VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE
Bulletin #69
24 Mar 67
VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE
1. Simply stated, the objective in war is
to meet the enemy and destroy him. In a ground campaign, this is usually
accomplished in the field. In
2. It is difficult to seize and occupy
territory on a continuing basis. Consequently, the security of outlying areas,
roads, bridges, railroads, etc., is never sure. As a result, air operations in
3. The 20th Tactical Air Support Squadron
at
4. Effective aerial visual reconnaissance
techniques improve with experience. For the uninitiated, however, the 20th
TASS handbook is interesting and provides good information as a cornerstone of
knowledge. Since there is a great deal of aerial activity in
R. F. Farrington, Colonel, USAF
1 Atch
Commander
VR Handbook
AIRBORNE
VISUAL RECONNAISSANCE
1. Visual reconnaissance is generally described as airborne
activity primarily for detection and gathering of timely intelligence which will
aid in the conduct of military operations. Four important things must be
remembered:
a.
Airborne VR cannot replace ground VR. In many instances or areas it is the only
means of gathering intelligence, but it should never be considered
the most satisfactory method. Therefore, pilots performing airborne VR must
recognize its value in context with other available intelligence.
b.
Airborne VR may not be as immediately satisfying to the pilot as forward air
controlling of fighters, artillery, patrols, convoys, etc. However, it is an
equally important mission and should be undertaken with the same degree of
vigor.
c.
Airborne VR may be the only or primary method for developing targets or for
assessing the value of possible targets developed through other sources. The
pilot scheduled for VR should explore all available intelligence prior to the
mission to make better use of the mission and to provide a more rational plan
for the mission. A pilot who has flown a VR mission can make his mission look
good merely by the weight of words in his debrief. However, his findings become
more valuable and his mission more productive if it rationally fits into the
existing intelligence structure. For instance, a pilot can turn in a sighting of
50 boats which looks good on paper until it is put into the intelligence
structure which reveals 50 boats are common for that activity.
d.
"Negative significant sightings” is an evaluation not a report.
"Negative sightings" means the pilot literally did not see anything.
The VR pilot should basically avoid the attitude which evokes either report. In
the absence of more specific information, the pilot should take the occasion on
the debrief to report new general information or new trends. "This area is being (or not being) farmed" may be helpful in developing
population concentration patterns for instance.
"No changes in apparent trail usage" is another example of information
which can be as significant as trail changes. Therefore, all reports of new
sightings could be of significance to someone.
Equipment for a VR
Flight
1. You must carry and use binoculars. An adequate job cannot
be done by the unaided human eye at 1500 feet absolute altitude. Some people
report difficulty in using the binoculars, i.e. eye strain, headache, dizziness,
upset stomach. There are actually two factors at work when this happens, one
mechanical and the other mental. Binoculars that do not have proper parallax can
cause most of these symptoms. Try a different pair. If you have trouble with the
zoom type try the non-zoom type. Eventually you will find one that suits you.
The second factor is mental in that there is a sharp contrast between your
(XXX part of a line or two cutoff here. JHB)
section of the earth. Coexisting is a
false but seemingly rapid change in ground speed. The same effect but in reverse
can occur when you stop using the binoculars. One answer is to use the glasses
for relatively long periods, then take several minutes pause, avoiding numerous
abrupt transitional changes. Finally, focus (especially of the zoom glasses) is
critical and can cause eye strain besides denying you the detail that is needed.
2. You can learn to guide the aircraft
very satisfactorily by use of the rudders alone and when fully adept, you will
be able to keep the glasses on the same area for at least one 360° turn. Do not
divert your attention from the air for too long a period since a mid-air
collision is always a possibility.
3. Where to look is very important and
this paper develops a more detailed approach, but in general your attention
should be directed to:
a.
In the jungle look for geometric regularities since natural features are
irregular, also inspect the trails closely.
b.
In the populated areas the problem of where to look is more difficult. You will
become familiar with strong VC areas and should concentrate on
these
areas.
REMEMBER BINOCULARS CAN AID YOUR
4. Your next most valuable piece of
equipment is the 35mm camera with a 200mm lens. Photography can be of immense
value to your mission. The camera you will use has a built in
light meter. If you can center a needle by
adjusting the shutter opening you can
take pictures. Try to do all of your work at 1/500 of
a second but not slower than 1/250. The
camera men of the 600th Photo Squadron (as
will TASS Operations personnel) will be
glad to assist you or teach you how to use the equipment.
What
is Threatening
1.
It is very difficult for you to adequately assess whether or not the thing or
incident you see on the ground is a threat. Occasionally you will have visual
contact with the enemy but he normally tries to avoid this. When you see a group
of uniformed men with arms (often with packs and helmets) and coolies carrying
equipment, you will have no doubt about them or their intentions. This is
especially true when they open fire on you. Such incidents are black and white
choices. Unfortunately, this is about the only two cases when you can absolutely
determine the existence of a threat. Most other VR sightings fall into a
nebulous gray area. Remember a very simple thing: Most of your sightings
should be reported without value judgments.
2. If you see six men in a field dressed
in black clothing, don't report six VC in black pajamas, merely report what you
see. Unless they have weapons or packs or are firing at you (or some obvious
threatening activity) it is impossible to determine their allegiance or
intentions. The very /n the
majority of the people you see are not guerrillas nor even supporters of the VC.
To erroneously report people or equipment as VC can result in the death of
innocent people and the enmity of
survivors or heirs. You do your country a disservice if you attempt to add value
judgments to what you see or use emotionally loaded words. The use of the term
"fortified village" is a case in point. Many villages do have
trenches, bunkers, bomb shelters and bamboo assault fences and appear to pose a
threat. Some of the fortifications however were built 20 years or more ago. Some
of the most recent may have been dug by friendlies on their sweep and destroy
operations, some were built against the French, some against the Japanese. Some
of the fortifications are so old the villagers have beautified them with trees,
flowers and bushes. It is not implied that the enemy cannot or will not use
these positions but this becomes a threat only when friendly ground forces are
near the fortified village. If, however, you observe a squad or platoon of men
shoring up, restoring or lengthening fortifications this becomes a different
matter and is worthy of action. The words you use in reporting what you saw are
extremely important; choose them carefully.
3. What you see for the first time may not
be the first time it has been seen. Intelligence has records. Initially, when
you're just learning the area, attempt to correlate your sightings with past
reported sightings. There is a Daily Intelligence Summary (DISUM) published by
Intelligence. Spend some time reading several past issues when you're at
Intelligence to become aware of what has been sighted. Talk to other pilots
experienced in the area about what you've seen.
You are entering an environment that is,
in the main, totally foreign to your knowledge. Although this is primarily an
agrarian culture it is false to attempt to compare it to farm life of the
Occidentals. Perhaps the closest comparison would be between the South
Vietnamese agrarian society and the agrarian society of
The
Village
1. Even the distribution of houses is
different. The peasant does not normally live in a house located on his land.
Rather, he lives in loose clumps of houses (called hamlets), a series of which
are grouped together into a village. Thus his land may be a 2 or 3 kilometer
trip from his house. The roofs of some of the primitive houses are made of dried
thatched palm leaves or dried rice stalks. Some buildings are made entirely of
natural fibers. There are many more solid structures which usually have a roof
of natural colored earthen tile. A large number of houses have corrugated metal
roofs. In fact, when you see a relatively large number of roofs of this type it
is usually a refugee camp (New Life Hamlet, etc). Your most profitable approach
for investigating a village is to determine beforehand those
villages which are unfriendly. Normally this will be an area concept and the
Sector G-2 can give you a detailed briefing on the confines of the unfriendly
areas. You can then more profitably direct your energies to these
areas.
2. There are certain normal activities which occur in the
village. Early morning movement of the inhabitants is customary. Larger villages
may even have a market place where you will see people, often in large groups.
Conversely, you will not see many individuals during the siesta which is
normally taken from 1200 to 1500 hours during the dry season.
3.
The village unfortunately hides much more than it reveals. In any given village
there could be a relatively large VC (NVA) unit. The normal method of operation
of the enemy is to place in each house, or in a bivouac area, one, two or three
soldiers. Their gear is stored in the house and since the VC dress exactly like
the villagers you cannot easily detect their presence. You will, however, over a
period of time develop a subjective value for the number of people a village
should have, especially the male population. Consequently, you should carefully
note the males walking in the village streets (trails) and working in the
fields. The latter may be significant since the guerrillas customarily aid with
the farm work. Report your evaluation to Intelligence.
It may be a piece of the puzzle will fit together at a different
organizational level.
4. Carefully look at the main trails or roads leading into a
village for stacks of supplies. This is especially true of tree lines. The VC
hides both himself and supplies in the tree lines for he knows it is effective
cover. Use your binoculars and you can see down into the tree line if you offset
yourself and fly parallel to the tree line. Sometimes you can track along the
tree line in a skid and actually see down to the ground through the trees.
Jungle VRing
1.
The jungle (as you know from survival school at
2.
Large portions of any jungle area are impossible to VR due to the jungle canopy
whether high or low. In general you should avoid these areas for two reasons.
The obvious reason is that your eye cannot penetrate this green mantle,, and
second, forced landings in these areas are hazardous. This does not mean you
should eliminate these areas completely since at various times of the year the
foliage is less dense and you can catch glimpses of the jungle floor. At these
times you might sight a rail or structure. Briefly an occasional overflight will
be sufficient for VR purposes.
3.
Much of the jungle is broken up by new or old farm lands, natural meadows or
savannahs or merely areas where the trees and lower shrubs are thin enough to
allow you to see. This plus rivers and streams are the areas you should
concentrate on. The waterways even in the dense jungle should be closely
watched. The technique of waterway VR will be discussed later.
4. The various things you should look for
are;
a.
Trail usage
b.
New farm lands
c.
Supplies stacked in tree lines
d.
Areas which might be used for storage
e.
Rafts
f.
Cable crossings
g.
Bridges
h.
Watering holes
i.
Game trails
j.
People
k.
Structures
l.
Fighting positions including AW positions
Annotate these on your map as you see them
and you have a built in briefing to give Intelligence when you debrief. Report
all of these items and all that you see. It is impossible to fly a 3-hour
mission and not have a VR sighting.
Trails
1.
In mountainous regions, trails are the most important means of communications
and transportation. Rivers are probably used very little since most of them are
not navigable.
2. Most of the trails have been in the
mountains many, many years. Therefore, a FAC probably will not find new
trails, but will just locate trails which have been used more than others.
3.
Approximately 90% of the trails in the jungle area cannot be seen from the air.
Sometimes only a portion of the trail can be seen. Do not let this discourage
you since trails are normally the only means for determining the movement of
people in the jungle.
1. Most of the trails can be found by
looking at the map. The trails on the map were drawn using aerial photography.
Some trails can be found by looking along streams and in the center of the
valleys. Some trails will also follow a ridgeline. Other trail locations can be
found by talking to units that send reconnaissance patrols into your area.
1. A FAC should have on his map every
trail that is located. Then a check should be made periodically as to the use of
the trail. If a trail is well used, there will be a definite dirt path. Moderate
use of a trail will leave some vegetation growing in the path. If the trail has
very light use, generally you-will not see any dirt path. Since
vegetation grows very fast in the jungle, a trail will disappear with the growth
of vegetation if it is not used.
2. By plotting only small portions of a
trail seen from the air, in less dense forested areas, a FAC can easily estimate
where the trail leads through the dense portions he cannot see.
3. Another consideration when describing
trails is to
estimate how easily the trail could be converted into a primitive road. How wide
is the trail? How thick is the vegetation on each side of the trail? How hilly
is the terrain? How close is the trail to other roads?
1. After the main trails have been
located, look for small trails leading off the main trails. These small trails
may extend about 2 kilometers. The VC use these cutoffs for supply areas, rest
areas and command posts. You may not see any buildings, but if a small trail
goes into a thick group of trees there may be something important hidden there.
Submit these findings as a possible target.
2. Another good target area is major trail
intersections which show many very small trails and obvious assembly of people.
3. If a trail is hit with bombs, look for
foot traffic around or through the crater. If you do not see any, look for a
bypass trail a kilometer or two away.
Other
indications of a well used trail are
bridges, fords and steps. If the bridges are well built, that trail is important
either now or in the future. When some trails go over steep terrain, steps are
built with wood or rocks. Steps are easier to find when the sun is low.
1.
The hard to find trails can only be seen when the sun is directly overhead and the
FAC looks straight down through the trees. Look for areas of little or no
undergrowth.
2. Other trails can only be seen from
certain angles or when the sun is at a certain spot. Therefore, vary the flight
path and the time of day when looking for trails.
3. Another difficult problem in locating a
trail in a wooded area is plotting its position. A good technique is to drop
some smoke and fly away from the area to a more prominent landmark. Then plot
the position of the smoke rising above the trees.
1. Both old and new farm land is important
because trails can be more easily seen through these areas. Many of these trails
are not significant because they lead to the Montagnards' field from their huts.
What you must do is attempt to mentally project these trails and see if a
network of interconnecting trails do exist. Most of the farm land is prepared by
the cut and burn technique. During the months of April, May, June and July you
will see many large fires and great columns of smoke caused by the hill people
preparing
farm
land. Occasionally you will' come upon terraced areas where specific types of
foodstuffs are evidently grown. Their significance is unknown but it is probably
indicative of a more densely populated area. Occasionally you will see fences
around the fields. These are built to keep a deer-like animal from eating the
plants
The enemy, beginning in 1967, has started a major effort in jungle
farming. This trend will continue as he is forced from the coastal plain.
The jungle is used as a warehouse by the
enemy. Every conceivable type of supply is stored there at onetime or another.
Certain caches that have been destroyed have had common characteristics (watch
for similar areas). The caches were:
a.
Near main trails .
b.
Had relatively large, well used trails leading from the main trail to the
storage area.
c.
Were on the sides and top of a hill in one case .
d.
The trails leading into the cache clearly fragmented into main subsidiary trails
which were then used in turn for supply storage.
1. Cable crossings and rafts are usually
found together. The raft is used to ferry material across the stream and the
cable is used to pull the raft across. Normally there is one raft per cable.
When you see more tan one (the largest number of rafts found was four) take
special pains to search both sides of the stream for trails or storage areas.
The presence of multiple rafts indicates high density usage of the area. Try to
find out why.
2.
Foot bridges are usually found in conjunction with old, established trails. New
foot bridges can be important because they may mean new infiltration routes.
In any event, photograph the land area on both ends of the bridges and
cable crossing. Both vertical and oblique pictures should be taken.
3. Prepared fords are also used. These are
generally more difficult to see. The
best
clues to prepared fords is water ripple and trails leading to the fords. Do not
confuse fords with dams, but report accurately what you see. Take pictures if
possible. Watch them to see if you can determine why they were built and
particularly for changes in them.
It is very rare to find people on the
trails or in the fields in the mountains. The few times this has occurred there
has often been ground fire. It is thought that the individuals who
can
see you
merely
crouch and freeze, go
into the bushes or take cover behind a
tree. Observe any irregularity carefully, if
you think you see someone, drop a smoke can. This will usually cause them to
bolt for better cover. In one instance a FAC dropped a smoke can near a herd of
water buffalo and several men ran. He had not noticed them because they had worn
large banana or palm leaves on their backs which had perfectly concealed them.
Your best evidence of people, however, is trail usage.
Structures
Structures are very difficult to find in
the jungle. Areas that have been opened by bombing often reveal buildings. The
absence of buildings in heavily farmed areas in the jungle is evidence of the
fact that the buildings are being skillfully hidden. Visually follow the trails
as they lead into clumps of trees or the jungle. Photograph these areas and
later carefully study the photographs for evidence of structures. Finding
structures will be one of your most difficult tasks.
Defensive
Positions
These positions include trenches,
automatic weapon positions, above and below ground bunkers, and fighting holes.
There are areas in the jungle where there are many of these positions. Again, as
with structures they are difficult to find. The AW positions especially pose a
threat to you because they can be immediately occupied after months of disuse.
Normally these defensive positions are found parallel to trails or scattered
around heavily farmed areas. They indicate at the very least that the enemy was
there. When the Montagnards clear a hill side for farming they inevitably leave
a large number of visible holes. These openings are a result of stump
removal.' In addition, one can find larger holes but again this is not a threat
but simply a water reservoir. Often you will find punji stakes sharpened bamboo
stakes firmly planted in the earth) in jungle meadows and in large sand bars in
the rivers. It is assumed that fighting positions are near the periphery of
these areas.
Emergency
Landings in the Jungle
The chances of this occurring in an 0-2 are remote (the 0-1 represents a different situation). Should it happen it might be better to control your natural inclination to head for the largest cleared farming area that you can find. If you elect to land in a place such as that, your chances of unfriendlies finding you are greatly increased. You might consider older farm land which has a secondary growth of bushes or grass. Inspect the trails in the area; if they appear used, avoid if possible. Your best choice in any event is selection of an area that appears to be less used than other land near it. Occasionally you will find streams and sand bars which could be utilized for an emergency landing.
Bombing
the Jungle
1.
We know the jungle trails are used for infiltration of supplies and men. The
ground to ground rockets have arrived via the trails from the West. The degree
of use and timing is, however, unknown. To counter such use of the trails or
rather at the most provide harassment, there is a suitable technique. Through
photography and visual means you tan pick suspected areas that may be rest or
storage points. Additionally, you can identify portions of trails which are
heavily used. Do this from the border, east to where the jungle ends, thus
developing a list of targets. Commence bombing these targets at night and during
the day by the use of Air Force or USMC radar. Perform BDA as much as
you can. Continually review and modify your target listing. The results of such
a program can markedly affect the enemy's morale and ability to use the trails
with ease.
2. This program does not preclude the use
of a FAC on normal air strike missions; rather, it augments the total number of
bombs which would normally be dropped.
Water
VR
1.
Water VRing is at first thought a rather profitless concept. It does have
certain returns and we should consider them. When in the jungle peer down into
the water. You can easily detect trails or
foot prints except in the most turbulent
water. These marks on the bottom of the
river may stay for some time so it is well to remember them and not report
redundant sightings. Once you find these underwater trails try to see where they
go. Usually they are a product of concealed jungle trails. New underwater trails
can be quite significant since the friendlies among the Montagnards probably
utilize only established trails and normal bridge crossings.
2. The VC have a technique of building
underwater fords. They appear to be constructed of natural rock; sometimes even
wooden planks appear to be used. In addition to this, we have one instance of
use of a swing away bridge which was rotated across the water when needed and
concealed at other times.
3. Finally,
we must consider boat transportation over the rivers. It is very
difficult to make objective judgments in this area. You must train yourself to
(at least) subjectively be aware of a normal boat population and its customary
areas of docking. Some provinces control river traffic movement in which case
your job becomes much easier. Unusual places for docking, or for movement of
supplies, become rather important and should be reported.
Night VR
1. Although there is a limited payback to night VR it has a
place in the total scheme of our effort. Extreme caution must be utilized when
flying at night. You will normally do this with your navigation lights on. In
addition, random harassment and interdiction
artillery pose a real threat as does radar directed bombing. What this means is
that you should check all your normal information input areas to determine what
activity will occur in the area you intend to work in. In addition, you should
impose stricter weather requirements upon yourself.
2. It is futile to VR at night with the unaided human eye. You
must have an observer equipped with a starlight scope. The scope works well on
waterways, vehicles with lights, camp fires and so forth. It must be used on an
object either well illuminated by available light or by its own artificial
light. You cannot detect the movement of large or small groups of the enemy
unless they are carrying lights.
3. Map reading is especially difficult and it becomes a
sensitive matter to call in fighters or artillery if you cannot adequately read
your map.
4. The VC are apprehensive of your aircraft at night. To
illustrate this the following episode occurred to a FAC. He was flying 5
kilometers south of the province capitol and received moderate ground fire. To
avoid this he flew across a large river and took up a position east of the
capitol. He received heavier ground fire there so he flew over the ocean and
eventually left the area entirely. Ten minutes later the province capital was
attacked. Thus in a very real, if negative, manner night VR as crude as it is
can be of benefit.
5. This technique is more hazardous; therefore, more planning
and preparation is required. Night VR techniques demand a much more extensive
paper than these few paragraphs cover. It is an acceptable technique, so use it.
Conclusion
1. There appears to be no positive correlation between a
pilot's experience and background and his effectiveness as a good VR pilot. Some
pilots make outstanding VR pilots independent of their FAC ability. But the
outstanding VR pilot seems to work hard at using his talent. He is most
generally easy to recognize because of his consistently good VR sighting
reports.
2. Regardless of your experience and ability or special talent
you can improve your capabilities and effectiveness as a VR pilot. You can make
maximum use of equipment and aids. You can
always improve your mission by making better use of existing intelligence. You
can continually train yourself to see what you are looking at. But most of all,
you can continue to improve your attitude toward the value of the airborne
visual reconnaissance program.