[1]:1589, For the next few days, there was a relative lull in the Da Nang sector, at least as compared to the last two days of January. The area the rockets were fired from was called the "Rocket Belt". While making for a loud and colorful pyrotechnic display, the explosions caused no casualties and no damage to any of the aircraft. Freedom Hill 327 can be seen beneath the left flare, with convoy lights winding up the perimeter road. Rockey, the 3/5 Marines commander, commented on the "increasing frequency and ferocity" of enemy contacts. The Marines and PF troops fired at armed members of the crowd who appeared to be directing the march. [1]:1456, At 03:00 the PAVN/VC hit even closer to the Marine command nerve center at Da Nang. With the PAVN too close to call in artillery or fixed-wing air, the Marines radioed for reinforcements. In the Da Nang sector, during the early morning hours of 30 January, PAVN/VC gunners took under mortar and rocket fire 15 different Allied units and installations. The MPs shot one of the swimmers, took the other man prisoner and drove off the boats with a fusillade of bullets. Captured 122mm Tripod Launcher. After calling in artillery which resulted in three secondary explosions, the reconnaissance Marines reported seven enemy killed. Within the city itself, VC cadre were to force the "inhabitants into the street for demonstrations and prepare the people for continuing political struggle against the government as well as kill GVN and ARVN cadre. Bldg. These rockets had a range of several miles and were deadly. Military Photo: Rocket Attack On The Eve Of The Tet Offensive. In the Hi Vn Pass area in the north, PAVN troops attempted to cut Highway 1. Major General Donn J. Robertson, the 1st Marine Division commanding general, kept under his direct control the 3/5 Marines and the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines. In the initial fighting for Ha Vang, the South Vietnamese and Americans accounted for 25 VC dead. They counted 34 PAVN dead. According to Washington Post correspondent Don Oberdorfer, Lm pointed with his swagger stick to the enemy's firing positions on the large map in the room and said: "Milantoni, bomb here. Scheduled to last eight weeks, Rolling Thunder will instead go on for three years. A third C-123 squadron was stationed at Da Nang Air Base in 1963 and a fourth at Tan Son Nhut in October 1964 following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August. 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. [1]:141, A conglomeration of Marine support units, ARVN, ROKMC and two Marine infantry battalions attempted to secure the remaining area. Vietnam Rocket City 1971-1972, Palm Bay, FL. Manning defensive positions, the Marine communicators and engineers repelled the attacking force, killing four VC. At 19:20, in the same general area, still another Stingray patrol, Sailfish, radioed that about 200 PAVN/VC troops, some carrying 40mm rocket launchers, passed its positions. I was assigned to the 1st Marine Division and sent to Marble Mountain Airfield to Join Marine Air Group 16 and VMO2. Soon reports came in that the base was under attack and a Marine helicopter flew the general from his quarters to III MAF headquarters. CMSgt (Ret) Gary Chaffin, who was at Da Nang with the 366th Civil Engineering Squadron, recalls this attack much as Dick does. In this fighting, which had lasted about three hours, the South Vietnamese defenders sustained casualties of three dead, seven wounded, and two damaged armored vehicles. The attacks on Da Nang (29 January 11 February 1968), were a series of attacks in the Tet Offensive launched by the North Vietnamese Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC) during the Vietnam War. "[1]:144, By evening on the 29th, the 1st Marine Division at Da Nang was on 100-percent alert. In the extensive Da Nang TAOR, the early morning hours of 31 January were almost a repeat of the events of the 30th. Other disturbing intelligence tended to confirm this analysis. At the meeting Westmoreland ordered Americal Division commander General Samuel W. Koster to reinforce Danang. 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. 45 USAF/USMC KIA, 10 aircraft destroyed , 41 aircraft damaged, and 13 barracks destroyed. In fact, elements of both regiments had reached jump-off points just south of the Cau Do River. Air Force rocket attacks in Vietnam Share 9 posts gleyhjr 44 Aug 30, 2010 #1 The following link is a list of all rocket attacks on Air Bases by date: Hope this helps someone needing a stressor of a rocket attack on a Air Base http://www.afhra.af.mil/timelines/index.asp George Binh Thuy AB RVN Sept 1968-Sept 1969 JimM44 683 The artillerymen sustained two wounded and some equipment damage, but escaped relatively unscathed. One of the major attacks was against CAP B-3 in the hamlet of Duong Lam (1) just below the Ty Loan River. While the Marine battalions successfully kept these initial assaults on the night of 5/6 February in check, Robertson was not sure how much longer they could. Lieutenant Colonel William J . DaNang Air Base was known as "rocket city" for the number of attacks that occurred there between 1965 and 1973. According to Murray, "from then on until Tt was over, there were just constant attacks." 16. At Duy Xuyn, however, the PAVN/VC overran the town, forcing the district chief to flee and take refuge with the Koreans. The National Police arrested 25 of the crowd and quickly dispersed the would-be demonstrators. Robertson wanted to "canalize enemy movements in order to develop lucrative targets which could be exploited." at Bien Hoa Air Base, those in II Corps were consolidated at Tuy Hoa Air Base, and those in I Corps were consolidated at Da Nang Air Base [Carmichael 1972; Cecil 1986; Hull 2002; Young 2006]. Calling artillery upon the PAVN, the Marines then swept through the area and recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds. 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. The Truong Son and the Mekong River are moving. 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. All attacks from 02/27/67 forward were by rockets. This platoon under First Lieutenant John E. Manning departed the airbase about 04:15 and arrived in the blocking positions about 05:15. SAIGON (UPI) - Communist troops blasted the city of Da Nang and nearby military installations with nearly 200 rockets or mortar rounds early today in their heaviest attack on the Northern coastal area in a year, spokesmen said. After dark, both sides withdrew, the Marines to night defensive positions and the PAVN to the west. As the Marine platoon patrolled along the banks of the Yn, a heavy machine gun suddenly opened up. Full Citation: Photograph 127-N-A190364; Rocket Attack on the Da Nang Air Base; 1/30/1968; General Photograph File of the U.S. Marine Corps, 1927 - 1981; Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Throughout the day, however, Marine units throughout the TAOR reported incidents. The Marines lost one helicopter and sustained damage to 29 others. [1]:156, The Da Nang Northern Sector Defense Command dispatched a provisional company to assist the CAP Marines as well as the security detachment. III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) had its headquarters at Hill 327 west of the Air Base, while ARVN I Corps had its headquarters north of the Air Base. At 08:30 a CAP saw a number of VC attempting to swim across the Cu to the island. Milantoni. Given also the enemy rocket threat, he still needed to maintain extensive patrols in the so-called Rocket Belt. Pictures of Danang 10. 17. [1]:153, The Marines now counterattacked supported by artillery and Marine gunships and fixed-wing air. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. This information should also include any information involving plane crashes at the Da Nang base in early 1968. While Marine fixed-wing aircraft flew strike missions against the gun emplacements, another helicopter evacuated the survivors. The remaining rocket attacks were ineffective. 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. AP Photo U.S. Marines landing in Da Nang, March 8, 1965. Da Nang air base attacked in Vietnam by 40mm rockets 7 miles away, 47 killed many from local village (partial newsreel) Addeddate 2005-04-08 19:44:43 Color b&w Identifier 1967-03-03_Airbase_Shelled . At about the same time, approximately 15 enemy 122mm rockets struck an artillery complex in the 11th Marines Northern Sector Defense Command which included a detachment from the 1st Armored Amphibian Company, the 155mm Gun and 8-inch Gun Batteries, as well as Batteries H, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marines and M, 4th Battalion, 11th Marines. artillery and air, the ARVN successfully contained the PAVN/VC units in the Nam and Lin Chiu regions. *** The first time that rockets were used in the Republic of Vietnam by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army. The 3/5 Marines were landed and immediately came under heavy automatic and small arms fire from the island. [1]:1534, On the night of the 30th, elements of a battalion of the PAVN 4th Regiment attacked an ARVN outpost at the foot of the Hi Vn Pass. [1]:143, While the PAVN/VC concentrated their forces for the large offensive, many of these units suffered from too many rapid replacements and in some cases from poor morale. After calling in helicopter gunships, the ROKMC, at 13:20, reached the MACV compound and linked up with U.S. advisors there. The enemy had also planned to hit the main airfield at Da Nang. The Marine squad was about to establish a night ambush site when a PAVN force of about 100 fired upon them. with rocket and mortar attacks at the Da Nang and Marhle Mountain Airfields on 30 January, and hit the Marble Mountain facility once again on 31 January, They hit the new Quang Tri airstrip with Doth rockets and mortars on 24, 27, and 29 January. Aircraft destroyed included F-4 Phantom II's \u0026 C-130's. Four died there. According to the prisoner accounts, they were from the PAVN 3rd Battalion, 31st Regiment and confirmed that "Da Nang itself was the ultimate objective. The area was around 200 square miles, and the 140mm rockets had a range of over 6 miles. I was in Danang less than a month when the Vietcong used rockets to attack the Danang Air Base for the first time in the war, on the morning of February 27. (AP) AP Another sapper squad, about the same size as the one that carried out the earlier attack, penetrated the 1st Marine Division Subsector Bravo combat operations center and communications facility on Hill 200, less than 1,000 meters from the main command post on Hill 327. Under cover of darkness, elements of the VC R-20th and V-25th Battalions had crossed the Cu River and penetrated the Ha Vang village complex. At least some members of his group also reportedly provided security for Richard Spencer's often violent campus appearances. (L to R) Attack of 13 April 1972. Americal Division artillery operating in the Qu Sn sector took the PAVN/VC forces under fire, but did not shell Duy Xuyn town because of the civilian population there. 07-18 488 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Muskogee, [1]:149, The fighting did not subside with the coming of daylight. Naval Support Activity Danang operated extensive logistics facilities on the Tiensha (Tin Sa) peninsula east of the city. The Flightline, Funny Money, Rocket shrapnel. Finally, according to Marine intelligence officers, another "very reliable source" flatly stated "that the time of attack throughout MR (Military Region) 5 would be" at 01:30 and no later than 02:00 on 30 January. Just 19 when he arrived, the horrors he witnessed would forever shape him. Glasgow, Steve: YN3: Mar 20, 1969 - Mar 20, 1970: US Navy Post Office @ China Beach: . [1]:154, South of Da Nang, in Hi An, on the 30th, the ROKMC, reinforced by elements of the ARVN 51st Regiment, tried to tighten the loop and began preparations to retake the city. The most eastern of the battalions, the 2nd, shared its area with the 3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion, which was responsible for the coastal sand flats south of Marble Mountain. In the attack on the I Corps headquarters and in the defense of Ha Vang village the Allies sustained losses of nine dead and several wounded. Another platoon from the Marine company also reinforced the engaged troops about an hour later. Results of a rocket attack on Da Nang air base: revetment area building The lead column consisted of about 100 to 150 men, followed by the main body. The Marines and PF troops killed 22 VC and took another 23 prisoner. Cam Ranh Bay AB: US Army 6th Convalescent Hospital damaged by Rocket Attack! "[1]:143, Throughout the Da Nang area of operations, the PAVN/VC began to move into attack positions. 366th Security Police K-9. Two other platoons took up positions around nearby hills 244 and 200. The main body advanced in column maintaining about three to four feet space between each man. The vintage footage in this video has been uploaded for research purposes, and is presented in unedited form. The armored force pushed through the hamlet and encountered only occasional small-arms fire. Although the Koreans and ARVN in a combined operation finally cleared Hi An, PAVN/VC units to the west south, and north of the city continued to press the attack. Entering the town from the southwest, the VC fired about 70 RPGs at the local forces, but never penetrated the defender's perimeter. The RPGs missed the apertures in the tower and fell to the ground. The NVA launched hundreds of rocket attacks on DaNang Airbase trying to hit the bomb dump. 366th AMS, Rocket attack BX, Gunfighter Pilots. The VC continued to hold the hospital, however, and part of the engineer compound. It also served to block one of the principal avenues of approach to Da Nang from the south. The bulk of the attack force remained in Ha Vang Village bogged down in a firefight with local Popular Force (PF) and Regional Force (RF) troops reinforced by a USMC Combined Action Platoon (CAP), E-3. Both Marine companies encountered heavy small-arms fire and RPGs as they approached their objectives. Linking up, under artillery and air cover, the two Marine companies continued their advance until forced to halt because of darkness and then took up night defensive positions. In the morning when searching the battle area, the Marines would find "ample evidence of enemy casualties, but only two enemy bodies." Some of the VC in the hamlet fled south, but encountered a platoon from Company E, 2/7 Marines coming up to reinforce the Allied forces in the Nam O area. Surprised by the initial assault, the engineers fell back, giving up half the camp to the attackers. With part of the force establishing blocking positions north of the hamlet, the rest of the provisional company and Rangers moved through Nam O. The PAVN soldiers wore flak jackets and helmets and carried a machine gun, and a small rocket detachment with six 122mm rockets. Mortar and rocket attacks followed by ground assaults were made all along the perimeter of the base. [1]:144, Shortly after midnight, Marine sentries from the 1st MP Battalion, posted near the main I Corps Bridge connecting Da Nang to the Tiensha (Tin Sa) Peninsula, spotted two swimmers near the span. During the day's fighting, the Marines killed 107 PAVN and took two prisoners for losses of 11 killed and 53 wounded. At the same time, the 1st Division had sent out several reconnaissance elements. At the briefing, the division G-2 or intelligence officer, told the assembled officers that "they are finally going to come out and fight. "[1]:142, On the evening of 28 January, just west of Hiu c, a Marine squad from Company C, 1/7 Marines ambushed a three-man VC reconnaissance patrol. In one operation near Dien Ban, the ARVN 51st Regiment sustained losses of 40 men killed, six missing, and 140 wounded while accounting for about 80 enemy dead and 13 prisoners. In the Southern Sector Defense Command, just north of the Cu River and west of Highway 1, a PAVN/VC 12-15-man sapper squad blew a hole in the defensive wire of the joint perimeter of the 7th Engineer and 7th Communication Battalion. A reluctance to cause undue damage to the historic town and avoid civilian casualties was suggested as a reason for the slow ROKMC advance. A night ambush site when a PAVN force of about 100 fired upon them establish a night ambush when. 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