75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne)
Encyclopedia
The 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger) was the United States Army Ranger
unit of the Vietnam War
era.
(CARS), the U.S. Army Rangers were re-organized in Vietnam as the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger). Fifteen Ranger companies were recruited from long range reconnaissance units in Europe since the late 1950s, and in Vietnam since 1966, as long range patrol companies. The genealogy of the new Rangers descended directly from Merrill's Marauders
, the 5307th Composite Unit, effective on 1 February 1969.
In Vietnam, the Rangers were converted from Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
(or "Lurp") units recruited and trained in-country since 1966. The companies were designated C through I and K through P. There was no "J" Ranger Company; this is so there would be no confusion with the similar "I" (or India) designation on typed paperwork. Companies A and B were kept stateside as a strategic reserve in case they were needed overseas in Europe or the Americas.
Each independent company was attached to a Division or Separate Brigade. Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range reconnaissance
behind enemy lines. They collected intelligence
, planned and directed air strikes, acted as conventional operations
force multipliers
, assessed bombing damage
of enemy territory, executed night and day ambush
es, and sniper
attacks.
Additionally, Rangers attempted recovering friendly prisoners of war
, captured enemy soldiers for interrogation, tapped
the wire communications of the North Vietnam Army
and the Viet Cong
on the Ho Chi Minh trail
, and mined
enemy trails and roads.
Reorganized 1 July 1984 with Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia
Consolidated 3 February 1986 with the former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 1-6) and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment; concurrently withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
United States Army Rangers
United States Army Rangers are elite members of the United States Army. Rangers have served in recognized U.S. Army Ranger units or have graduated from the U.S. Army's Ranger School...
unit of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
era.
History
On 1 January 1969, as part of the U.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental SystemU.S. Army Combat Arms Regimental System
The Combat Arms Regimental System , was the method of assigning unit designations to units of the five combat arms of the United States Army from 1957 to 1981. CARS was superseded by the U.S...
(CARS), the U.S. Army Rangers were re-organized in Vietnam as the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger). Fifteen Ranger companies were recruited from long range reconnaissance units in Europe since the late 1950s, and in Vietnam since 1966, as long range patrol companies. The genealogy of the new Rangers descended directly from Merrill's Marauders
Merrill's Marauders
Merrill’s Marauders or Unit Galahad, officially named the 5307th Composite Unit , was a United States Army long range penetration special operations unit in the South-East Asian Theater of World War II which fought in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations, or CBI...
, the 5307th Composite Unit, effective on 1 February 1969.
In Vietnam, the Rangers were converted from Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols, or LRRPs , were special small four to six-man teams in the Vietnam War on highly dangerous special reconnaissance missions deep into enemy territory....
(or "Lurp") units recruited and trained in-country since 1966. The companies were designated C through I and K through P. There was no "J" Ranger Company; this is so there would be no confusion with the similar "I" (or India) designation on typed paperwork. Companies A and B were kept stateside as a strategic reserve in case they were needed overseas in Europe or the Americas.
Each independent company was attached to a Division or Separate Brigade. Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
behind enemy lines. They collected intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, planned and directed air strikes, acted as conventional operations
Conventional warfare
Conventional warfare is a form of warfare conducted byusing conventional military weapons and battlefield tactics between two or more states in open confrontation. The forces on each side are well-defined, and fight using weapons that primarily target the opposing army...
force multipliers
Force multiplication
Force multiplication, in military usage, refers to an attribute or a combination of attributes which make a given force more effective than that same force would be without it. The expected size increase required to have the same effectiveness without that advantage is the multiplication factor...
, assessed bombing damage
Bomb damage assessment
Bomb, or battle damage assessment, often referred to as BDA, is the practice of assessing damage inflicted on a target by an air campaign. It is part of the larger discipline of combat assessment...
of enemy territory, executed night and day ambush
Ambush
An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...
es, and sniper
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
attacks.
Additionally, Rangers attempted recovering friendly prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, captured enemy soldiers for interrogation, tapped
Telephone tapping
Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on the telephone line...
the wire communications of the North Vietnam Army
Vietnam People's Army
The Vietnam People's Army is the armed forces of Vietnam. The VPA includes: the Vietnamese People's Ground Forces , the Vietnam People's Navy , the Vietnam People's Air Force, and the Vietnam Marine Police.During the French Indochina War , the VPA was often referred to as the Việt...
and the Viet Cong
National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam
The Vietcong , or National Liberation Front , was a political organization and army in South Vietnam and Cambodia that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War . It had both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized...
on the Ho Chi Minh trail
Ho Chi Minh trail
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam through the neighboring kingdoms of Laos and Cambodia...
, and mined
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
enemy trails and roads.
Lineage
Constituted 25 May 1944 in the Army of the United States as the 475 Infantry. Organized 10 August 1944 in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations from personnel of the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional) (Organized 3 October 1943 in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations) Inactivated 1 July 1945 in China.- Redesignated 75th Infantry 21 june 1954. Allotted to the Regular Army 26 October 1954. Activated 20 November 1954 on Okinawa. Inactivated 21 March 1956 on Okinawa. Reorganized 1 January 1969 as the 75th Infantry, a parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System.
Reorganized 1 July 1984 with Headquarters at Fort Benning, Georgia
Consolidated 3 February 1986 with the former 1st Ranger Infantry Battalion, 2d Infantry Battalion, and 3d, 4th, 5th, and 6th Ranger Infantry Battalions (see ANNEXES 1-6) and consolidated unit redesignated as the 75th Ranger Regiment; concurrently withdrawn from the Combat Arms Regimental System and reorganized under the United States Army Regimental System
Organization
| Company | Unit attached | Company | Unit attached |
| Company A | V Corps, Germany | Company I | 1st Infantry Division |
| Company B | VII Corps, Germany | Company K | 4th Infantry Division |
| Company C | I Field Force, Vietnam I Field Force, Vietnam I Field Force, Vietnam was a Corps-level command of the United States Army during the Vietnam War.Activated on 15 March 1966, it was the successor to Field Force Vietnam, a provisional corps command created 15 November 1965 for temporary control of activities of U.S. Army ground combat units... |
Company L | 101st Airborne Division 101st Airborne Division (United States) The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the... |
| Company D | II Field Force, Vietnam II Field Force, Vietnam II Field Force, Vietnam was a United States Army Corps-level command during the Vietnam War.Activated on 15 March 1966, it became the largest corps command in Vietnam and one of the largest in Army history. II Field Force was assigned the lineage of the XXII Corps, a World War II corps in the... |
Company M | 199th Infantry Brigade (Light) |
| Company E | 9th Infantry Division | Company N | 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) |
| Company F | 25th Infantry Division | Company O | 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division |
| Company G | 23rd Infantry Division | Company P | 1st Brigade, 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) |
| Company H | 1st Cavalry Division | ||