 Okay, move out. This narrow body of water has been both a symbolic and a realistic moat, separating the Taiwan Island complex from the coast of the communist-held mainland of China. Also known as Formosa, these islands are both the seat of the government of the Republic of China, commonly referred to as GRC, as well as the armed fortress of its military establishment. Taiwan is an island of considerable variety. The eastern half is dominated by a chain of rugged mountains, while to the west lie flattened fertile plains, ideal for the cultivation of rice, sugar, and pineapples. The many rural villages serve to emphasize the timeless continuity underlying the Oriental traditions and culture. Only a few minutes away stand the modern cities of Taipei and Kaohong, bustling with movement and signs of 20th century living. But this appearance of tranquility belies the true situation, for during the Korean War it became apparent that the security of Taiwan and the offshore islands was vital to the free world's defense perimeter, since these islands face a constant threat of direct aggression from communism. In 1951, the United States began the first military advisory assistance program known as MAG. Today, Taiwan, protected by elaborate systems of underground fortifications, supports an armed force numbering over 600,000. The advice, assistance, and training given to these forces by personnel of the U.S. Army is the subject of this report. He is a series of wars, revisions, and invasions. Beginning in the 12th century, Taiwan was the object of continuous and stormy struggles between rival foreign powers, pirate terrorists, and Chinese adventurers, all anxious for his foothold on this rich and strategically placed island. It was not until the 17th century and the arrival of Kosinga, an almost legendary figure, that Taiwan began to acquire any measure of stability. In the 19th century, Taiwan was a province of China, then under the rule of the Manchu dynasty, the comparative peace of this period was to be short-lived. In 1894, Japan declared war on China. At the conclusion of the ill-fated Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan was officially seated to Japan, in whose hands it would remain for the ensuing 50 years. In 1945, Taiwan once again became part of Chinese territory, but nationalist government forces would have been pushed off the mainland by powerful communist insurgents. Finally, in 1947, the city of Taipei became the fountainhead of governmental activity after the evacuation of the mainland entirely. In 1950, the Korean War erupted, and Taiwan was destined to play an important role as a symbol of freedom in the shadow of communism. The island complexes of Kinmen, commonly known as Kimoy, Matsu, and Pengu, otherwise called the Pescadoris, might serve as ideal stepping stones for a communist invasion. Kinmen is surrounded on three sides by the mainland and has frequently been shelled by red artillery. After an initial survey of nationalist needs in 1951, the United States immediately launched an extensive program. American army officers and enlisted men began working with, but not in direct control of, any GRC soldier. All advisors are assigned to the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group, commonly referred to as MAG. These advisors, working closely with their Chinese counterparts, use all available means of transportation to visit the widely-scattered Chinese forces. Most senior commanders in many subordinates and non-coms have been trained at U.S. Army schools under the Military Assistance Program. Participation of MAG advisors on Taiwan encompasses the entire spectrum of Army training. The Army of any nation is only as good as its infantry. These men, going over the leader's reaction course at an infantry school, face a series of obstacles designed by U.S. advisors. It is similar to the leader's reaction course at Fort Benning with a few modifications. Great emphasis is placed on infantry weapons training. Working closely with their counterparts, advisors have set up intensive training in a variety of light and heavy infantry weapons. At this artillery school outside the city of Tainan, advisors help instructors conduct a basic artillery course. They encourage use of training aids such as this puff board, which gives students their first practical work in adjusting artillery fire. Firecrackers for centuries, especially of the Chinese, are employed to simulate artillery fire on a miniature village. Advisors are suggesting a changeover to more realistic powder charges. It isn't long before trainees graduate from miniature to real firing. The Chinese Army Armour School near Tai Chung is often referred to as the Fort Knox of Taiwan. Their basic tank is the USM-41, since it is light enough to navigate the island's rice paddy terrain. Armour is used primarily in an offensive role on Taiwan. Advisors direct training toward employment in a mobile defense to help repel an invasion or to counterattack if invaded. Many tanks used in training have machine guns mounted and synchronized with the tank guns. The purpose is to simulate firing with less expensive ammunition, thus permitting Chinese Armour to expand its share of the budget on items it regards as more critical. These military vehicles are waiting to be rebuilt at the Chinese Army Ordnance Automotive Base Depot near Taipei. By working with US Ordnance Advisors, they have developed an installation with the largest military automotive rebuild capacity in the free world. By more than 1,700 Ordnance personnel, the depot has the capacity of turning out 15 to 20 rebuilt vehicles per day, 40 to 55 engines and 108 to 200 tires. This vehicle, like most, has been completely taken apart all the way to the frame and carefully rebuilt. Now, it joins a line of others, rebuilt and ready to be reissued. Ordnance Advisors can share a feeling of satisfaction in a job well done. US Advisors in many areas of the world must devote a large percentage of their time and effort to making sure that equipment supplied by the military assistance program is properly maintained. There is probably no better example of this than the guided missile advisor on Taiwan. This Hawk missile site located on one of the island's highest peaks, literally above the clouds much of the time, is an excellent tactical position. However, it is a position which because of extremely high humidity, amplifies the problems of missile maintenance. And as with most military equipment on the Taiwan island complex, the maintenance problems are compounded by the necessity of keeping ammo and other material in operation readiness at all times rather than in storage. These advisors trained as a package with 40 members of a Hawk battery at Fort Bliss, Texas. It has resulted in an exceptionally close-knit, smooth-running team in both the maintenance and operational phases. At a Nike Hercules site, crews participate in a practice firing. Just as if enemy aircraft were approaching, they rush out to man the launchers. They are quickly raised for firing. The varied responsibilities of advising on maintenance as well as on keeping both material and personnel at the peak of operational readiness apply to other branches of the advisory teams on Taiwan. This includes advising Chinese army units on such activities as engineer, communications, ammo, quartermaster, logistical, chemical, and psychological operations. On Taiwan, psychological advisors are not attached to MAG, but are members of the Taiwan Detachment of Broadcast and Visual Activity. As an advisory byproduct, many U.S. wives conduct English classes for a Chinese army personnel. Military advisory groups on Taiwan devote attention to all phases available on training. At the Chinese training school near Ping Tung, students learn correct landing techniques as the chief airborne advisor shows them how. And soon, two C-46s head for the drop zone with their cargoes of first-time jumpers. Inside the cabin of one, the two U.S. advisors are ready to lead the way. They jump and the trainees follow. An introductory briefing before exercise sky soldier testifies to the emphasis placed on combined training and Sino-American relations. The tactical situation is that an aggressor force has invaded Taiwan. U.S. paratroopers from Okinawa and a Chinese airborne unit will combine in a counterattack. The exercise officially begins as Chinese paratroopers ready to take off for the drop zone have their shoots checked by the jumpmaster. The plan is for GRC and U.S. troops to jump at two widely separated drop zones and then to counterattack on foot in a pincer's movement. The Chinese Air Force arrive over the primary drop zone. Advises have found that the Chinese are unusually quick to master jumping techniques. Exercise the island civilians are highly interested spectators. As the GRC airborne move out, the heavy drop of equipment is released. Miles away U.S. aircraft completing their flight from Okinawa arrive over the secondary drop zone. They move off the drop zone to carry out their half of the movement. The main objective of both forces is to take an aggressor held bridge. Pin down at the edge of the drop zone, they receive word that the aggressor force is withdrawing and move out toward the objective. The aggressor's retreat toward the bridge under fire by the advancing U.S. paratroopers. As they near the objective, U.S. troops face a series of non-military obstacles. Meanwhile, the Chinese paratroopers approach the bridge from the opposite direction. U.S. advises accompany them during the entire exercise. As the enemy fights to defend the bridge, the Chinese bring up their heavy weapons. Up 100 saver jets of the U.S. Air Force support an attack on aggressor positions. Force routed, U.S. and GRC troops link up on the main objective. Completed, one successful airborne counterattack. Among positive results of exercise sky soldier are a mutual respect between U.S. and Chinese personnel, as well as proof of the feasibility of a combined defense by forces of the two nations. About 100 miles across open water from Taiwan lies Kinmen, as well as the other three islands in the Kinmen complex. Little Kinmen, Tartan and Ertan. On Kinmen's highest point, a radar sight atop a fortress-like structure symbolizes the strategic importance of the four-island complex to the free world. For in addition to the aspects already mentioned, the Kinmen complex provides an observation post from which to keep the Chinese communist coastal activities under close surveillance. It also adds to the depth of the overall defense of Taiwan. Kinmen proper is about 12 miles long and 5 miles wide at its broadest. Its cliff-like terrain with a network of underground emplacements, its providentially broad beaches and the Taiwan Straits, is considered by many to be almost impregnable. A land of low rainfall, the island has gently rolling red and white clay farmland on its western coast. Its chief crops are peanuts, sweet potatoes, wheat and millet. In recent years, its civilian population has become almost self-sustaining. Shan Wei is Kinmen's second largest village. In recent years, the government has been in a position to eliminate the ancient spectras of disease and unemployment and is establishing better health and sanitation practices. These bond-up buildings currently used to train Chinese soldiers in village fighting were destroyed by artillery fire from the Communist mainland in 1958, when half a million rounds blasted the island and an invasion attempt was repelled. Now, tunnels, caves and revetments protect the population as well as visiting military. The shelling still continues, but only with rounds filled with propaganda materials and only on odd numbered days. Most military establishments are located in tunnels or caves to reduce both casualties and damage to material, especially if the Chinese Communist should resume the use of high explosive rounds. Although in recent years shelling has been restricted to leaflet-carrying rounds, anyone within the immediate vicinity can be hit by shell fragments. As a result, visits, inspection trips and resupply activities are scheduled for even numbered days. The tunnel through which this jeep is being driven also serves as the entrance to the underground office of the Kinman Defense Command advisory team. Each officer-advisor here has taken on two assignments because of the relatively small number of advisory personnel in relation to the large number of activities and installations. You are looking at the interior wall of another office, the cave and closed operations office of a Chinese division. The division advisor and his counterpart climb the stairs from the intersecting tunnels that lead to the office. Much of the advisor effort here is devoted to training and maintenance of map equipment. Although the troops on Kinman are seasoned and are in a tactical situation, training and maintenance are vital in an area so close to an enemy threatening invasion. Behind these curtains are the underground living quarters of operations personnel. Many troops on Kinman live in caves close to their duty stations. For many, reporting for duty each day is to walk through a maze of man-made tunnels to daylight. Here in the shadow of another tunnel, an aviation advisor and his counterpart, the general, discuss parachute inspection and maintenance. Most army aircraft are protected by revetments. A sergeant advisor oversees maintenance of an L-19 with his counterpart, who was school-trained at Fort Rucker, Alabama. This is in line with the U.S. Army policy of bringing allied nationals to the United States for training and operation and maintenance of U.S. equipment. Deep within another cave, a Chinese unit is set up a signal maintenance shop. There are virtually no activities of military importance on Kinman that are not protected by solid rock. Another typical underground installation is the U.S. Army Communications Center. These members of the Kinman advisory team to remain in constant communication with the Army section of MAG in Taipei. The activities of a Navy medic here illustrate the dedication of U.S. personnel. In keeping with the Navy's mission of administratively and logistically supporting U.S. troops on Taiwan, his original assignment was solely to administer to the medical needs of U.S. personnel the energy and skills proved such that at his request, the chief of the advisory team detailed him to serve as a medical advisor in addition to his regular duties. Resupplying the large number of military personnel on Kinman presented a difficult problem until U.S. advisors helped to solve it. Faced with the necessity of moving supplies rapidly across soft broad stretches of sand, they designed and helped set up a system that enabled an LST to beach, unload and leave on one tide. This permits work crews to unload in a single, even number day, thus avoiding a conflict with the communist shelling schedule. U.S. advisors and their counterparts make frequent inspection trips to the other three islands of the Kinman complex, which as we have noted, stand as close as 2,000 to 3,000 yards off the communist mainland. On Tartan, they visit a psychological operations post. They are greeted by two specialists of the Chinese Women's Army Corps. Powerful loudspeakers enable them to send frequent propaganda messages across the straits to the mainland. Psychological operations also involve release of balloons carrying scarce items such as soap and toothpaste to the mainland. On Little Kinman, an advisor inspects a rifle range on which infantrymen fire across an intersecting peanut field to hit their targets. Tartan, an advisor, inspects several outposts from which observers keep the communist coastline under constant surveillance. Maps and mock-ups of the Red Coast and of Amoy Harbor help to locate gun positions and other strategic installations. They can see that all is quiet in the situation normal along the communist coastline. Controlling the exit from Amoy Harbor, Kinman is in effect the cork in the communist invasion bottle, performing much the same role for Asia as does Berlin in Europe. Taiwan and its complex are the furthest outpost of the free world's Pacific defense. In April 1961, Lyndon B. Johnson, then Vice President of the United States, after a fact-finding tour of Southeast Asia, reported to President J. F. Kennedy, the battle against communism must be joined in Southeast Asia with strength and determination to achieve success there. Or the United States inevitably must surrender the Pacific and take up our defenses in our own shores. Asian communism is comprised and contained by the maintenance of free nations on the subcontinent. Without this inhibitory influence, the island outposts, Philippines, Japan, Taiwan have no security, and the vast Pacific becomes a red sea.