Quote:
Originally Posted by kalos72
Do you have anything on the two aviation detachments, I cannot find any details really.
Also, I found these.
US 12th Air Force HQ - Bergstrom AFB, TX: Responsible to provide follow on TAC reinforcement to Europe
24th Composite Wing – Howard AFB, Panama:
1. 24th Tactical Air Support Squadron: A-37
(had various A-7, A-10, C-130 units attached from CONUS)
21st Air Force – McGuire AFB, NJ
61st Military Airlift Group – Howard AFB, Panama
1. 310th MAS: 3 C-130E, 2 C-130H
Would an MP Battalion or even a Marine unit accompany these group?
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210th AVN is an attack helicopter outfit (AH-1/OH-58)
114th AVN Coy (CS) is UH-60
the platoon from the 242nd AVN Coy is CH-47
Cruised Wiki and verifed through the Army Historical site the following:
In 1961, after the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion and rumors of Soviet assistance to Cuba, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara decided to bolster available U.S. Army forces in the Caribbean area. The Army replaced the battle group in the Panama Canal Zone with the 193d Infantry Brigade, which was activated on 8 August 1962.
Through most of the period of its assignment to the Canal Zone, the 193d included the following units:
3-5 INF Fort Kobbe
4-10 INF Fort Davis
4-20 INF Fort Clayton
Battery B, 22 FA Fort Kobbe
518th ENG Coy Fort Kobbe
534th MP Company Fort Clayton
549th MP Company Fort Gulick
210th AVN Albrook Army Air Field then Fort Kobbe
1097th TRANS Coy (Medium Boat) Fort Davis
Additionally, there were other units, such as the School of the Americas (Fort Gulick), 3d Battalion, 7th Special Forces (Fort Gulick), and Jungle Operations Training Center (Fort Sherman) that were not assigned to the 193d but had a habitual relationship and rating scheme for their commanders and/or senior officers tantamount to assignment.
There were other units assigned at different times. For example, the brigade had, for most of the 1960s a mixed HAWK missile and M42 Duster battalion, 4th Battalion, 517th Artillery (Battery A at Fort Davis, Dusters; Battery B, Fort Clayton, Dusters; Battery C, HAWKs, Flamenco Island; and Battery D, HAWK, Fort Sherman).[3] The brigade was also staffed heavily enough as to permit it to command the 92d and 53d Infantry Brigades (Separate) from the Puerto Rico and Florida National Guard, respectively. In 1977, in order to improve command and control over the numerous combat support and combat service support units, the 193d Combat Support Battalion (CSB) was activated within the brigade. The 193d CSB commanded a wide variety of units, to include the 193d Military Intelligence Company (Combat Electronic Warfare and Intelligence - CEWI), the 1097th Transportation Company (Medium Boat), and even a field artillery unit (Battery D, 320th FA).
In October 1983, the 1st and 2d Battalions, 187th Infantry were assigned to the 193d Infantry Brigade in Panama as a result of reflagging the 4th Battalion, 10th Infantry and the 3d Battalion, 5th Infantry, respectively. Company A, 2d Battalion, 187th Infantry was on jump status and later this was expanded to the entire battalion. During a realignment of the United States Army's combat forces in 1987 the colors of the 1st and 2d Battalions were inactivated in Panama and reactivated at Fort Campbell, KY. This resulted in 2-187th being reflagged as the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry while 1-187th was reflagged as the 5th Battalion, 87th Infantry.
Although the 193d Infantry Brigade (Light) was, by TO&E, only a small brigade, as a result of various augmentations leading up to JUST CAUSE, in its role as TF Bayonet it ended up being the largest brigade-sized task force in JUST CAUSE. The various units that comprised TF Bayonet on D-Day were:
1-508 INF (Airborne)
5-87 INF (Light)
Battery D, 320th Field Artillery
59th Engineer Company (Sapper)
HHC, 193rd Infantry Brigade (Light)
NIMROD DANCER Augumentation:
4-6 INF (Mech)
Platoon (Sheridans) from 3-73 ARM, 82nd ABN Div
JUST CAUSE Augmentation
519th MP Battalion (week prior), consisting of 209th, 401st, 511th, 555th, 988th, 108th MP Companies
One Company, 75th Ranger Regiment
One Marine LAI platoon (LAV-75s from TF Semper Fi)
Note that TF Bayonet had neither an organic forward support battalion nor normal combat service support units, as was doctrine at the time. Limited support was provided by the 41st Area Support Group (which had theater-wide responsibilities), but lacking a dedicated Forward Support Battalion, the Brigade's logistical support operations were significantly strained.[9] A fifth maneuver battalion had originally been slated for TF Bayonet, for the purpose of having a two-battalion attack at the Commandancia – which was to be the main attack of JUST CAUSE.[10] However, JTF-SOUTH reallocated this battalion to the other side of the Isthmus.[11] Ironically, as JTF-SOUTH was doing this, Noriega was beefing up defenses at the Commandancia. Half of the PDF 6th Company, most of the PDF 7th Company and elements of the PDF Bn 2000 were moved to the Commandancia in the two months leading up to JUST CAUSE, replacing the unit that had led the second coup attempt.
At 1800 hours, 19 December 1989, TF Bayonet received from JTF-SOUTH the order to execute Operation JUST CAUSE, with an H-Hour of 0100 hours, 20 December. Because the JUST CAUSE OPLAN had been classified at the top secret level, only a small number of the Brigade's leaders were familiar with its contents.
After combat operation ceased, a political decision to rapidly drawdown US forces to their pre-invasion levels had an unexpected impact on the 193d; in order to reach that level, USSOUTHCOM directed that the Brigade's field artillery battery be inactivated and its personnel – and their families – be immediately shipped out of country. During this period TF Bayonet became what is believed to be the largest combat brigade-sized unit in post-WWII history, controlling at one period seven infantry battalions – just two shy of what a full division commanded at the time. It managed this task – over the extreme distances noted above – without the benefit of a dedicated support battalion, and the logistical improvisation required was little short of genius.
Within several more months, the rest of the augmentation forces were withdrawn. The 193d Infantry Brigade however, remained in Panama and continued to provide a military presence. On 14 October 1994 after more than 32 years of providing ground defense for Panama, 193d Infantry Brigade was 'honored' as the first major unit to inactivate in accordance with the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977, treaty implementation plan, which mandated U.S. Forces withdrawal from Panama by December 1999.
Don't ya just love the way TO&Es and Orders of Battle change?
