July 31, 1969. [264] Air Force tactical reconnaissance missions flown
in the III CTZ accounted for half of the missions completed in Vietnam. The
monsoon season prevented the use of high altitude, large format, split vertical
cameras. However, low and medium altitude camera systems used the Texas Printer
to enlarge the format to 9x9 prints. Extensive use of high acuity Item I and Item
II cameras is being requested. These cameras have been improved and are now designated
the KA-82 and 83. The KA-82 has a 4.5 inch by 29 inch format with a 140 degree
panoramic sweep, providing stereo vertical and low oblique pictures of the
requested target area. The grain size of the photographic emulsion of the film
provides excellent resolving power, resulting in more lines per millimeter.
Fine detail can be discerned on the surface of the positive print, the positive
film base, and the negative. Small areas can be enlarged 120 times without lose
of detail. Large areas can be covered with less cloud obstruction with the
panoramic rotary lens, and optical bar at lower altitudes. This allows the
aircraft to obtain the required percentage of
coverage with a minimum of flight lines. Camouflage detection film (CD), although
vertically a misnomer here in Vietnam due to the enemy’s use of natural
vegetation for concealment, has been found to be excellent for general
interpretation when used to supplement black and white photography. III CTZ
units have used the film to detect infrared-absorbing enemy fortifications such
as mud bunkers where foliage has been cut in dense jungle and along water ways
to determine water depth. CD film is an excellent sensor to determine damage
caused by air strikes, artillery, defoliation, and Rome Plow operations.
The VNAF Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron has made tremendous strides in development of an operational system in the RC 47. The K-17 and K-38 split
vertical cameras provide the formats desired (9x9 and 9x18) on 95% of ARVN unit
requests. ARVN units and FWF units are now specifically requesting that these VMAP
products be provided because of the excellent quality, easier readout, and
proper packaging of the photograph. The RS-10-A and AAS-18 Infrared Systems were
used to supplement Army Mohawk night surveillance and target acquisition aircraft.
The RF4C was used primarily along the northern borders of the corps. Both the RF4
and RB57 flew night photo cartridge strips for both the psychological impact on
enemy units and to monitor infiltration routes along known lines of communication.
July 31, 1969. [264] A total of 484 targets in III CTZ were struck by B-52's
during this quarter, maintaining approximately the same intensity as the
previous quarter. Again in this quarter the majority of the targets were in Tay
Ninh Province (54%) targeted against the lst NVA and 9th VC Divisions. Binh Long
Province received 14 percent of this quarter's strikes which were targeted primarily
against the 1st NVA sand 7th VC Divisions. Lang Khanh Province was
again one of the areas receiving a substantial percentage of the strikes during
the quarter (12 percent) where the 5th VC Division and elements of MR-7 were the
targets. The remainder of the strikes were in Phuoe Long, Binh Duong, Bien Boa
and Phuoc Tuy Provinces.
July 31, 1969. [264] The 29th Chemical Detachment, under the
operational control of the G2 Targets Division, remains one of the principal
surveillance means available to the division. This quarter, 184 hours were
flown on airborne personnel detector (Sniffer) missions, compared to only 87 hours
during the previous quarter. This tremendous increase in APD missions was due
to greatly increased support to OPCON units and the 18th ARVN Division.
Although the number of hours flown on defoliation missions decreased from 69 during
the previous quarter to 36 for this quarter, the overall flight time of the detachment
increased over 40 percent.
Declassified Operational Report -
Lessons Learned, Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam, Period Ending 31 July 1969 https://tinyurl.com/yc749rq8
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