But no one would be leaving the country that day. The progress was slow and ammo was becoming scarce, particularly grenades, which get consumed at an enormous rate in city fighting. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. The explosions at Long Binh, 15 miles northeast of Sia gon rattled windows and shook doors here in the capital. [2]:3523, General Weyand later noted that in their attacks on the Saigon area "Despite the large number of Communist troops committed, insufficient force was applied in any one area to take and hold the objectiveThe assault had been launched piecemeal and it was repulsed piecemeal in a series of relatively small battles. He waved me off. He said I would have to wait. After commanding 180 paratroopers, taking on four APCs and 40 troops seemed like a dreamexcept that now I was responsible for troops in combat, not training. Its predominantly Catholic population was made up of many Vietnamese who fled North Vietnam in 1954 after the Viet Minh victory. This article was written by John E. Gross and originally published in the February 2008 issue of Vietnam Magazine. View of surrounding areas. The first explosion was TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. At dawn on 2 February the US counted approximately 50 VC/PAVN dead in the area and captured 3 VC. Perpetual Siege region. On January 23, during a battalion sweep through heavy jungle south of Highway 1, Alpha Company walked into a camouflaged, well-defended enemy bunker system and was badly mauled. We use cookies on this website. main target because they were outnumbered 5 to 1. In addition, gunships killed many more as they tried to escape from the villages. To ensure you can use all the features please enable it. I realize now that the track was high enough that the rounds would have passed over the troops in front of the vehicle, Love recalls. When the G3 adviser told me to lend the rangers a track, I told the sergeant that the M-113 was not a tank and to be extremely careful with it. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. build bunkers, and help pick up the dead enemy across the fence. Unfortunately for them, the hapless VC had no weapons other than the RPG launcher, and Dames dispatched them with a burst from his M-16. into the bunkers. The 2-47s enemy body count came in at more than 200, while the battalion suffered only four KIA. A few minutes later, a jeep drove up carrying two extremely frightened white-shirted policemen. with no lights waiting for the attack to lift so we could get On January 23, during a battalion sweep of a heavily jungled area south of Highway 1, Alpha Company walked into a well-camouflaged, well-defended enemy bunker system and was badly mauled, losing four men killed and more than 20 wounded, including almost all of the officers. Normally, operations orders issued over the radio were encoded and sent by the operations officers radio operator. Tet Offensive I had returned to Long Binh Post. When I arrived at 9th Division in June, I was further shocked to learn that I was going to a mechanized battalion, rather than be assigned to one of the battalions in the Delta where I could use my light infantry and Ranger school experience. An MP full colonel, along with a deputy sheriff from Los Angeles (dressed in his deputy uniform) and two jeeploads of Vietnamese National Police, drove up to my track. The offensive continued until the end of the month in the North part of U.S. air strikes in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Love was so startled, he didnt fire. I walked back to my track, thinking this was going to be a nightmare. wire on the top of LBJ (Long Binh Jail). The explosion echoed over an area of 50 miles. John Gross received the Silver Star for his actions in command of Charlie Company on the first day of the Tet Offensive. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The armed helicopter teams had a field day shooting guerrillas trying to flee into the jungle. The 2-47 was one of several units he pulled in from the jungles to guard the Long Binh headquarters and logistical complex 15 miles northeast of Saigon. Now someone pointed out that there were a lot of young men, all dressed in black pants and white shirts, walking among the refugees. APCs advance, firing 50 caliber machine guns. Company E engaged the PAVN/VC supported by artillery fire killing 47 PAVN/VC. It dawned on us that the VC were throwing down their weapons, changing clothes and slipping away. As the 2nd Platoon began to run short, Spc. Several tracks were hit by RPGs and surrounded by the enemy. I told him we couldnt take the tracks off Highway 1 into town because the streets were too narrow. him in. Tower sent Major Jones to take command, and once Alpha got moving, it did a magnificent job. When Lieutenant Casper jumped up, our legs became entangled and I tripped him, Ax remembers. Now the fight was on. The ammunition dump contained high explosives like: C-4, artillery rounds, mortar rounds, aerial flares, 50 caliber rounds, M-60 machine gun rounds, and aerial rockets for the Huey Cobra and gunships. was out of the bldgs. Alpha Company was ordered to the 199th LIB compound, which was under attack. During December we made little enemy contact, probably because the Communists were lying low, preparing for Tet. Officer and soldiers examine barbed wire torn apart by Vietcong who infiltrated Long Binh ammunition dump. maxhightForP2 = 13904; 2 comments. That was 90th Replacement Battalion, situated on the road to Saigon between the village of Bien Hoa and the huge base at Long Binh. We all knew that these moves were more than just precautionary. 3. I operated a heavy five Set. According to the official history of the VC 5th Division, the 3rd Battalion, 5th VC Regiment, supported by the Bien Hoa Sapper Company, had the mission of overrunning the compound, which was defended by about 15 ARVN soldiers and a smattering of MACV advisers. Mainly it is the story of some of the finest solders to ever wear the uniform of the U.S. Army and how they reacted not only to fierce combat, but also to the fog of war. Troops opened their attacks with volleys of grenades, then charged in shooting. 1.19 I almost did While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. When it The 2-47s scout platoon had just finished a brutal fight in Widows Village, and at 4 p.m., it was ordered to move to the junction of Highways 1 and 316, and to attack westward through the village of Ho Nai toward Charlie Company, in the hope of pinning the VC between us. 0.28 (Vietnam War period). As a result long-range reconnaissance patrols (LRRPs) from Company F, 51st Infantry Regiment were positioned north of Long Binh to detect PAVN/VC approaching the base. M-113 Armored Personnel Carrier on guard. The S3 also told Charlie Companys noncombatants to report to battalion headquarters. In addition we detained more than 20 probable VC fighters dressed in civilian clothes. Benny Toney, the 2nd Platoon sergeant, hooked a tow cable to Stormy. We could ride, walk or be airlifted to war, and we arrived with many times the ammo and equipment that could be lifted in by helicopter. At 4 a.m., Jones ordered us to pull in our ambushes and be prepared to move, and told Charlie Companys noncombatants to report to battalion headquarters. We were ordered to go to that church and detain every male between the ages of 16 and 80. The armed helicopter teams had a field day shooting guerrillas who tried to escape to the nearby jungles. According to him, I told him that any fool could see that the VC did not have M-113s, and that we had 22 .50-calibers and a 106mm recoilless rifle and they, for sure, did not want us to return fire. Besides the fireworks, ARVN soldiers had linked tracer bullets together and were stitching the darkness with weaving streams of machine gun fire. Rambo claims that the bunker guards were MPs with the call sign of Filmy Milker. According to him, I told their commander that any fool could see that the VC did not have M-113s, and that we had 22 .50-calibers and a 106mm recoilless rifle and they, for sure, did not want us to return fire. Consequently, I was disappointed when I received orders to join the 9th Infantry Division. Bucks County Pennsylvania United States USA, Del Rio Texas Laughlin Air Force Base USA, Roxborough Pennsylvania United States USA, U-Tapao Royal Thai Air Force Base Thailand. We rolled through Long Binh and out the main gate, then turned left onto Highway 316. 0.08 A VC commander captured later in the battle revealed that his orders were only to start the attack after several hundred rockets had hit the Plantation, but as the rocket sites had been neutralized before the rocket threshold was reached, the ground assault on the Plantation never began. The churches were cleared in short order. I was not sure what to do about the bunkers we had dug. It knocked a dimple in the side of the track as I fired up the gunner., Later in the fighting, Casper and several 2nd Platoon troops were pinned down next to a building. After the roadblock was cleared and communications restored, Charlie Company continued toward its objective. When we arrived, we filed off the busses . Flames consuming huts. We began detaining the well-dressed young men among the refugees. "I was the 1SGT of the was a point where the Ho Chi Min Trail came close to the countrys West We could shoot about 21 miles into Cambodia. Elements of B Company, 2/47th Infantry (Mechanized) and C Company, 4/39th Infantry, clearing North Vietnamese Army regulars from "Widows' Village" (a hamlet of housing provided by the government of the Republic of Vietnam for widows and children of fallen ARVN soldiers). All rights reserved. [7], The Tet offensive attacks and previous losses due to mortar and rocket attacks on air bases across South Vietnam led the Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze on 6 March 1968 to approve the construction of 165 "Wonderarch" roofed aircraft shelters at the major air bases. License Agreement | A VC guerrilla hiding behind a parked ARVN jeep had fired the rocket. They both hobbled through the rest of the days fighting. For additional reading, see: The Battle for Saigon, Tet 1968, by Keith Nolan; and History of the 5th Division, by Ho Son Dai and Nguyen Van Hung. It had been over two days and many of us had no sleep. [3]:218, The town of Ho Nai (105812N 1065335E / 10.970N 106.893E / 10.970; 106.893) was located on Highway 1 north of the Widow's Village and Long Binh Post. Tower sent the battalion S3, Major Jones, to take command, and once Alpha got moving, it did a magnificent job. As 1st Lt. Brice Barnes led his scout platoon into the edge of Ho Nai, he ran full speed into a hornets nest. He replied that I would have to wait. A great deal has been written about the battles of Tet 1968 and the political firestorm that resulted from them. As enemy resistance stiffened, we realized we had bottled at least a company of the VC 275th Regiment in the village. 2,400,000 pounds of 8 inch high explosive artillery projectiles. As we cleared the ambush, the column suddenly came to a halt because of some kind of block in the road; simultaneously, someone keyed the company net. Then I got a call from battalion commander Tower, asking how things were going. I went through the quarters making sure everyone Many of the enlisted personnel with medical MOSs work two to three days per week at the 93 rd Evacuation Hospital, then came back to the 24 th to work on the various construction projects. Their 81mm mortars were useless, since we were told we could not put any indirect fire into the town. As darkness settled in, Charlie Company was ordered to move back the way it had come, to the junction of Highways 1 and 316, where we would form a screen in front of the 199th LIB base camp. Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Just then a three-man VC RPG team calmly walked across the street right in front of the damaged APC. Tower ordered Charlie Company to attack eastward to clear the village of Ho Nai, a suburb of Bien Hoa. 2023 CriticalPast LLC. In addition we detained more than 20 probable VC fighters dressed in civilian clothes. 0.22 The mushroom cloud slowly dissipated after hours of Less has been written about the danger, turmoil, chaos, confusion, contradictions and outright lunacy that confronted individual units as they responded to VC attacks on the morning of January 31. 4. I jumped down and ran from track to track, pounding on the sides and yelling, Check your handsets! As I ran back through the weapons platoon in the pre-dawn gloom, with small-arms fire cracking overhead, I was amazed to see young girls carrying bottles of Coca-Cola, trying to sell them to the troops. A soldier, who has been hit, lying prone between two other soldiers, tries to get up. Zabecki remembers taking his place on the wall with his M-79 grenade launcher. The 2-47s enemy body count came in at over 200, while the battalion suffered only four KIA. My plan was to make captain and go to Vietnam as an experienced company commander. In January 1968, our battalion relocated to the area between Xuan Loc and Bien Hoa, where intelligence had located a VC battalion. After the roadblock was cleared and communications restored, Charlie Company continued toward its objective. When we arrived, we found the churchyard packed with thousands of civilians seeking refuge. Here was another sign that the situation was serious: The battalion commander personally gave out map coordinates of company objectives in the clear.Alpha Company was ordered to the 199th LIB compound, which was under attack. Men at Long Binh ammunition dump. - Now someone pointed out that there were a lot of young men, all dressed in black pants and white shirts, among the refugees. convoy about two days before and were repairing anything that had failed The only trouble was that Charlie Company tracks were sitting in the road right in front of their bunkers. We fired everything we had into the buildings lining the roadway and took several wounded while getting to the church. Tower had called and told me that Charlie Company was under the operational control of III Corps and I was to take my orders from them. [6]:12, Several dozen of the PAVN rockets exploded near the II Field Force and 199th LIB headquarters in the Plantation Compound (105728N 1065241E / 10.9577N 106.878E / 10.9577; 106.878) causing minimal damage. the wrecker operator had to know how to weld. flight line and I was checking the bunker for anyone, I heard yelling Kortuem! Sergeant John Ax, squad leader of 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, recalls the fighting near III Corps: An RPG hit Shocker, the C-21 track, in the side; but it must have been a glancing blow, because it did not explode. As we rolled by, we looked down into the compound and saw soldiers in khakis milling about with boarding passes in hand. Long Binh, again (Feb. 1967). ", "I then went to the CP and tried He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel. After much frequency changing, I finally got the commander of the bunker guards on the radio. Suddenly he came upon a VC RPG team drawing a bead on my command track, which was marked as a prime target by the number of radio antennas jutting from it. Bringing that volatile convoy through the city, which had not been totally cleared and was still burning in many places, was a tremendously heroic act. We opened up with everything we had and kept driving. The weapon was aimed at the newly built and painted (orange-white With the explosion of the entire ammunition dump imminent, and in the midst of exploding shells, fire and debris, the men of COMPANY B, . There was much Then things started falling out of the sky. In fact, the Communists had already infiltrated the city of Bien Hoa, suburban Ho Nai village and Widows Village, where pensioned families of deceased ARVN soldiers lived. In Bin Ha itself the 3rd Ranger Task Force, consisting of the 35th and 36th Ranger Battalions, provided a rapid reaction force supported by 2 155-mm howitzer battalions located on the southeast of the city. 9. The colonel explained that since we were infantry soldiers and did not know the proper method of searching a house, he and his crew had come to teach us. I I had been in command for five months and had been assured that I would be in command for one year, which suited me fine. He waved me off. In January 1968, our battalion relocated to the area between Xuan Loc and Bien Hoa, where intelligence had located a VC battalion. 11. At the time of the Around midnight on October 29th, 1966, the Viet Cong mortared or rocketed the Long Binh Ammo Dump. Smoke rises from surrounding area. II Field Force commander LG Frederick C. Weyand had also ordered the 9th Infantry Division to be prepared to send its 1st Brigade from Bearcat Base 16km south of Long Binh to Bien Hoa-Long Binh in the event of an attack. All night he stared at the body, which had one arm grotesquely sticking in the air, and wondered why nobody had taken the gold wristwatch off the arm. The scout platoon had fought valiantly all day long in Widows Village and in Ho Nai. The colonel explained that since we were infantry soldiers and did not know the proper method of searching a house, he and his crew had come to teach us. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. [3]:2501, On the evening of 1 February 3 platoons from Company C, 4/12th Infantry and 2 platoons from Company D, 17th Cavalry Regiment were ordered 2km north of Ho Nai to establish an outer defense against any renewed VC/PAVN attack. the airbase made it too us in the daylight and foamed the ditch for Website Terms & Conditions | With small-arms fire cracking overhead, young girls carrying bottles of Coca-Cola were trying to sell them to the troops. for days and days. 1 comment. Initials PW/VS/JH/BB/ES PW/VS/JH/ES After the battles for the churches, there occurred one of the most bizarre incidents of the day. We began detaining the well-dressed young men among the refugees. One A-37 and 1 F-100 were destroyed while a further 17 aircraft were damaged. F-100 Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom II drop Mark 82 bombs in Vietnam during U.S. air strikes. These photos were taken from December 9, 1967 to February 1968. I assigned areas of operation to my two rifle platoons, and positioned the weapons platoon inside the compound as a reserve and security force. The acting commander of the 199th LIB, Col. Frederic E. Davison, ordered three of his infantry companies operating north of Long Binh to attack the rocket launch site, while LG Weyand ordered the 9th Infantry Division to send the 1st Brigade from Bearcat Base.
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