Beginnings
After the helicopter demonstrated its battlefield effectiveness in the Korean War, the United States Army began experimenting with expanded roles and missions for them. In 1963, the 11th Air Assault Division was activated to test the concept of air mobility as developed and advocated by the Howze Board. Because the 155mm howitzers then assigned to Army divisions as medium support artillery were not transportable by helicopters, ARA was developed as a substitute. The original test unit for aerial rocket helicopters within the 11th Air Assault Division was the 2nd Battalion, 42nd Artillery (later designated the 3rd Battalion, 377th Artillery). When the 11th Air Assault was redesignated as the 1st Cavalry Division and sent to Vietnam, the 3/377th became the 2nd Battalion, 20th Artillery (using the radio call sign "Blue Max"). This was the first unit designated and organized as ARA to take part in combat operations. The 4/77th Artillery joined the 101st Airborne Division in 1969 when the 101st was converted to an airmobile division, becoming the second active ARA battalion. Battery F, 79th Artillery, was formed to serve with a separate brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division when the rest of the division was withdrawn from Vietnam. It was the final ARA unit to see combat service.
Read more about this topic: Aerial Rocket Artillery
Famous quotes containing the word beginnings:
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