maintenance personnel had little impact on the
unit’s ability to perform its tasked SOG mission.
Of four C-130E(I) Combat Talons assigned, the
unit possessed an average of three throughout
Photo courtesy of George Powell
After the 1968 Tet offensive, revetments were added to
the Combat Spear ramp.
103