Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. Short Rounds and Related Incidents, 1 Jun 69 to 31 Dec 70
Abstract
The term "short round" is an artillery term in origin: a round which fell short of the enemy positions and fell on friendly troops instead. In Air Force usage, this term has been modified slightly: "A short round incident is defined as the air delivery of ordnance which results in injury or death to friendly military force or noncombatants" and "which is reported as such by the ground forces involved. If it is not reported by the ground commander, it is called an "Air-Delivered-Ordnance Incident." In MACV usage at the time of this writing, the term "Friendly Casualties Resulting from Supporting Fires" was used to include casualties caused by naval gunfire, helicopters, and Army weapons, as well as by aircraft. MACV published a summary every quarter which included analyses and breakdowns of number incidents, types of weapons, and casualties. Those covering this reporting period are attached as an appendix to the present report. When taken in the aggregate for the past several years, they reveal that, in general, aerial short rounds increased as rainy weather increased and as the number of sorties flown increased. They also show that incidents caused by Army weapons far outnumber those caused by fixed-wing aircraft, but that USAF short rounds cause a much higher number of casualties per incident--an unfortunate consequence of the greater size and effectiveness of air ordnance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 15, 1971
- Accession Number
- ADA487421
Entities
Organizations
- Pacific Air Forces