*** The first time that rockets were used in the Republic of Vietnam by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army. The United States Air Force took control of the base in the late 1960s. They also mortared and rocketed MAG-13 at Chu Lai on 31 January 1968. The Marines assaulted the island and the fighting continued throughout the night and into the next morning. (AP) AP Communist attack of the war on an American stockade or brig. Robertson remembered that "the ceasefire was to be in effect and the regimental commanders reported intense fire from the enemy and requested authority to continue artillery fire, if necessary" Robertson granted the request and then "about 18:40 we got the word from III MAF that the ceasefire had been called off.[1]:142, For some time, the American forces had been aware that the PAVN/VC was about to launch some type of major offensive. ARVN intelligence officers speculated that the battalion from the PAVN 4th Regiment was supposed to have spearheaded the attack on the city of Da Nang the previous day, but arrived too late to influence the battle. [1]:141, A conglomeration of Marine support units, ARVN, ROKMC and two Marine infantry battalions attempted to secure the remaining area. According to U.S. advisors and to South Vietnamese sources, the fight for Hi An resulted in Allied casualties of 58 killed, 103 wounded in action, 21 missing in action and 14 weapons lost. "[1]:1578, The greatest danger to the TAOR at this juncture, however, was from the south in that area defended by the ROKMC and the ARVN 51st Regiment. Additional intelligence tended to confirm the enemy was about to initiate something big. a-~_ -~ ijsafss 0 w 86 i jun !17 history of 6994th security squadron Army advisor attached to the ARVN unit. Colonel Ross R. Miner's 7th Marine Regiment with all three of its battalions had the responsibility for the northern, western and southwestern sectors. They later found three enemy bodies at the site wearing black pajamas under their green utilities. The following day, the same sources indicated that both the VC 1st and the PAVN 3rd Regiments had also withdrawn to the Go Noi. [1]:1456, At 03:00 the PAVN/VC hit even closer to the Marine command nerve center at Da Nang. The area the rockets were fired from was called the "Rocket Belt". With covering fire provided by 81mm and 82mm mortars, about a reinforced company reached the I Corps headquarters compound actually located within the city of Da Nang just outside the northern perimeter of the Air Base. PAVN/VC fired rockets at both the Da Nang Air Base and Marble Mountain Air Facility. Miner attached two additional companies to the 3/7 Marines, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines and Company H, 2/7 Marines to cover its extended area. Da Nang air base in the mid- to late-60s was the busiest (and possibly the largest) airport in the world. Two members of a VC engineering company, also in the Da Nang area, later recounted that nearly 80 percent of their unit was from North Vietnam. The Truong Son and the Mekong River are moving. At 02:30 on the 30th at in Bn, elements of the R-20th and V-25th struck the subsector headquarters defended by the 15th Popular Forces Platoon and the 708 Regional Forces Company. The VC R-20 and V-25th Battalions had struck again at Hi An, engaging both the Korean Marine Brigade and the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the ARVN 51st Regiment. [1]:157, About 5,000 meters to the northwest, later that night, a squad from Company C, 1/7 Marines encountered an enemy force possibly from the same PAVN regiment. bagram air base distance to chinairidescent telecaster pickguard. The RF/PF suffered 1 PF killed and 10 wounded. CriticalPast is an archive of historic footage. Bringing up two artillery platoons , the ARVN gunners lowered their pieces and fired pointblank at the VC. The VC had learned that artillery and/or air strikes would be called in on the launch sites. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. Noting the new web gear and weapons with the PAVN bodies left on the battlefield, Marine intelligence officers believed the PAVN unit to be from the 31st Regiment. PAVN/VC gunners, however, continued to be active and shot down a Marine CH-46 attempting to insert a reconnaissance team into a landing zone in the hill mass in the western sector of Da Nang below the Ty Loan River. Caught east of the Cm L Bridge and Highway 1, on a small island formed by the convergence of the Cu , a small tributary of the river and the Vien Dien River, the VC turned to fight. + Casualty figures reflect all casualties, i.e., USAF, other military and civilians. Fourteen aircraft, six pieces of ground support equipment , five buildings, and another two vehicles sustained damage of one sort or another. At 02:40, a squad from the 1/7 Marines, supported by two tanks from the 1st Tank Battalion, moved to assist the embattled CAP unit. One of the major attacks was against CAP B-3 in the hamlet of Duong Lam (1) just below the Ty Loan River. After a brief firefight, the VC troops withdrew taking any casualties with them. The Marine squad lost one killed. In the northeast, near the Force Logistic Command sector, villagers from Nam (160654N 1080744E / 16.115N 108.129E / 16.115; 108.129) just south of the strategic Nam Bridge, told PF troops, members of the CAP Q-4 platoon, that the VC planned to attack the CAP compound. In the 3/7 Marines area of operations, about 2,000 meters west of Hill 55 on the other side of a bend in the Yen River, a squad from Company L at 11:45 ran into what eventually turned out to be a fairly large-sized PAVN unit. Da Nang Under Heavy Rocketing. "[1]:163, Another possible explanation was that the Da Nang attack may have been a secondary assault, to cause as much damage as possible and divert Allied forces from the almost successful effort of the PAVN/VC forces to capture Hu. It was decided that two battalions from the Americal Division code-named Task Force Miracle would be moved into the northern sector of the 3/5 Marines near Route 1 south of the Cau Do. The VC continued to hold the hospital, however, and part of the engineer compound. With the PAVN too close to call in artillery or fixed-wing air, the Marines radioed for reinforcements. The 6252nd Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at Da Nang on 18 July, 1965, and was responsible as the host unit for operational squadrons assigned to Da Nang, including the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons. In Vietnam this rocket comprised one of the primary means of inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other . [1]:159, On the night of 5/6 February, the PAVN/VC forces began the second phase of their Da Nang offensive. (L to R) Attack of 13 April 1972. Menu. Before his death, however, the Vietnamese identified himself as Major Nguyen Van Lam, the commanding officer of the R-20th c Lp Battalion. Nearly 11 million liters of Agent Orange were handled on the base. "The soldiers and cadre of the "South Vietnam Liberation Army" were to move forward in the attack: [1]:159, While the Marines successfully thwarted this attempt, between 01:00 and 05:00 on the morning of the 6th, PAVN/VC gunners mortared or rocketed all of the command posts, fire bases and company combat bases in the 7th Marines sector. In the Da Nang Vital Area, the artillery regiment, the 11th Marine Regiment, continued to oversee the Northern Sector Defense Command and the 1st Tank Battalion, the Southern Sector Defense Command. A summary of these attacks can be found on the Web site of the 366th. Darkness prevented any accurate bomb assessment. The Northern Sector Defense Command rapidly assembled its reaction company and deployed one platoon to the division command post. The Stand Off Rocket attack of July 15, 1967 was the deadliest attack of the war at Nng Air Base. [1]:150, By this time, General Robertson had taken measures to bolster the ARVN south of the Cau Dau. According to the Marine after-action report, 3/5 Marines and the attached two companies from the 2/3rd Marines accounted for more than 320 PAVN/VC dead in less than 36 hours. Shortly after 18:00, an air observer reported seeing 25-30 enemy troops in trenchlines, bunkers and fighting holes. It wrapped around the base and city. 149 likes. About 20 minutes later the missile battery sighted enemy rocket firing sites and two minutes later radioed that 12 rockets of undetermined size landed in and around its area. Later that afternoon, the 1st Marine Division helilifted a "Bald Eagle" reaction force from Company E, 2/3 Marines east of the river in an attempt to encircle the PAVN. In the town itself, 10 civilians caught in the crossfire, sustained wounds, but no civilians died as a result of the battle. 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines was in the north, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines was in the center and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines was in the south. Mortar and rocket attacks followed by ground assaults were made all along the perimeter of the base. Four ARVN M113 armored personnel carriers reinforced by a reconnaissance squad maneuvered to contain the attackers. Marine counter-rocket fire from the 11th Marines and 1st Tank Battalion resulted in five secondary explosions. The ROKMC Marine Brigade deployed six companies around the city and the ARVN 51st Regiment prepared a reaction force. They collected some 200 people that they detained for further questioning. . Some 36 of the large missiles landed on the main base, including the airfield. Went to Danang to help EOD with the munitions storage facility mishap just outside Danang Air Base. by Edward H. Phillips 2/1/2017. They counted 34 PAVN dead. Army personnel were wounded. Click here to view those.. Update: 12 December 2020. In the morning when searching the battle area, the Marines would find "ample evidence of enemy casualties, but only two enemy bodies." The artillerymen sustained two wounded and some equipment damage, but escaped relatively unscathed. The Air Force watch officer on duty protested, "that's too close, you'll never get a clearance for it." "[1]:147[2], Shortly afterwards, Marine fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter gunships blasted the VC in Ha Vang. During one attack I was writing a letter home and thought my guys were injured because of the rocket attack and I remember the no smoking sigh flapping in the wind because of the scrapnel. According to III MAF figures, from 29 January through 14 February at Da Nang, Marines sustained 124 killed and more than 480 wounded. The 11th Marines fired an artillery mission with unknown results. Another platoon from the Marine company also reinforced the engaged troops about an hour later. The task force headquarters and its two battalions returned to Chu Lai Base Area the following day. Lm arrived at the headquarters compound shortly after dawn. Rocket attacks in 1972 Da Nang Vietnam a425couple Aug 29, 2017, 4:51:30 PM to Rocket attack 72 redhorse compound DaNang on: August 24, 2009, 08:06:45 pm Does anyone remember the date of. [1]:154, At about 19:00 another reconnaissance patrol, Recon Team Rummage, about 30 kilometers south of Da Nang in the Qu Sn Mountains below An Ha, spotted a column of about 40 PAVN at the head of even a larger column moving east along a trail. 45 USAF/USMC KIA, 10 aircraft destroyed , 41 aircraft damaged, and 13 barracks destroyed. (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images) PURCHASE A LICENSE Get personalized pricing by telling us when, where, and how you want to use this asset. Moreover, once the PAVN units arrived south of Da Nang they "made no further attempts at maneuver even while being hunted by Marine and Army units, and when engaged, seldom maneuvered, except to withdraw." 1969. According to Murray, "from then on until Tt was over, there were just constant attacks." At 17:00 on 29 January, Westmoreland cancelled the truce in the entire I Corps sector. Shortly after 01:00 on the 6th, PAVN gunners opened up on the hamlet with intermittent mortar rounds and small-arms fire. Some viewers may find some scenes or audio in this archival material to be unsettling or distressing. Battery A, 1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion armed with MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles, in the mountainous Hi Vn Pass sector north of Da Nang, reported about 01:40 coming under 82mm mortar fire. The aircraft may have been one of those used by Air America. At first light, a Marine reaction force found enemy blood trails. Marine and Army reconnaissance flights using infrared technology and XM-3 "People Sniffer" airborne personnel detectors (APD) mounted on UH-1 helicopters indicated strong enemy concentrations in the hills near Hiu c west of the 7th Marines. in foreground gives perspective. Robertson wanted to "canalize enemy movements in order to develop lucrative targets which could be exploited." Twenty rockets fell on Hill 10, manned by Battery G , 3/11 Marines which resulted in 23 casualties, including two dead. Doc, as his friends called him, was one of 58,200 Americans that died during the Vietnam War. [1]:160, The fighting continued during the night and into the next day. The 3/5 Marines together with Companies F and G, 2/3 Marines then began methodically to eliminate pockets of resistance in the general area. By the afternoon of the 31st, the Marines and Rangers had completed their sweep. [1]:1489, In the Da Nang area of operations, outside of attacks by fire on the Marine base and outlying positions and the two ground assaults on Marine command and communications positions, the PAVN/VC infantry units largely concentrated on the South Vietnamese units. On 29 January, Marine intelligence officers received a reliable report that the PAVN 2nd Division also had established its command post in western G Ni. At 09:20, PAVN/VC forces attacked the district towns of in Bn, just above the Ky Lam River and Duy Xuyn below the river. DA NANG A.B. At first, the general and his steward confused the rockets with the traditional fireworks shot off in honor of Tt. 1969. Missiles launched from nearby mountains have caused eight deaths, many injuries and. The area was around 200 square miles, and the 140mm rockets had a range of over 6 miles. According to this former member of the VC 401st Regimental Security Guard, local VC cadre stated that "the war had lasted too long and the Front had to seek a good opportunity to stage a great offensive that would bring the war to an early end." The vintage footage in this video has been uploaded for research purposes, and is presented in unedited form. Reinforced by another squad, the Company G Marines killed three and captured two. The PAVN then attacked forcing the Marine platoons to fall back to more defendable positions. Once more the PAVN/VC failed to cut the main lines of communication into Da Nang. [1]:149, About 5,000 meters to the east, in Hi An, however, PAVN/VC forces gained somewhat the upper hand. At about 07:40, a crowd of 400 Vietnamese civilians made up mostly of women and children and carrying PAVN and VC flags approached the CAP compound. artillery and air, the ARVN successfully contained the PAVN/VC units in the Nam and Lin Chiu regions. Da Nang Air Base had intelligence predicting a rocket attack any day. Total Marine casualties of this incident on the 30th were 10 Marines killed and 15 wounded, most from the platoon of Company G that was initially ambushed. At the meeting Westmoreland ordered Americal Division commander General Samuel W. Koster to reinforce Danang. The U.S. major remonstrated that the site was relatively close to the compound, but Lm insisted that the air strikes be flown. With one of his companies on the Tiensha Peninsula and the other three protecting the Air Base perimeter, Hill argued that he could not spare three platoons. Instead of calling artillery fire immediately, the reconnaissance Marines arranged with Battery K, 4/11 Marines and a detachment of the 3rd 155mm Gun Battery at An Ha for an "artillery ambush." By 11:00, Marine helicopters evacuated the most seriously wounded and brought in the rest of Company G into blocking positions on the western bank of the Yn. 366th AMS, Rocket attack BX, Gunfighter Pilots. This apparently broke the back of the VC resistance. [1]:160, By this time, Robertson was worried about the ability to contain the PAVN/VC offensive south of Da Nang. About 01:00, a Marine platoon from Company G, 2/7 Marines, positioned near the Nam Bridge on Highway 1 crossing the Cu River north of Da Nang, saw another two enemy on a raft with a wooden box. Airbase Shelled: Soviet Rockets Used in Attack (film #111 on Universal Newsreels). Next Photo. Cleaning up and repairs at Gunfighter Village. The MPs shot one of the swimmers, took the other man prisoner and drove off the boats with a fusillade of bullets. Task force headquarters and its two battalions returned to Chu Lai base area the following day trenchlines, and... 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