trooper was injured by a piece of shrapnel that had come down
We were west of Highway QL1 along a road named 535. LV WATER TRUCKS ALONG ROAD, EXPLOSION IN B/G. Long Binh ammo dump was one of the biggest ordnance storage areas in the country. They bowed and looked confused. The II Field Force commander, Lt. Gen. Frederick C. Weyand, had correctly guessed that a major attack was going to come during Tet, and his anticipation of the attacks no doubt saved Long Binh and Saigon from being overrun. In mid-September, when Ionoff moved to battalion to become the operations officer (S3), I assumed command of Charlie Company. GV EXPLOSIONS, AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN F/G. remembered the 1SGT told him the first thing he was to get into
it and only slightly pierced the skin a little. He assigned one to the airborne battalion and the other to Charlie Company. I called battalion headquarters and was told to forget about them, which reinforced our sense that combat was imminent. It involved transfer of powder projectiles and fuses enough to keep
The three companies formed a line almost three kilometers long, facing east, with their backs to the Long Binh wire, based on the mistaken assumption that the VC would attack from the jungle. As usual, each company had sent two ambush patrols into the jungle to our front. Now
Satchel charges blew pallets of artillery ammunition, creating a mushroom cloud that made us think the VC had set off a tactical nuclear weapon.
We began detaining the well-dressed young men among the refugees. 5. With small-arms fire cracking overhead, young girls carrying bottles of Coca-Cola were trying to sell them to the troops. Despite the confusion and wounds, our troops returned fire. I had inherited the job
Under fire, Staff Sgt. Charlie Company reacted quickly to reinforce Alpha, and a daylong fight ensued. in bunker) at first light to the sound of a M-60 chattering away. 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. We left the clearing of Bien Hoa City in the capable hands of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry. The offensive continued until the end of the month in the North part of
The 2nd Platoon pulled the damaged track out of the side street and towed it back to the III Corps compound. Having been struck by mortars or rockets, the fuel tanks at the air base, as well as several buildings throughout Bien Hoa, were burning brightly. [6]:66. With the explosion of the entire ammunition dump imminent, and in the midst of exploding shells, fire and debris, the men of COMPANY B, . In a few moments, the huge dump became a fireball, the shock of the explosion echoing over an area of 50 miles. When the shooting started it
Construction on the 24 th. I went through the quarters making sure everyone
After I got the coordinates of our objective, I yelled, Crank em up! into the radio handset. Kortuem! I was never so happy in my life. We use cookies on this website. As the 2/47th Infantry approached the town a Vietnamese warned that it contained many VC and the VC then launched an ambush on the column knocking out 3 ACAVs with RPGs setting off a 4-hour battle as the US forces engaged the VC position and rescued the survivors in the damaged ACAVs. Another VC battalion infiltrated near the area of the 3rd Ordnance (Long Binh) ammunition dump [and] in a few moments, the huge dump became a fireball. I assigned areas of operation to my two rifle platoons and positioned the weapons platoon inside the compound as a reserve and security force. He ignored me and proceeded to a nearby house where he and the deputy sheriff kicked in the front door. Website Terms & Conditions |
He assigned one to the airborne battalion and the other to Charlie Company. Attacking Long
Meanwhile, Huey gunships reported VC running from the village. Sappers had placed satchel charges on pallets of artillery ammunition, and the resulting mushroom cloud caused all its witnesses to think the VC had employed a tactical nuclear weapon. LONG BINH, South Viet Nam (UPII A thunderous explosion that shook the heart of Saigon 11 miles away ripped through a U.S. ammunition depot tonight and wounded a handful of Americans. Soon we could hear leaders moving up and down the bunker line yelling for the guards to stop firing. secondary explosions. 1.13 In addition we detained more than 20 probable VC fighters dressed in civilian clothes. Realizing I had not eaten for 24 hours, I looked for some breakfast, but all I could find was a bag of pistachio nuts. I
Then and
The G3 adviser told me that they had received intelligence that Vo Nguyen Giap, the North Vietnamese commanding general, had his command post in a Catholic church about 1 kilometer east of III Corps. Benny Toney, the 2nd Platoon sergeant, hooked a tow cable to Stormy. build bunkers, and help pick up the dead enemy across the fence. Although initially surprised, U.S. forces had reacted quickly and, despite what was reported in the press, American and ARVN forces handed the VC a devastating defeat during Tet. My only previous contact with M-113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) was during a training exercise at the officers basic course. Which date was it? He retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel. [3]:23950, In the late afternoon of 31 January after clearing the Widow's Village 2/47th Infantry advanced into Ho Nai from the south, the town appeared deserted. A great deal has been written about the battles of Tet 1968 and the political firestorm that resulted from them. Dames killed them with a burst from his M-16 probably saving the lives of everyone on my track. bodies across the road began to bloat into a grotesque scene. We began detaining the well-dressed young men among the refugees. After all had left for the
The platoons attacked by successive bounds through the village as the companys tracks, forming the base of the T on the highway, provided fire support from the .50s and resupplied the troops with ammunition. was his helmet and flack jacket! LV DITTO From our positions we could see and hear the celebratory fireworks lighting the sky over Saigon to the west. Charlie Company soldiers, used to months of patrolling and fighting in the jungles, suddenly found themselves fighting house to house as their fathers had done in World War II. We topped off our fuel tanks, replenished our ammo and continued to move toward our assigned blocking position. Toggle the table of contents Talk: Long Bnh, Bin Ha. maxhightForP2 = 13904;
officer around. The village of Ho Nai, now a ghost town, was still smoldering. Dong Ha vietnam 1968 | Dong Ha ammo dump explosion from NVA artillery fire. [2]:347[3]:225, At 03:00, the PAVN 84A Artillery Regiment began a barrage of approximately 100 82-mm. because Mankato (Minnesota)Vocational school had taught me to weld as
the barracks hall just as he stepped out of his room going to
By the evening the 2/47th Infantry withdrew into the Long Binh perimeter. EXPLOSIONS IN DISTANCE from the petroleum dump immediately next to our position. Tet Offensive I had returned to Long Binh Post. In addition, we were tremendously flexible. I asked one of the men
As he fell, a burst of automatic weapons fire stitched the wall right where he would have been had he not fallen.. (Note: According to Colonel Sonny Craven, then leader of a combat photo team on the scene, these combat sequences was filmed by soldiers of the 221st Signal Company [Pictorial]). Barbed wire torn apart by Vietcong who infiltrated through Longbinh ammunition camp. In addition to the US bases, the city of Bin Ha was the headquarters of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) III Corps and home to a large prisoner of war camp. Of course you never
We found out later from captured VC that many guerrillas had been given only two magazines for their weapons. Bravo Company was sent to protect the Long Binh ammunition dump and Charlie Company was ordered into downtown Bien Hoa, where the ARVN III Corps headquarters was in danger of being overrun. Perpetual Siege region. The Long Binh ammunition dump had exploded. While I was in training, my motivation was to get these wings and I wear them today proudly, the airman recalled in 2015. I told the platoon leaders to prepare to dismount and to take all the ammunition and grenades they could carry. Toward dusk on January 30, Charlie Company soldiers stripped to the waist to dig bunkers next to their APCs. The S3 also told Charlie Companys noncombatants to report to battalion headquarters. The VC attacks on Bien Hoa and the Long Binh complex were abject failures, due in part to the fact that on January 31, 1968, they had run into the Panthers of the 2nd Battalion (Mechanized), 47th Infantry. (Vietnam War period). The only trouble was that Charlie Company tracks were sitting in the road right in front of their bunkers. We began to pop hand-held flares so they could see we were there, but the shooting persisted, one round actually hitting my track. It had been over two days and many of us had no sleep. During this time, the battalion made only sporadic contact and suffered few casualties. Tower sent the battalion S3, Major Jones, to take command, and once Alpha got moving, it did a magnificent job. The only contact I had had with M-113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) was during a training exercise at the officers basic course just after I entered the Army. Jeep parked along road. Tower sent Major Jones to take command, and once Alpha got moving, it did a magnificent job. We had returned from a
more that happened that night. Then things started falling out of the sky. [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. I sat behind the .50-caliber, munching and giving thanks for the fact that, incredibly, nobody in Charlie Company had been killed. 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. 4 Joseph Sugar Bear Dames returned to the tracks for more grenades. Realizing we were driving past our objective, I halted the company and called for the 2nd Platoon to find a place to turn around. Back view of jeep with open doors. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army used the base as a logistics and command center. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. 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. and still no answer. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The armed helicopter teams had a field day shooting guerrillas trying to flee into the jungle. View of surrounding areas. 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. 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. Privacy Policy | Links
12. The only trouble was that Charlie Company tracks were sitting in the road right in front of their bunkers. [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. Dismounted troops of the 2nd Battalion (Mechanized), 47th Regiment, 9th Infantry Division, stay close to their M-113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) as they clear Widows Village, near Long Binh Army Post, of Viet Cong who had overrun it during the Communist 1968 Tet Offensive (National Archives). [5], USAF losses were 4 killed in action with another dying of a heart attack, while 26 were wounded. As I remember the Tet Offensive began in the early morning of
to check-in and see what was going on, and found myself the only
Bill Langan, aka "Sparky" was on duty in the 573rd hanger at the Bird Cage and took the slide photo. Soldiers of the U.S. 2nd Battalion 47th Infantry (Mechanized) and 4th Battalion 39th Infantry clearing a hamlet during the Tet Offensive in Vietnam. The battalion made only sporadic contact and suffered few casualties. 2. Now commanded by a brand-new second lieutenant, the men of Alpha Company balked when they were told to move. At the beginning of the Tet Offensive, one rifle company was ordered to to clear the village of Ho Nai, a Bien Hoa suburb. At dusk, airstrikes had to be called in to blast the VC from the hill. Craven and another photographer, were both wounded in the engagement.) No tactic I had learned at infantry school fit that situation, so we improvised. Refine Your Search Long Binh Vietnam 1968 stock footage and images - Showing 1 to 6 of 5537 results Sort by: All All Search Results Decade 1890 - 1899 (3) 1900 - 1909 (18) 1910 - 1919 (136) 1920 - 1929 (83) more Location Aalen Germany (1) Aberdeen Proving Ground Maryland USA (1) Afghanistan (2) Africa (3) more Akron Ohio USA (3) the wrecker operator had to know how to weld. Satchel charges blew pallets of artillery ammunition, creating a mushroom cloud that made us think the VC had set off a tactical nuclear weapon. On the morning of 31 January 1968, the Bien Hoa Air Base, III Corps HQ, the Prisoner of War Compound, and other key installations around Bien Hoa--Long Binh area received enemy mortar and rocket fire. unless they could see someone, I went to our Operations shack
Aerial view of (USARV) United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters Complex at Long Binh, Vietnam. We never saw them again. My
As the afternoon of January 30 drifted toward dusk, Charlie Company soldiers stripped to the waist and dug bunkers next to their M-113s. 9. Fires were burning late into the afternoon. We suffered more wounded during the trip back to III Corps, where I was called to a meeting in the headquarters. In fact, VC effectiveness was so degraded that, after 1968, they were mainly replaced on the battlefield by North Vietnamese regulars, and were never a viable force after that. 3 Merge Long Binh Jail into Long Binh. They tried to make us keep our heads down so we couldn't get them with our counter-mortar fire . Ly's father is a bricklayer. flight line and I was checking the bunker for anyone, I heard
and completely out of sync. Battalion policy was that we had to fill in all holes and empty our sandbags each time we left a position. About Us |
First was sand then bigger stuff. 3. At the meeting I was joined by the S3 of a battalion from the 101st Airborne Division. 200 pounds. It
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. By July 1969 we were finally off the boats and in Dong Tam processing to head home. I walked back to my track, thinking this was going to be a nightmare. Several M 113 armored personnel carriers (APCs) are seen accompanying the troops. I told the colonel that this was not a police action, that we werent searching houses, we were in combat. [2]:350, With the base returned to full operation, that afternoon C130s landed the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment to help ARVN forces fighting the VC in Bin Ha city. We fired all we had into the buildings lining the roadway and took several wounded while getting to the church. The 2nd Platoon, under Lieutenant Fred Casper, led the way, followed by my track, then Lieutenant Howard Jones 1st Platoon and, finally, the weapons platoon under Lieutenant Don Muir. The explosion echoed over an area of 50 miles. main target because they were outnumbered 5 to 1. At 0300 hours I received a call from Major Bill Jones, who had recently taken Ionoffs place as S3, stating that Bien Hoa airbase, the Long Binh facility, the II Field Force headquarters and the 199th Light Infantry Brigade (LIB) base camp were under heavy mortar and rocket attack. Sergeant John Ax, squad leader of 1st Squad, 2nd Platoon, recalls what the fighting near III Corps was like: An RPG hit Shocker, the C-21 track, in the side; but it must have been a glancing blow, because it did not explode. 4. In January 1968, our battalion relocated to the area between Xuan Loc and Bien Hoa, where intelligence had located a VC battalion. As was our normal practice, each company had sent two ambush patrols into the jungle to our front. The bus ride to 90th Replacement was relatively short and everyone seemed exhausted from the long flight. 8. As the 2nd Platoon began to run short, Spc. only be entered from off the Bien Hoa Air base and thru the gate
0.22 HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. 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). while we were gone. hightForP2 = 330
We usually got mortared at night whenever Dong Tam was getting it from our district. AIR V..FIRES Wrecked ambulance with flat tires. The gun-jeeps were progressively replaced by M113s and XM-706 Commando armored cars. Charlie Company was ordered to a large open field across Highway 15 from the Long Thanh airfield. Following that fight, the 2-47 was ordered south of the 9th Divisions base camp. Not only would I not finish my command tour, I was being assigned to a leg division. from Bien Hoa City. He manned the .50 and, with a Charlie Company driver, headed down Highway 1. (Long Binh) ammunition dump. We could haul more personal gear, live more comfortably and walk less than straight-leg troops. 1. Summary - October 1966. Toward dark, airstrikes had to be called in to blast the VC from the hill. Several soldiers gathered in front of the track to help the wounded, and Love climbed up to man the .50-caliber. Charlie Company soldiers, used to months of patrolling and fighting in the jungles, suddenly found themselves fighting house to house as their fathers had done in World War II. [3]:242, The VC/PAVN attacks were a failure. Love was so startled, he didnt fire. Through sporadic fire, we continued northwest on Highway 15 to where it intersected Highway 1 on the western edge of Bien Hoa. After we finished clearing the area around the compound and as our wounded were being dusted off, I received an absolutely incredible order from III Corps. After we finished clearing the area around the compound and as our wounded were being dusted off, I received an absolutely incredible order from III Corps. Casper rose from the prone position and yelled for his troops to follow him. introduction into country when he first came to the 118th. Now someone pointed out that there were a lot of young men, all dressed in black pants and white shirts, among the refugees. I had learned no tactic at infantry school that fit the situation we were faced with, so we improvised. At 03:45 the unit engaged the VC/PAVN with 2 ACAVs being quickly knocked out by RPG fire. 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. Tet offensive attacks on Bien Hoa and Long Binh, Tet Offensive attacks on Bien Hoa and Long Binh, United States Army Center of Military History, "Tet Offensive: The Battles of Bien Hoa and Long Binh", Video of helicopter gunships and F-100s in action at Bien Hoa AB, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tet_offensive_attacks_on_Bien_Hoa_and_Long_Binh&oldid=1086914863, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968, Battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States, Attacks on military installations in the 1960s, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 May 2022, at 04:36. They bowed and looked confused. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. Now commanded by a brand-new second lieutenant, the men of Alpha Company balked when they were told to move. 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. and the gunner replied "VC
Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. Come back up on the battalion freq. I had never been so happy in my life. Blood stains in ambulance. The chrome
When we arrived, we found the churchyard packed with thousands of civilians. Aerial view of Long Binh Post in Vietnam. We closed within a few hundred meters of the scout platoon and watched as helicopter gunships destroyed a large yellow house from which the VC were pinning down Barnes troops. -- color photo Near Moc Hoa. NEARER V..EXPLOSIONS "I was the 1SGT of the
agreement was that the stockade prisoners would pitch our sandbags, help
We could ride, walk or be airlifted to war, travel great distances in a short amount of time, and arrive with many times the ammunition and equipment that could be lifted in by helicopter. Company E engaged the PAVN/VC supported by artillery fire killing 47 PAVN/VC. Incredibly, nobody in my company had been killed the day before. The recon platoon was ordered to establish a blocking position south of Long Binh on Highway 15. As my airborne mentality faded, I learned to love the M-113or track. We could haul more personal gear, live more comfortably and walk less than straight-leg troops. 6. We could use our tracks as a base of fire or in a blocking position as the company maneuvered on foot. I walked back to my track, thinking this was going to be a real nightmare. But no one would be leaving the country that day. opened his mouth but, SGT Cuffee, the supply SGT. I then jacked a round into my M-16 and who would you believe
Jim Love recalls lying in a ditch near a dead civilian as the friendly fire cracked over our heads. As we made the turn eastward on Highway 1, the lead platoon was ambushed.
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