"Ronald H. Spector, Professor of History & International Relations, George Washington University

Marines were the first American ground combat troops sent to Vietnam. Their original mission was only to protect the American depot and airfield at Da Nang. But within a few months they took the offensive successfully in Operation Starlight (Aug. 17–24, 1965), the first regimental-sized action for U.S. troops since the Korean War. Three years later there were 85,000 marines, all concentrated in the five northernmost provinces of the country. And three years after that there were virtually none.

Throughout those six years, marine commands reported their experiences on a monthly basis. These reports, called command chronologies, form a major part of this new three-part microfilm collection from UPA. The collection also includes monthly and semiannual reports with a country-wide perspective from the Fleet Marine Force Pacific, the highest level Corps command in Asia; along with comparable material from the III Marine Amphibious Force covering events throughout the zone of primary marine responsibility. Besides the narrative reports, there are also treatments of special topics originally prepared as supplements to the command chronologies.

To date, scholars have made only occasional and partial use of these documents, but they are basic primary sources on both the military and civic action involvement of the Corps in Vietnam. Typically, a command chronology contains coverage of the unit’s organizational data, personnel and administration, intelligence activities, operations and training, logistical activities, communications, fire support coordination, air support, medical affairs, civic action, and psychological warfare.

Related materials, some of which had originally formed appendixes, have been organized as special topic files by the Marine Corps Historical Center, where the collection was filmed. These files include orders, journals, after-action and other reports, and casualty lists. Maps, sketches, and photographs are also often included.

Part 1: Fleet Marine Force, Pacific Command Histories, 1964–1973 offers the widest perspectives in its monthly summaries and semiannual chronologies of operations, covering not only marine but attached Vietnamese and allied forces operating in I Corps Tactical Zone (the five northern provinces). FMFPAC also produced one last cumulative report on marine operations in Southeast Asia in 1971–1973. Its special topical reports are of particular interest on such themes as amphibious warfare, combined action civic programs, counterinsurgency, and the siege of Khe Sanh.

Part 2: III Marine Amphibious Force Command Histories, 1964–1971 reflects the scope of III MAF: the command of all marine units in I Corps Tactical Zone, whether on land or sea or in the air, in combat and in village pacification work. These reports go back to the months before ground forces were committed. It was the marines who pioneered the technique of working and living jointly in small units with the Vietnamese Popular Forces in the hamlets. Additionally, III MAF had responsibility for the Special

Landing Forces, the Da Nang headquarters area, naval gunfire support, and liaison with the army, South Vietnamese, and allied forces. Its reports are uniquely valuable for their coverage of these areas.

Part 3: Divisional Command Histories, 1965–1971 are the close-up views of the action written shortly after the events and close to them, providing details that would later be summarized elsewhere. Included are the two marine divisions in Vietnam—the 1st and 3d—and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing."