The 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne) was the United States Army Rangers unit of the Vietnam War era.
History
On 1 January of 1969, under a new Combat Arms Reorganization System, U.S. Army Rangers were re-formed in Vietnam, as the 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne)[1]. Fifteen companies of Rangers, two of which(A&B)were based in the US training new Rangers, were raised from units that had been performing long range missions in Vietnam since 1966 as Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol and Long Range Patrol companies. These new Rangers were given a unit genealogy descending[2] directly from Merrill's Marauders on 1 February of 1969. In Vietnam, the Rangers were organized as independent companies (C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O and P); each company was attached to a major American army combat unit. Rangers in Vietnam conducted long range, covert reconnaissance into denied areas. They collected intelligence, planned and directed air strikes, acted as force-multipliers in conventional operations, assessed bombing damage in enemy-controlled areas, executed hunter-killer missions at night and in daylight, by set ambush and by hasty ambush and surprise, and specially-trained and specially-equipped Ranger snipers killed individual enemy soldiers and officers. Additionally, Rangers attempted recovering friendly prisoners of war, captured enemy soldiers for search-and-interrogation, tapped North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong wire communications lines in their established base areas in the Ho Chi Minh trail, and mined enemy trails and motor vehicle transport routes.
Organization
| Company | Unit attached | Company | Unit attached |
| Company A | Ranger Training Brigade | Company I | 1st Infantry Division |
| Company B | Ranger Training Brigade | Company K | 4th Infantry Division |
| Company C | I Field Force, Vietnam | Company L | 101st Airborne Division |
| Company D | II Field Force, Vietnam | Company M | 199th Infantry Brigade |
| Company E | II Field Force Vietnam | Company N | 173rd Infantry Brigade |
| Company F | 25th Infantry Division | Company O | 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division |
| Company G | 23rd Infantry Division | Company P | 1st Brigade, 5th Mechanized Division |
| Company H | 1st Cavalry Division |
References
- ^ SuaSponte.com Vietnam Rangers page
- ^ ...the Department of the Army looked to its rich and varied heritage and on 1 February 1969 designated the 75th Infantry Regiment; the present successor to the famous 5307th Composite Unit (MERRILL'S MARAUDERS)...
- ^ Lock, John D. and Moore, Harold G. To Fight With Intrepidity: The Complete History of the U.S. Army Rangers 1622 to Present Fenestra Books, 2001 ISBN 1587360640 pp. 515-516
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| Rangers of the United States Army | ||
| French and Indian Wars | Church's Rangers • Rogers' Rangers |  |
| American Revolutionary War | 2nd Legionary Corps • Armand's Legion • Knowlton's Rangers • Whitcomb's Rangers | |
| American Civil War | 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry(Mosby's Rangers) • 7th Virginia Cavalry • Marion's Men • Loudoun Rangers | |
| World War II | 1st Ranger Battalion • 2nd Ranger Battalion • 3d Ranger Battalion • 4th Ranger Battalion • 5th Ranger Battalion • 6th Ranger Battalion • Merrill's Marauders | |
| Modern Rangers | Korean War Ranger Companies • 75th Ranger Infantry Regiment (Airborne) • 75th Ranger Regiment | |
| See also | Ranger Creed • Ranger Memorial • Ranger Indoctrination Program • Ranger Orientation Program • Ranger School • Rangers Standing Orders | |
