# FIRST CAVALRY DIVISION IN VIETNAM THE BIG PICTURE TV SHOW 56814

Produced by the Army Pictorial Center as part of The Big Picture TV show, this 1969 episode “The First Cavalry Division (Airmobile)” is “the story of how air mobility is helping the First Air Cavalry, the ‘First Team,’ win the battle for freedom in Southeast Asia.” By 1965, helicopters are used for more than just transport; they are a crucial element of combat ( 01:01 ). Helicopters allow for fast and powerful mobilization, so it is only natural that the First Cavalry Division, renamed the First Cavalry Division Airmobile, is the is the first to use them in combat. Airmobile combat was developed and tested in Fort Benning Georgia and tried out by the experimental organization 11th Air Assault Division, prior to activation of First Cavalry 1 July 1965. The First Cavalry is deployed to Vietnam and sets up base set up at An Khe ( 03:07 ), also known as Camp Radcliff. The base is built around helipads ( 03:15 ), encircled by a clear-cut section, and reinforced with howitzer batteries ( 03:27 ) and machine gunners ( 03:37 ). For additional security, another force is posted on top of a mountain ( 03:59 ) overlooking the base. Other fixed-wing craft operate out of An Khe ( 04:09 ). The First Cavalry patrol a large range of territory in South Vietnam ( 04:53 ) featuring highlands and mountains. The first air assaults are launched in September and October of 1965, proving the usefulness of helicopters in combat. A CH-47 Chinook ( 05:36 ) transports men and equipment. Quick-firing…

- Kind: Film
- Genres: Industrial and advertising
- Archive: [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/56814TheBigPictureTheFirstCalvaryDivisionInVietnam)
- Licence or status: none stated by the archive
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (the archive gives no rating; placed by Invisible Network from its collection and subjects)

[Watch now](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/watch/archive/ia/56814TheBigPictureTheFirstCalvaryDivisionInVietnam?play=1)