Army Reporter information
for 2 BDE 101 ABN
2/17 CAV 101 ABN

For date 710329


2 BDE 101 ABN was a US Army unit
2/17 CAV 101 ABN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Thua Thien Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Camp Eagle
Description: 29Mar71-Pink teams cause enemies to see red CAMP EAGLE - The tadpole and the snake are a team - a team the enemy dreads and fears, and a team that brings an expression of joy to friendly forces in need of some additional fire power. In military jargon, tadpoles and snakes are "officially" called pink teams, but don't let the softness of the pastel fool you. A pink team is made up of helicopters, each serving a distinctly different interdependent role. The role each birds plays is dependent on the mission. Pink teams are used in aerial reconnaissance and in close-in fire support of ground troops. During armed reconnaissance missions, sometimes right down at treetop level, hover light observation helicopters (LOH), designated OH6. The LOH or white bird, is a small helicopter which looks and maneuvers like a tadpole, darting left, quickly up and then down, swish right then stationary again. The little bird holds an observer and a pilot. They are always looking, searching the jungle and valleys for signs of the enemy. Protecting the LOHs are the red birds, the AH1 Cobras, the hell-bringers. The Cobra is a gunship armed with 2.75-inch rockets, 40mm cannons and miniguns capable of lashing out with a continuous stream of lead. The "snake" dives in delivering a stinging bite to enemy bunker complexes, caches, bridges and troop concentrations. The sleek Cobras with their fierce firepower capabilities orbit near the observation ships. When a LOH pilot or observer spots something, he calls in a gunship to engage the target with fire. Also near the LOH and the offensive gun platform, circle slick chase birds, UH1 Hueys. The slick is a trouble shooter. Never to the eyes of the men in a chase bird let the little birds out of sight. If something should happen, a chase bird can swoop down, pick up downed pilots and be airborne again with seconds. The job of the little bird while on reconnaissance is close-in observation. In the 2nd Squadron 17th Cav., the scouts in the observation helicopters are known as "Eyes with Teeth." "I've got two more bunkers five by five," reports an aerial scout to a Cobra. "Oh, I've got another eight by 10 and about six deep. Activity within 24 to 48. I've got a hut down there too," the scout adds. The scout drops a marking grenade on the spot and pulls out of the way. Then the Cobras roll in to destroy the enemy positions. A large cloud of smoke rises above the once-tranquil enemy location. Again the LOH takes a look. "You got it. Not much left. Nice job." Another mission of the pink team is to provide quick aerial fire support for ground troops in contact with the enemy. The mountainous terrain and the vast triple-canopy jungle of the 101st area of operation can cause problems for conventional fire support. Field artillery may find it impossible to hit targets on the reverse slopes of mountains or in valleys between mountains. Cobra pilots have direct visual contact with the target and the ordnance is direct-fire. Rugged land features do not interfere. The pilot can see both enemy and friendly forces. One dives earthward, a Cobra gunner can fire a series of rockets in pairs to land just beyond the friendlies - right on the enemy concentration. H can then pelt the enemy location with 40mm grenades. They look like tadpoles and snakes and though most troops call them pink teams, to the enemy they are red hot. Photo Captions 1) THE RACE IS ON as this LOH (tadpole) is overtaken by an AH1 Cobra (snake). Both are part of the 101st Airborne Division's (Airmobile) formidable pink team. 2) ANOTHER SNAKE of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) displays its maneuverability at Camp Eagle

The source for this information was 7103AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023