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1 Squadron SAAF

2025-05-18T14:38:43Z

2A02:8012:227B:0:3CFD:20D3:8CDB:8228: Category:Military units and formations of South Africa in the Border War is already in Category:Military units and formations of the Cold War

{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = 1 Squadron
| image = Mirage F1AZ no. 218 c.jpg | image_size = 300px
| caption = ''Mirage F1AZ refuelling from a B707 tanker''
| dates = February 1920 to 25 November 1997<ref name=SAAF1Sqn>{{cite web|title=South African Air Force (Unofficial)|url=http://www.saairforce.co.za/the-airforce/squadrons/19/1-squadron|work=1 Squadron| access-date= 4 August 2011}}</ref>
| country = {{flagicon| South Africa|1928}} {{flag|South Africa|1994}}
| allegiance =
| branch = [[South African Air Force]]
| type =
| role = Fighter / Attack Squadron
| size =
| command_structure =
| current_commander =
| garrison = [[AFB Hoedspruit]] when disbanded.
| garrison_label =
| ceremonial_chief =
| colonel_of_the_regiment =
| nickname = The Billy Boys{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}
| patron =
| motto = ''Prima'' (First)<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
| colors =
| colors_label =
| march =
| mascot =
| equipment =
| equipment_label =
| battles =
| anniversaries =
| decorations =
| commander1 =
| commander1_label =
| commander2 =
| commander2_label =
| commander3 =
| commander3_label =
| notable_commanders =

| identification_symbol = [[File:1 Sqn Badge.png|100px]]
| identification_symbol_label = Squadron Badge
| identification_symbol_2 = '''AX''' 1939-1945
| identification_symbol_2_label = Squadron Identification Code
}}

'''1 Squadron SAAF''' was an air force squadron of the South African Air Force and was formed at Air Force Station Swartkop in February 1920, equipped with [[De Havilland DH.9]]s part of the [[Imperial Gift]] donation to South Africa by Britain. On 31 August 1939 the squadron was re-designated as 1 Bomber/Fighter Squadron and this was then changed to 11 (Bomber) Squadron in December 1939. The squadron was resurrected in February 1940 by the renumbering of 6 Squadron, equipped with four Hurricane Mk 1s and six Furies.

1 Squadron saw active service in East Africa in 1940, the Western Desert, Malta, and Sicily, and ended their war service in Italy in 1945. In 1950 the squadron's Spitfires were replaced with Vampires, and these in turn were replaced by Sabre Mk6s in 1956. In 1976 the squadron received Mirage F1AZ attack aircraft and it was disbanded when the F1AZs were retired on 25 November 1997.<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>

== History ==

=== Establishment ===
There had been no official squadron designations in the South African Air Force (SAAF) from its inception in 1920<ref name=SAMHSV5N6>{{cite web|last=Tidy|first=D.P. Major|title=South African Military History Society|url=http://www.samilitaryhistory.org/vol056dt.html|work=They Mounted up as Eagles: A brief tribute to the South African Air Force| access-date= 4 August 2011}}</ref> until the early 1938 when 1 and 2 Transvaal Air Squadrons were formed as training units based at Waterkloof Air Station which had been opened earlier that year.<ref>Becker (1991) p.49</ref> Each squadron comprised 18 aircraft, divided into 3 flights each, plus a headquarters or administrative flight per squadron. Each flight was structured to form the working nucleus of a squadron. A flight of [[Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5|SE5s]] was to be the cadre of a fighting/ground strafing squadron; [[Avro 504|Avro 504Ks]] of a training and artillery spotter squadron, and [[Airco DH.9|DH9s]] were to form the cadre of a long-distance communication, photographic, bombing, and reconnaissance squadron.<ref name=Eagles1>Brown (1970) pp.21-22</ref>

=== World War II ===
On 31 August 1939, 1 Transvaal Air Squadron was re-designated as 1 (Fighter-Bomber) Squadron, and the original aircraft were replaced with [[Hawker Hart]]ebeest.<ref name=Eagles1/> It took until May 1940 for the squadron to be trained and brought up to strength, by when it had been equipped with four [[Hawker Hurricane|Hurricanes]] and six [[Hawker Fury|Furies]] and was officially titled "1 (Fighter) Squadron," commanded by Maj. N.G. Niblock-Stuart. The squadron was the first SAAF squadron to deploy in support of the Allied war effort, when a group of pilots and support staff were ferried to Egypt on 13 May 1940 by [[50 Squadron SAAF|50 Squadron]].<ref name=Eagles2>Brown (1970) pp.33-34</ref> Once they had arrived in Egypt, they were equipped with 18 Gloster Gladiators.<ref name="Becker67">Becker (1991) p.67</ref>

At the same time, the Hurricanes were ferried north from Pretoria on 22 and 24 May, accompanied by a [[Junkers Ju 86|Ju86]]<ref group="Note">These Ju86s had been purchased from Germany as passenger aircraft for South African Airways. At the outbreak of war, they were transferred to the SAAF and modified to permit them to be used as bombers by the addition of external bomb racks. (Brown (1990) p.54)</ref> carrying the maintenance crews and arrived in Nairobi at the end of May.<ref name=Eagles2/> The squadron's Fury aircraft were flown from Pretoria to Durban for crating and were then shipped to Mombasa on [[SS Takliwa]], embarking on 26 May and arriving in East Africa on 1 June 1940 where the Furies were un-crated and re-assembled.<ref name=Hakans>{{cite web|title=Hakans Aviation Page |url=http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/fury_southafrica.htm |work=South African Air Force use of the Hawker Fury during the Second World War |access-date=10 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721050059/http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/fury_southafrica.htm |archive-date=21 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> By early June the pilots from Egypt had married up with their aircraft in East Africa and were declared operational.<ref name=Becker67/>

==== East Africa ====
The squadron's first operational mission was an attack on the Italian ''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' air base at [[Yabelo|Yavello]] in [[Ethiopia|Abyssinia]], on 17 June 1940. The task of the two Hurricanes was to escort three [[Junkers Ju 86]] bombers from [[12 Squadron SAAF|12 Sqn]] in the attack on the airfield. The attack destroyed airport infrastructure as well as six [[Caproni Ca 133|Caproni Ca 133s]] on the ground. But a couple of [[Fiat CR.32]]s from 412ª ''Squadriglia'' had scrambled as soon as the South Africans had been spotted. The two Italian pilots severely damaged one of the Ju 86s, then shot down one of the Hurricanes<ref group="Note">2nd Lt B.L. Griffiths, who was to be the first operational casualty of the squadron.</ref> Capt St E. Truter, in the second Hurricane, reacted: he attacked and chased away the CR.32 flown by ''Tenente'' Aldo Meoli, that flipped over when it landed.<ref name="Sutherland & Canwell 2009, p. 38">Sutherland and Canwell 2009, p. 38.ruter </ref><ref>Brown, (1990) p.54</ref>

The squadron's Hurricanes, Gladiators and Hartbeest aircraft continued to provide fighter cover but by late 1940 the Hartbeest were proving to be no longer a match for the Italian [[Fiat CR.42 Falco]]s and one flight consisting of Hartbeest and Gladiators was split off from the squadron to form the nucleus of [[2 Squadron SAAF|2 Fighter Bomber Squadron]].<ref>Becker (1991) p.71</ref> The squadron then continued operating with the remaining Gladiators and Hurricanes from airfields in Abyssinia and [[Sudan]] until the fall of [[Addis Ababa]] on 5 April 1941. Although the [[East African Campaign (World War II)|East African campaign]] continued until November 1941, the absence of Italian fighters permitted the squadron to be moved to the Middle East on 8 April 1941.<ref>Becker (1991) p.73</ref>

From June 1940 to April 1941 the squadron operated from [[Kenya]], Abyssinia, Sudan (Azzoza and Port Sudan), and [[Eritrea]].

==== Western Desert ====
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-596-0367-05A, Flugzeug Me 323 Gigant.jpg|thumb|right|SAAF Squadrons intercepted and destroyed 16 of these Me323's on 22 April 1943]]
The squadron arrived in April 1941 and scored its first kill on 16 May when Lt. Talbot shot down a Ju 87. The first large-scale deployment was in support of ''[[Operation Brevity]]'' and later in support of ''[[Operation Battleaxe]]'' when Lt. Talbot – the squadron's highest scoring ace, with 10 kills at that stage – was shot down and killed.<ref>Becker (1991) p.81</ref> By this stage, the squadron was only flying Hurricanes. During ''[[Operation Crusader]]'' the squadron forced down a German Bf109F, capturing it intact – for which they were congratulated by Air Chief Marshal Tedder for capturing the first of this type of aircraft.<ref>Becker (1991) p.85</ref>

By the time of [[Operation Crusader]] the squadron was part of [[No. 258 Wing RAF]], under the direct command of [[Air Headquarters Western Desert]].
[[File:JG959 AX-N.jpg|thumb|right|Spitfire Mk. Vc of 1 Squadron SAAF]]
On 3 July 1942, the squadron was intercepting a German raid on the Alamein area while [[No. 272 Squadron RAF]] was providing them with top cover. The formation came across 15 [[Junkers Ju 87]]s escorted by 7 Bf109s; 274 Sqn attacked the Bf109s whilst 1 Sqn went after the Ju 87s. In what was later to become known as the "1 Squadron Stuka Party" the squadron destroyed 14 Ju 87s, damaged two, and shot down one of the Bf109s for the loss of just one aircraft (Lt Ray Connell, who crash-landed at Burgh-el-Arab after a rear gunner destroyed his oil pump)<ref>1 Sqn SAAF War Diaries</ref> in a forty-five-minute engagement.<ref>Becker (1991) pp.89-91</ref>

During the second Battle of El Alamein, the squadron was tasked with protecting the allied armour in their advance across the start line during the break-out phase, where squadron Hurricanes destroyed a number of [[Junkers Ju 87|Ju 87 Stukas]] during this phase of the battle.<ref>Playfair Vol.IV, (2004) p.68</ref> After the Battle of Alamein, the squadron received Spitfires as replacements for their Hawker Hurricanes.

During April 1943, German transport aircraft were freighting supplies to the beleaguered [[Africa Korps]] in Tunisia after Allied air and sea interdiction had stopped most of their shipborne supplies coming from Italy. On the 22nd, the squadron Spitfires joined by [[Curtiss P-40 variants|Kittyhawks]] from SAAF [[2 Squadron SAAF|2]], [[4 Squadron SAAF|4]] and [[5 Squadron SAAF|5]] Squadrons intercepted 21 huge [[Messerschmitt Me 323|Me323's]] attempting to bring in fuel (each aircraft carried 10 tons of fuel) to Tunisia. They destroyed 16 Me323s and two of their fighter escorts (one [[Macchi C.202|MC.202]] and one [[Reggiane Re.2001|Re.2001]]). After this successful intercept, [[Hermann Göring|Goering]] forbade all transport flights to Africa. The decision was overturned two days later after protests from [[Albert Kesselring|Kesselring]], on condition that all future flights were made by night.<ref>Playfair Vol IV, (2004) p.416</ref>

During the fighting in the Western Desert in 1941 (while operating under the 6 Squadron designation) they acquired their nickname "The Billy Boys" because whenever successful in combat, the South African pilots would shout "''Jou Bielie!''" over the radio (roughly translated into British English as "You clever chap!" and into American English as "You Hoss!").{{citation needed|date=December 2014}}

==== Italy ====
By July 1943, 1 Sqn had ceased operations in North Africa and were then tasked with patrolling the beaches where the landings for the invasion of Sicily were to take place. After the successful landings of ''Operation Husky'' and the subsequent exploitation, the squadron moved to Sicily on 14 July. After 38 days in Sicily, the squadron again provided cover for the British landings in Italy on 3 September 1943<ref>Becker (1991) p.125</ref> to be followed by them providing fighter cover at the Anzio landings on 22 January 1944.<ref>Becker (1991) p.129</ref> The squadron then moved to Italy and supported the assault on Rome, claiming 16 enemy aircraft destroyed during this battle.<ref>Becker (1991) p.137</ref> 1 Squadron remained in Italy for the rest of the war operating as a fighter squadron but also flying ground attack sorties towards the end of the Italian campaign. In June 1945 the squadron began to convert to the North American Mustangs, but by July 1945, when the squadron's personnel started to return to South Africa, only a few Mustangs had been delivered.<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>

=== Postwar to disbandment ===
[[File:Sabres on flightline, AFB Pietersburg.jpg|thumb|right|1 Squadron Sabres on the flightline at AFB Pietersburg in 1970]]
After the end of the war, the number of SAAF aircraft were greatly reduced, many being scrapped or sold at nominal prices. By June 1946, the squadron was assigned to [[7 Wing SAAF]] based at [[AFB Waterkloof]], flying Harvards but still retaining the Spitfires.<ref>Becker (1991) p.157</ref> In 1947 the concept of the Active Citizen Force was introduced whereby permanent force pilots would fly the squadron aircraft in the week and citizen force pilot officers would pilot the same Harvards and Spitfires over the weekends. Because of the Citizen Force association with the squadron, its name was changed to 1 "City of Pretoria" Squadron.<ref>Becker (1991) p.163</ref>

By 1954 all of the squadron's Spitfires were retired and replaced by Sabre Mk6s in 1956. Additional new aircraft types were procured and by 1957 the squadron had 16 Sabres, 12 Vampires and 12 Harvards on strength.<ref>Becker (1991) p.179</ref>

The squadron was later reequipped with the Impala Mk. I and then the Mirage F1AZ, operating from Hoedspruit until its disbandment on 25 November 1997. It saw combat during the [[South African Border War]] in SWA/Angola.<ref>Lord, Dick. (2008). From Fledgling to Eagle: The South African Air Force during the Border War. Johannesburg: 30° South.</ref>

== Bases and areas of operation ==
The squadron was deployed from the following bases / operated in the following arenas:
{|class="wikitable"
!style="background:#b0c4de;" width="110px"|Period From
!style="background:#b0c4de;" width="110px"|Period To
!style="background:#b0c4de;"|Base
!style="background:#b0c4de;"|Area of Operations
|-
|February 1920
|1936
|AFS Swartkop<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa
|-
|1936
|May 1940
|AFS Waterkloof<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa
|-
|June 1940
|8 April 1941
|Kenya, Abyssinia, Sudan (Azzoza and Port Sudan) and Eritrea (Tessebei)<ref name=HoW1Sqn>{{cite web|title=History of War|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/air/units/SAAF/1_wwII.html|work=No. 1 Squadron (SAAF): Second World War| access-date= 4 August 2011}}</ref>
|East Africa
|-
|8 April 1941
|May 1943
|Various bases and forward airfields in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia
|Western Desert<ref>Brown., (1974) p.381-382</ref>
|-
|June 1943
|14 July 1943
|Luga and Takali (Malta)
|Malta<ref name="McLean, 2005">McLean, (2005)</ref>
|-
|14 July 1943
|September 1943
|Pachino (Sicliy)
|Sicily<ref name="McLean, 2005"/>
|-
|September 1943
|August 1945
|Various bases and forward airfields in Italy (Isola, Cassano, Scanzano, Gioia del Colle, Palata, Trigno, Sinello, Marcigliano, Orvieto, Foiana, Rimini, Bellaria, Forli, Ravenna, and finally Lavariano)
|Italy<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>
|-
|August 1945
|June 1947
|AFB Swartkop<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa
|-
|June 1947
|1967
|AFB Waterkloof<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa
|-
|1967
|1975
|AFB Pietersburg<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola
|-
|1975
|14 January 1981
|AFB Waterkloof<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola
|-
|14 January 1981
|25 November 1997
|AFB Hoedspruit<ref name=SAAF1Sqn/>
|South Africa, South West Africa (Namibia), Angola
|-
|}

== Aircraft ==

{|class="wikitable"
!style="background:#b0c4de;" width="120px"|Period From
!style="background:#b0c4de;" width="120px"|Period To
!style="background:#b0c4de;"|Aircraft Type
!style="background:#b0c4de;"|Arena
|-
|1920
|1939
|[[Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5]]<ref group="Note">These aircraft were flown whilst designated as 1 Transvaal Air Squadron.</ref><ref name=Eagles1/>
|South Africa
|-
|1939
|1940
|[[Hawker Hart]]beest<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>
|East and South Africa
|-
|September 1936
|30 September 1940<ref name=Hakans />
|[[Hawker Fury]]<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>
|East and South Africa
|-
|August 1940
|
|[[Gloster Gladiator]]<ref>Playfair Vol I, (2004) p.169</ref>
|East Africa
|-
|1940
|4 November 1942
|[[Hawker Hurricane]] Mk I, IIB,<ref group="Note">Hurricane Mk IIs were received in October 1941.</ref> IIC<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>
|South Africa, East and North Africa
|-
|4 November 1942
|1946
|[[Supermarine Spitfire]] Mk. VC<ref name=HoW1Sqn/>
|North Africa, Sicily, Italy and South Africa<ref>Brown, (1974) p.288</ref>
|-
|1946
|
|[[North American T-6 Texan|Harvard]]<ref name=SAAF1Sqn />
|South Africa
|-
|1947
|1954
|[[Supermarine Spitfire]] Mk IX<ref name=SAAF1Sqn />
|South Africa
|-
|1950
|September 1956
|[[De Havilland Vampire|De Havilland Vampire FB-52]]<ref name=SAAFMuseum>{{cite web|title=Friends of the SAAF Museum Society|url=http://www.saaffriends.co.za/projects/current/vampire/vampire_229_project.htm|work=Vampire 229 Project|access-date=11 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831192019/http://www.saaffriends.co.za/projects/current/vampire/vampire_229_project.htm|archive-date=31 August 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|South Africa
|-
|September 1956
|1967
|[[F-86 Sabre|Canadair CL-13B Sabre Mk.6]]
|South Africa
|-
|1967
|April 1975
|[[Aermacchi MB-326|Impala Mk I]]
|South Africa, South West Africa, Angola
|-
|April 1975
|25 November 1997
|[[Mirage F1|Mirage F1AZ]]
|South Africa, South West Africa, Angola
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of World War II aces from South Africa]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|group=Note}}

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist|20em}}

== References ==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book 
|last=Becker|first=Dave
|title=On Wings of Eagles: South African Military Aviation History
|publisher=Walker-Ramus
|location=Durban
|year=1992
|isbn=978-0-947478-47-6|oclc=78679125
}} {{cite book
|author-mask=2
|last=Becker|first=Dave
|title=75 Years on Wings of Eagles: South African Military Aviation History
|publisher=South African Air Force
|year=1995
|edition=2{{sup|nd}}
|isbn=978-0-947478-47-6|oclc=56167674}}
* {{cite book
|last=Brown|first=James Ambrose
|title=A Gathering of Eagles; the Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Italian East Africa June 1940 – November 1941, with an introd. 1912-1939.
|series=South African Forces World War II
|volume=2
|year=1970
|publisher=Purnell
|location=Cape Town
|oclc=98232|lccn=77496352}} Archived at [[HathiTrust|HathiTrust Digital Library]] [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015008486352]
* {{cite book|author-mask=2
|last=Brown|first=James Ambrose
|title=Eagles Strike: The Campaigns of the South African Air Force in Egypt, Cyrenaica, Libya, Tunisia, Tripolitania and Madagascar, 1941–1943
|series=South African Forces World War II
|volume=4
|year=1974
|publisher=Purnell
|location=Cape Town
|isbn=978-0-360-00196-1|oclc=1501871|lccn=73076809}} Archived at [[HathiTrust|HathiTrust Digital Library]]. [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4009389]
* {{cite book|author-mask=2
|last=Brown|first=James Ambrose
|title=The War of a Hundred Days: Springboks in Somalia and Abyssinia 1940–1941
|series=South Africans at War
|year=1990
|publisher=Ashanti
|location=Rivonia
|isbn=978-1-874800-10-1|lccn=25165536|oclc=25165536}}
* {{cite book
|last=McLean|first=Steven
|title=Squadrons of the South African Air Force and their Aircraft 1920–2005
|publisher=Interpak Books
|year=2005
|isbn=978-0-9584929-4-2|oclc=71264152|lccn=2008360957}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Playfair|first1=I. S. O.| author-link1=Ian Stanley Ord Playfair
|last2=Stitt| first2=G. M. S.
|last3=Molony| first3=C. J. C.
|last4=Toomer| first4=S. E.
|editor-last=Butler| editor-first=J. R. M. | editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler
|title=Mediterranean and Middle East: The Early Successes Against Italy (to May 1941)
|volume=1
|series=History of the Second World War; United Kingdom military series
|publisher=Naval & Military Press
|location=London|year=2004|orig-year=1st. pub. [[HMSO]]:1954
|isbn=978-1-84574-065-8|oclc=276341649|lccn=2009675421}} Archived at [[HathiTrust|HathiTrust Digital Library]]. [http://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015002327495]
* {{cite book |author-mask=2
|last1=Playfair|first1=I. S. O. | author-link1=Ian Stanley Ord Playfair
|last3=Flynn| first3=F. C.
|last2=Molony| first2=C. J. C.
|last4=Gleave| first4=T. P.
|editor-last=Butler| editor-first=Sir James| editor-link=James Ramsay Montagu Butler
|series=History of the Second World War; United Kingdom military series
|title=The Mediterranean and Middle East: The Destruction of the Axis forces in Africa
|volume=4
|publisher=Naval & Military Press
|location=London
|year=2004| orig-year=1st. pub. [[HMSO]]:1966
|isbn=978-1-84574-068-9|oclc=276341649|lccn=2009675421}}
* {{cite book
|last=Shores|first=Christopher F.
|title=Pictorial History of the Mediterranean Air War
|volume=2
|year=1973
|publisher=Allan
|location=London 
|isbn=978-0-7110-0433-7|oclc=59989807|lccn=73154389}}
* Sutherland, Jon and Diane Canwell. ''Air War East Africa 1940-41: The RAF Versus the Italian Air Force''. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Aviation, 2009. {{ISBN|978-1-84415-816-4}}.
* {{cite book
|last=South Africa. Dept. of the Prime Minister. Union War Histories Section.
|editor1-last=Agar-Hamilton|editor1-first=J. A. I.
|editor2-last=Turner|editor2-first=L. C. F.
|title=Crisis in the Desert: May–July 1942
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|location=Cape Town, New York
|year=1952
|volume=2
|lccn=52004731|oclc=1258641}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.facebook.com/pages/1-Squadron-SAAF/100329220022919?sk=wall 1 Squadron SAAF on Facebook]
* {{cite web|title=1 Squadron Mirage F1 AZ SAAF South African Air Force|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVnwXK2yn-g|access-date=1 September 2011}}

{{SAAF navbox}}

[[Category:Squadrons of the South African Air Force]]
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Civilian Irregular Defense Group program

2025-05-18T14:25:55Z

2A02:8012:227B:0:3CFD:20D3:8CDB:8228: - Category:Military units and formations of the Cold War - Category:Military of South Vietnam + Category:Military units and formations of South Vietnam

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name = Civilian Irregular Defense Group
| image = CIDG unit training.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| caption = CIDG unit training
| dates = 1961–1970
| country = {{flagicon|South Vietnam}} [[South Vietnam]]
| allegiance = [[File:Flag of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.svg|25px]] [[Central Intelligence Agency]] [[File:Military Assistance Command, Vietnam SSI.svg|15px]] [[U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]]
| branch = [[File:Flag of the RVNMF.svg|25px]] [[Republic of Vietnam Military Forces]]
| type = [[Militia]]
| role = Anti-guerrilla warfare [[Artillery observer]] [[Bomb disposal]] Border security [[Close-quarters battle]] [[Counterinsurgency]] [[Force protection]] [[HUMINT]] [[Irregular warfare]] [[Jungle warfare]] [[Mountain warfare]] [[Raid (military)|Raiding]] [[Reconnaissance]] [[Tracking (Scouting)|Tracking]]
}}
The '''Civilian Irregular Defense Group''' ('''CIDG''', pronounced {{IPAc-en|'|s|I|d|Z|i:}}, {{respell|SID|jee}}; {{Langx|vi|Lực lượng Dân sự chiến đấu}}) was a military program developed by the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) during the [[Vietnam War]], which was intended to develop South Vietnamese [[irregular military]] units (militia) from [[List of ethnic groups in Vietnam|indigenous ethnic-minority]] populations. The main purpose of setting up the CIDG program was to counter the growing influence of [[Viet Cong]] (VC) in the [[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Central Highlands]] by training and arming the villagers for village defense. The program rapidly expanded after the [[United States Armed Forces|US military]] transferred its control from CIA to [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam|MACV]] after two years since its inception and changed its focus from village defense to more conventional operations. From June 1967 onwards the CIDG members were made part of the [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam]] (ARVN) or other government agencies to increase Vietnamese participation. By late 1970, the remaining CIDG camps were converted to [[Vietnamese Rangers]] (ARVN Rangers) camps. The indigenous ethnic-minority people that formed the CIDG reaped significant benefits by the government of South Vietnam for their allegiance and it was the first time that [[Minority group|minority groups]] were given full status as citizens of South Vietnam.

==Purpose==
The CIDG program was formed for two reasons:<ref name=Kelly>{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Francis|title=Vietnam Studies U.S. Army Special Forces 1961 - 1971|publisher=US Army Center of Military History|year=1973|isbn=978-1519258953|url=https://history.army.mil/html/books/090/90-23-1/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908122235/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/090/90-23-1/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2015}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|19–20}}
#U.S. mission [[Ho Chi Minh City|Saigon]] believed that the South Vietnamese effort to create similar paramilitary units needed to be bolstered.
#The U.S. feared that the VC would be able to recruit large numbers of minority troops.

==History==
The CIDG program was devised by the CIA in early 1961 to counter expanding VC influence in the Central Highlands.<ref name=Nagl>{{cite book|title=Learning to Eat Soup With a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam|author=John Nagl|author-link=John Nagl|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2005|isbn=9780226567709|page=[https://archive.org/details/learningtoeatsou00john/page/128 128]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/learningtoeatsou00john/page/128}}</ref> Beginning in the [[village]] of Buon Enao, small A Teams from the [[United States Army Special Forces|Green Berets]] moved into villages and set up Area Development Centers. Focusing on [[Civil defense in the United States|local defense]] and civic action, the Green Berets teams did the majority of the training. Villagers were trained and armed for village defense for two weeks, while localized strike forces ([[MIKE Force]]) would receive better training and weapons and served as a quick reaction force to react to VC attacks. The vast majority of the CIDG camps were initially manned by inhabitants of ethnic minority regions in the country (especially [[Degar|Montagnard]]), who disliked both the [[North Vietnam|North]] and South Vietnamese and therefore quickly took to the American advisers. The program was widely successful, as once one village was pacified, it served as a training camp for other local villages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanheritage.com/content/special-forces|title=Special Forces}}.</ref>

By 1963, the US military felt that the program was a great success, but only that the CIDG units and Green Berets units were not being employed properly, and ordered Operation Switchback, which transferred control of the CIDG program from the CIA over to [[Military Assistance Command, Vietnam]] (MACV).<ref name=Nagl/>{{rp|129}} The CIDG Program was rapidly expanded, as the entire [[5th Special Forces Group (United States)|5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)]] (5th SFG (A)), United States Army Special Forces (USASF), moved into Vietnam, and the CIDG units stopped focusing on village defense and instead took part in more conventional operations, most notably Border surveillance.

In 1966, Army [[Chief of staff|Chief of Staff]] [[General]] [[Harold K. Johnson]] was confused and unhappy with the activities of the Green Berets in South Vietnam. They were "supposed to be training guerrilla warfare," he observed, "and what they did was build fortifications out of the [[Middle Ages]] and bury themselves... with concrete." After visiting some of their more exposed Highland camps, he expressed "horror" that an organization that prided itself on being a "highly mobile, disdainful of fixed installations, innovative, [and] not requiring organized logistical support" should find itself "in fortified installations with mortars in concrete emplacements with fixed range cards printed on the concrete, and literally... locked in by their own actions." In his estimation the CIDG program drained manpower from Saigon and was too expensive; the indigenous soldiers spent too much time protecting their own dependents who lived nearby. Furthermore, he felt that Green Berets members "viewed themselves as something separate and distinct from the rest of the military effort," describing them as "[[Fugitive|fugitives]] from responsibility" who "tended to be nonconformist, couldn't quite get along in a straight military system, and found a haven where their actions were not scrutinized too carefully, and where they came under only sporadic or intermittent observation from the regular chain of command."<ref name=Clarke>{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Jeffrey|title=The U.S. Army in Vietnam Advice and Support: The Final Years, 1965-1973 |publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|year=1998|url=https://history.army.mil/banner_images/focus/dr_clarke_ret_comm/the_final_years.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125225653/http://www.history.army.mil/banner_images/focus/dr_clarke_ret_comm/the_final_years.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 January 2017|isbn=978-1518612619}}{{PD-notice}}</ref>{{rp|198–9}}

Many CIDG camps were assaulted or attacked. An example of this is the assault on Camp [[Lộc Ninh district|Loc Ninh]], A-311, situated in the III Corps area, which took place from 29 October to 4 November 1967. The camp strike force, together with elements of the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] (1ID), which reinforced it on the second day, successfully defended the camp with no other help, except for [[Airstrike|air strikes]]. It is estimated that 1,000 enemies were killed, of which 184 were credited to the civilian irregulars and their American allies. Six CIDG troops died and 39 were wounded; four members of the Green Berets died.{{fact|date=October 2022}}

Three major changes took place in the CIDG effort between June 1967 and June 1968:<ref name="Kelly" />

# In the context of [[Vietnamization]], the 5th SFG (A) began to prepare for disengagement and prepared CIDG members to become part of the ARVN or other government agencies. This involved closure, conversion and/or turnover of the CIDG camps to full [[Army of the Republic of Vietnam Special Forces]] (ARVN Special Forces) control.
# Great emphasis was given to assistance of the CIDG soldier and his family; with the intention of increasing Vietnamese participation, thereby preparing the South Vietnamese for a total take-over and improving their motivation to keep fighting.
# The third change was a result of the [[Tet Offensive]], launched in January 1968, in which CIDG troops successfully defended a number of urban centers, such as [[Nha Trang]], [[Quy Nhon|Qui Nhon]], [[Kon Tum]], [[Pleiku]], [[Châu Đốc|Chau Doc]], [[Buôn Ma Thuột|Ban Me Thuot]], [[Phan Thiết|Phan Thiet]] and Dalat. This was considered an excellent performance considering their training mainly involved anti-guerrilla forces, combat patrols in highland areas, counterinsurgency, and jungle warfare with small unit tactics. Since then, CIDG forces were regarded as an economy of force element, which could be used to release conventional units for deployment in response to new enemy buildups. They also were used for conventional operations, along with the U.S. and other [[Free World]] forces.

In response to the increasing enemy firepower, also in recognition to the CIDG, the US MACV approved a weapons modernization program in April 1968, under which CIDG troops were equipped with [[M16 rifle|M16 rifles]], [[M60 machine gun|M60 machine guns]], and [[M79 grenade launcher|M79 grenade launchers]]. Up to that point, CIDG troops had used mainly [[M1 carbine|M1 Carbines]] and [[M14 rifle|M14 rifles]]. The weapons transfer program was completed in January 1969.{{fact|date=October 2022}}

By 1 June 1970, the number of CIDG camps in South Vietnam had been reduced to thirty-eight, either by conversion to [[South Vietnamese Regional Forces]] (SVRF) status or by closure. The [[Joint General Staff|South Vietnamese Joint General Staff]] (JGS) and the MACV staff then decided to convert the remaining camps to ARVN Rangers camps, with a target date of 31 December 1970. Progressive, concurrent conversion cycles were initiated, with the major criteria being the state of security around each camp and seasonal weather. Camps in relatively secure areas that could be supplied easily during the rainy season were converted first. Camps in less secure areas were scheduled for later conversion so that more time and resources could be applied to increase the combat readiness of these camps. The final number of CIDG camps converted to Rangers was 37.<ref name="Kelly" />{{rp|156}}

During the stand-down period, every effort was made to raise the combat readiness of the 37 remaining CIDG camps to the highest efficiency. Concurrently, a concerted effort was made to assimilate the Montagnard and other minority [[Ethnic group|ethnic groups]] from remote areas into the ARVN. The ARVN Special Forces and the 5th SFG (A) staff developed jointly a program designed to continue operational missions in CIDG camps; process CIDG members administratively and medically; prepare MACV advisers for camp missions; transfer logistical support; reorganize CIDG units into Ranger battalions; and assimilate CIDG leaders into the ARVN ranks. The conversion process proceeded successfully, partly because the ARVN Special Forces camp commanders stayed in place and automatically became Ranger battalion commanders. Their familiarity with the troops, the camp area, and the tactical area of operations was invaluable. The MACV advisers did not arrive for duty until some 17 camps had been converted. The fact that many of the advisers were former Green Berets men familiar with the camps minimized problems. As a result of the close co-ordination between U.S. and ARVN Special Forces, the [[United States Army Rangers|Ranger Command]] was strengthened by the addition of 37 light infantry battalions. Of the possible 17,057 troop spaces scheduled for conversion 14,534 CIDG troops actually became members of the Ranger command. A significant benefit that accrued to the minority ethnic groups involved was the better treatment by the government of South Vietnam. For their allegiance, as expressed by their willingness to join the ARVN units, the government provided legal birth and marriage certificates as well as medical benefits and disability pay for injuries received in military action. This was the first time that the minority groups, and particularly the Montagnards, were given full status as citizens of South Vietnam.<ref name="Kelly" />{{rp|157–8}}

==See also==
*[[Battle of A Shau]]
*[[Battle of Dong Xoai]]
*[[Battle of Hiep Hoa]]
*[[Battle of Kham Duc]]
*[[Battle of Nam Dong]]
*[[Siege of Plei Me]]

==References==
{{ACMH}}
{{Reflist}}

{{ARVN}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:CIA activities in Vietnam]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of South Vietnam]]
[[Category:Government paramilitary forces]]
[[Category:Indigenous counterinsurgency forces]]