The Ether Zone by Ray Morris. Project Delta in Vietnam

[wartimecollectables.com]

Project Delta was formed in Nha Trang, Vietnam in 1964 as a joint Vietnamese and CIDG reconnaissance project headed by the U.S. Special Forces. Its original codename was LEAPING LENA but it was soon renamed Project Delta 5^th Special Forces Detachment B-52. In a war that spawned a myriad of elite operations, Project Delta become one of the most successful.

The unit’s base strength was 11 officers and 82 enlisted men from the Special Forces, a 105 man CIDG Nung Security Company, 20 officers and 78 enlisted men from the Vietnamese Special Forces (LLDB), a 123 man CIDG Roadrunner Company and the 81^st Airborne Vietnamese Army Ranger Battalion with 43 officers and 763 enlisted men. The US 281^st AHC was attached for aviation support as well as USAF Forward Air Controllers (figures from the Delta B52 web page).

Their mission was to conduct reconnaissance missions directly into NVA/VC areas of operations. These missions included Bomb Damage Assessment, POW snatches, rescue of allied personnel, disruption of known enemy trails, as well as other psy-ops and intelligence activities. The USSF / ARVN Recon and Roadrunner teams inserted into often heavily patrolled NVA territory to complete their missions and to say ‘the hazards were great’ is an understatement!

Project Delta contributed greatly to the US effort in Vietnam and Detachment B-52 was awarded the Valorous Unit Award, RVN Cross of Gallantry, RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal (PC) and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon. Deactivated in June of 1970, 29 men of Project Delta are listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Ray Morris’ book is an excellent read and apparently sanctioned by the Delta Force Association of veterans. It lays out the details of numerous missions run by B-52 and gives insights and personal details from interviews with Delta combatants. It is a picture of the ferocity of the jungle war in Vietnam and of the successes that could occur under competent officers with well trained forces with excellent cooperation between Delta and their Vietnamese counterparts.

I was unpleasantly surprised to find several on-line book reviews that questioned some glaring factual errors in Morris’s accounts. The story of the wound Colonel Beckwith received that took him out action with Delta and actions at Gai Dinh. As one reviewer, an 18 month in-country Delta officer, wrote “Although the author claims to have done extensive research and cross checking with members of Project Delta, the text of The Ether Zone shows otherwise. Each experience of the Delta Project men edited by Morris, should stand alone. They demonstrate the professionalism, unique expertise, and bravery of the Delta men, especially the Delta Recon men”. The books stands as an excellent read and a good accounting of the unit with much excellent information but apparently, as in the recent debates, some Fact Checking is in order.

 

 

[BagmanL6]

Well written review. Thanks for taking the time.