Assault at Huelvaprofiles Op

[Music] this is Operation steel pipe 1 the largest peacetime amphibious Landing operation ever launched the time late fall of 1964 the place southern Spain a landing force of 28,000 men of the US Fleet Marine Force Atlantic and a Spanish Marine Battalion stormed ashore on these beaches to demonstrate our ability to come to the aid of analai by moving a large assault Force overseas into a critical area and by sustaining it there the operation really began at us home bases along the Atlantic Seaboard all the materials necessary to wage a simulated War trucks tanks medical supplies rations and men are loaded aboard Navy and Merchant ships for movement to The Landing beaches [Music] assault troops from the Second Marine Division and force troops Atlantic board ships at East Coast ports in last minute preparations troops and Equipment are fed to the assault ships by helicopter their next stop Spain [Music] [Music] farewells are an occupational hazard peculiar and acceptable to the service way of life at c training and preparations continue with some 60,000 men and 94 United States and Spanish ships participating the operation requires the coordinated efforts of hundreds of individual Specialists and a score of Navy and Marine activities and liaison officers from [Music] Spain well formulated plans can still be changed even up until the hour of The Landings to cope with unfamiliar terrain at the Landing site winds tides and unpredictable [Music] weather the complexity of the exercise demands knowhow and techniques learned the hard way in Normandy on 100 bloody Pacific beaches and in [Music] Korea the stage is set for steel Pike 1 putting into practice lessons has learned over 25 years of amphibious Warfare meanwhile on the beach at Al Maria by the shore of the Mediterranean Marine Corps tacticians and Engineers have joined Navy CBS in establishing a short Airfield for tactical support who provide close-in aerial support for the landing Force known as saxs it permits jet aircraft to land and take off on strips less than 4,000 ft in L it is in effect an aircraft carrier deck moved ashore complete with a resting gear and it frees tactical aircraft from dependence on established airfields now the assault is underway Marines in full battle dress go over the side into landing craft others prepare for another means of assault vertical envelopment a tactic in which assault troops are landed by helicopter behind the enemy during an attack over the beach [Music] an Uninvited Guest a Russian ship observes the activity [Music] also on hand to view The Landings are invited guests military and civilian leaders of the United States and [Music] Spain including Senator Richard B Russell of Georgia and representative El mendle rivers of South Carolina and now the beach and the challenge to gain a foothold room to fight free from Reliance upon local sources of Supply or the need to have pre-positioned equipment the assault forces land and move rapidly [Music] Inland 100 Marine helicopters from the amphibious assault ships USS okanawa boxer and guad Canal land combat troops at strategic areas behind the enemy's lives [Music] [Applause] [Music] but resistance is strong and the call goes out for an air [Music] strike an amphibious Landing even a simulated one is a hazardous business and during the course of the exercise 14 Americans lost their lives in two aircraft accidents and at Sea as unfortunate as these deaths are they do serve to underscore the seriousness of the operation and the vital importance of training for modern amphibious war and The Landings continue [Music] supplies equipment and Men pour across the [Music] beaches the buildup is heavy and constant [Music] helicopters unload a variety of equipment from the [Music] carriers and place it ashore exactly where it is needed when it is needed the two prong attack a direct assault over the beaches and a helicopter drop in the rear compels the enemy to disperse his forces to divide his strength and multiplies the amphibious forces's chances for success with the beach heads secured equipment supplies and men now move Inland over the longest Causeway ever built by the Atlantic Fleet constructed by Navy CBS the 1260 ft Seaborn Highway enabled 35 shiploads of material to be smoothly landed despite the absence of anything resembling ining normal docking [Music] facilities 5 days after the initial Landing operation steel Pike 1 is finished its objectives have been achieved and combat training has been demonstrated and perfected the days of push button Warfare however are still in the future the man with the rifle who must eventually settle all wars still carries the burden of battle these men with their rifles and the Navy men who brought them there and supplied them return home with the sure knowledge that when the chips are down the sea power of the United States stands ready and able to reinforce our allies at any time wherever they may be l