AVIAN 34 information
for 34 GS GRP
AMMC
14 TC BN
765 TC BN
For date 701015
34 GS GRP was a US Army unit
AMMC was a US Army unit
14 TC BN was a US Army unit
765 TC BN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
South Vietnam
Location, Tan Son Nhut
Description: The following is the second installment (an extract) from AVIAN 34 (a 38 page magazine publication with color photos), October 1970, Vol. II, Number 3. This installment contains information from pages 2 through 3 which was presented as a section or chapter titled "34th General Support Group."
Until early in 1966, supply and maintenance for the Army's aircraft in the Republic of Vietnam came under the control of the U.S. Army Support Command. This organization was composed of two Transportation Battalions (Aircraft Maintenance and Supply)-the 14th with one direct support company and the 765th with one general and two direct support companies. Supply support was handled by the Aviation Supply Point at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, which was carrying 8,000 line items in support of 660 aircraft.
Major General John Norton, then Commanding General of the US Army Support Command, Vietnam, realized that his organization would be unable to handle the large aircraft buildup projected for 1965 and 1966. To meet this problem, General Norton appointed an ADHOC committee and gave it the project of creating an aviation logistical support organization capable of meeting the demands of the projected aircraft buildup.
The committee was given two guidelines. First, the new organization should be structured to provide one-stop maintenance (i.e., support at one location not only for the aircraft, but for its associated avionics and weapons systems as well). Secondly, the new organization should be able to grow with the expected buildup of aircraft.
Based on the recommendations of the committee, the 34th General Support Group (Aircraft Maintenance and Supply) was formed provisionally in November 1965. It was activated in January 1966 and given the responsibility of "...providing command and control of assigned and attached units performing the aircraft, avionics and air armament maintenance functions in the Republic of Vietnam". This mission includes aircraft maintenance and supply support for all Free World Forces in Vietnam.
Upon activation, the Group was composed of the 14th and 765th Transportation Battalions, along with assets drawn from the Army Support Command. During the first year of its existence, two more battalions were brought to Vietnam and placed under the control of 34th Group. The 58th Transportation Battalion (Aircraft Maintenance and Supply) (General Support) and the Floating Aircraft Maintenance Facility (FAMF), 1st Transportation Battalion (Seaborne) raised the Group's strength to four battalions. In March 1967, another General Support Aircraft Maintenance and Supply Battalion-the 520th-was added, and in February 1968, the U.S. Army Aviation Materiel Management Center (AMMC) was placed under the operational control of the Group.
With the addition of these organizations, the 34th Group has been able to render general support to all Army aircraft in Vietnam. It is providing back-up direct support to divisional units in-country, including the 101st Airborne, Americal, 4th Infantry, 25th Infantry, and the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) as well as the 1st Aviation Brigade. Other USARV aviation units receive direct support from the 34th Group.
In addition to meeting the needs of U.S. Army aviation, 34th Group also provides logistical support to elements of the Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, Royal Thai Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Marines.
The source for this information was Vol. II, No. 3 dated Oct 1970 copy contributed by Jerry Mellick
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Last updated
08/03/2002
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023