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About 200 yards past the village, the column turned left, heading north on a trunk road in search of another way east to Highway 1 so we could avoid the heavily mined Route 8B. Under these circumstances, the normal tincture of insecurity did not seem to color our idle speculations on the matter. The ambush extended from just inside the west end of the jungle to the outskirts of Ap Hung Nghia, a distance of 1,500 meters. However, the word came down fairly quickly that Truck had sat on his claymore trigger, setting off the mine. Max Weber, German sociologist and political economist. After a bit, I came to a corn field, which was a little strange, since no one had lived in the An Lô Valley for some years. S-3 Journal, 8 p.m.: Sit Rep—still trying to extract. My Duster—still in the rear of our position, where it had been ordered at the beginning of the fight to cover the back of the task force—was in a clearing partially enclosed by a large thicket of elephant grass. blew one mine at xxxxx [location not reported] and resulted in 3 sympathetic explosions. We established our perimeter, agreed on the guard schedule, and those of us who weren't pulling first guard tried to get some sleep. Notified BB 3X to shoot Cam Vu area. Also, firebases in the eastern DMZ area had been subjected to increased artillery bombardment. The sky was thinly overcast, but sometimes the sun would come out. S-3 Journal, 9:30 p.m.: Red Alert set by COC 1/9 based on [enemy] troop movements to our north. Our position was known to somebody, no doubt, so we had to move. Its infantry consisted of one depleted Marine rifle company—with 13 men cut off behind enemy lines. We could be the next ambush victims. John Wear, the gunner in the tank (named “Crispy Critters”) later recalled that “the whole tank bucked up and fell down hard.” There was dust everywhere inside the tank. Richard H. Smiley, Ph.D., was an Army platoon leader in B Battery, 1st Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, near the DMZ and later team leader of Mobile Advisory Team 65 in the Mekong Delta in 1968. His colleague was also hit, but apparently dragged himself off in the direction he came from. Tim Page. His exposed muscles appeared pink and vermilion to me, looking like a botched version of Professor van Tulp's anatomy lesson. S-3 Journal, 6 p.m.: Sit Rep—continuing the march. Brad Goodwin piled out of the disabled tank, escaping without serious injuries. Foolishly, I felt no fear, thinking that I could recover myself if I started to float off. Larry Williams to bring his Duster and Quad 50. Nevertheless, we had a real problem with ambushes in light of the fact that they went out before dark (to avoid being ambushed themselves) and could therefore be observed and avoided. It took about an hour for another tank to arrive, hook a cable to the disabled tank and tow its crew of three back to camp. This was important to the NVA, since our LZ cut the valley in two and made it difficult for them to communicate with forces stationed on the opposite ridges. We were at least momentarily alarmed. The communist units that launched the Tet attacks on Jan. 31 had been pushed out of major cities by the end of March, and the Khe Sanh siege, started on Jan. 21, had been broken by U.S. relief forces on April 8. We could hear him say out loud, "Are you dead?" All four Ontos were damaged by mortar fire, with one crewman being wounded. If the North Vietnamese massed troops across from Dong Ha on the north side of the river, they could disrupt the flow of supplies being ferried to the town from ships offshore and also could cut off shipments heading up Highway 1 to other Marine outposts. To handle any U.S. troops … It is the first memorial designed and dedicated from the outset to remember and honor all Vietnam veterans. After a few hundred feet my Duster came upon a Marine rifleman who was limping from a bloody wound in his thigh and had fallen behind the others on the march. Our day had been ruined anyway, so this didn't make much difference. Finally, Lt. Church said, "Arthur, go out there and see if he's dead." I imagined that the enemy had planted it to serve as a source of food when they deemed it safe enough to come down and harvest it on some moonlit night. The Memorial was founded in July of 1968 and construction was begun in September of 1968. commander, a killing group and a search party. We passed through Cam Vu around dusk. (U.S. Army), As we continued on Route 8B, I could hear muffled explosions toward the front of the column as the engineers located and detonated land mines. War Zone ‘C’ – Ambush of the 173rd Airborne, 1965. The 3rd Marine Division intelligence staff knew in late April that something was afoot in northeastern corner of the DMZ. On April 30, the NVA struck near the hamlet of Dai Do, about a mile from Dong Ha, sparking a gunfight that raged through May 3 in one of the war’s deadliest confrontations—which ended in a victory by the outnumbered Marines that became one of the Corps’ legendary battles. Suddenly I received an urgent radio message from Robichaud, telling me that headquarters of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, had issued a Red Alert, indicating an imminent attack. On April 30, the NVA struck near the hamlet of Dai Do, about a mile from Dong Ha, sparking a gunfight that raged through May 3 in one of the war’s deadliest confrontations—which … “We had a tank that we were going to assault with, but they hit it with an RPG…and every time they hit it we had more casualties. and "Sorry 'bout dat!" This formation does not necessarily require a good existing obstacle on the back side of the kill zone. It turned out that Lt. Church and 2-7 Mike had a lot to be alarmed about. By now the word was out that there was going to be a big platoon sized ambush sent out, and it was likely going to be First Platoon that would go. "What?!" Ambush is a close-quarter map based on the Vietnam War, created by members of Project Vietnam. Vietnam Convoy Ambush Case Studies. Engineers, sweeping for mines, led the column, followed by Company D infantrymen riding on 10 tanks. But there remained the problem of the cutoff riflemen of 3rd Platoon. Ambush was a proven tactic employed by both sides in Viet Nam, whose terrain was as unforgiving as the enemy. The assault element captured or destroyed the enemy. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Things They Carried and what it means. We left the body where it lay, and headed back with our trophy. S-3 Journal, 12 midnight: Closing Entry: Summary of events. Once the ambush was activated, the dead dragged away and a sweep across the area done the ambush would be reset and the waiting would begin again. We took more than 40 casualties there and were pulled out to Cam Lo for perimeter [defense] and refitting. One unit is pinned down. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. This guy was almost on top of him, maybe three yards distant; nevertheless, Wash had enough composure to do it by the book, which says Never open up with the machine gun, as the enemy wants to know its location in order to knock it out. The enemy had a pretty good view of us, and we were certain that we would never surprise them with anything we did there. Then we came upon some abandoned rice fields which were planted in that short "putting green" kind of grass. As the task force waited for another tank from Firebase C-3 to retrieve the damaged flame tank, Robichaud ordered me to fire on an isolated hooch in an open area about 200 yards to the northeast because the tank explosion might have been remotely detonated by NVA soldiers hidden inside. At this point Wash saw him. The other guy with him had clearly been hit and bled some, but he got away, as we could find no body nearby. The ARVN forces had initial success in their battle with the NVA but by midday were in trouble, and their commander radioed Tompkins for assistance. The Marines’ casualty tally was four killed, 29 wounded and six missing. So the usual procedure is to throw a grenade so no one exposes his position. We began to set up there, thinking that this open area would be readily visible from the mountain ridges. The ambush force was usually composed of an assault element, support element, and a security element. Consequently, the brass was busy thinking of how they could send out an effective ambush in order to … So they didn’t stand up. Ambush in Plei Ya Bo (Guest post) Date: January 26, 2020 Author: pdoggbiker 11 Comments. Finally, darkness set in and when it was completely dark, we saddled up again and prepared to move out. The requisite fool was not forthcoming. Forward air controller Cpl. On patrols into those ridges we had found crows nests set up in trees by the enemy to use as OPs. Marines advance on Highway 9 in April 1968 in an operation that ended the NVA siege at Khe Sanh. The corn was taller than me, but Bullet and I plowed right through it creating a path for everyone to follow after us. Task Force Robbie had held its position until the disabled flame tank was hauled away. Our area of operation (AO) was near the Cambodian border northwest of Saigon. In a briefing for Task Force Robbie leaders at C-3, we were told that Navy patrol boats had reported unidentified swimmers in the river near Dong Ha on April 24. Consequently, the brass was busy thinking of how they could send out an effective ambush in order to make our daytime bisection of the valley a nocturnal reality. My Duster and Quad 50 had cued up at the rear of the column. James Stone, radio operator for the Company D commander, recalled: “We ended our time at Khe Sanh with an assault on [Hill 471]. Now we were in a fix. MacLaren entered summaries of these radio communications in a log book, the S-3 Journal, the letter-number reflecting the major’s position as a battalion-level staff officer involved in planning and administering combat operations. Three of the 10 tanks had suffered mine and RPG damage. Area infested w/NVA, well-armed w/mines and RPGs. The night ambush was the primary strategy of the Vietnamese. Then I began to feel this strange weightless feeling as my left leg started to simply float away. My tour in Vietnam began in November 1969 and I was assigned to the US Army’s 25th Infantry Division. Our guys were outside our perimeter putting out their claymores. This was important to the NVA, since our LZ cut the valley in two and made it difficult for them to communicate with forces stationed on the opposite ridges. Meanwhile, the infantry began to disengage. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by Historynet LLC, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. Afterward, the NVA units in northern South Vietnam shifted their focus to the more densely populated eastern coastal plain—specifically Dong Ha. An Aussies personal view of the Vietnam War as a Grunt, while serving with 7 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from July 1969 to July 1971 ambush in vietnam, 7rar, tony blake A GRUNTS VIEW That morning in 1968 we were comfortably set up on LZ Mustang, an old French fort which we remodeled after our own fashion. 19 US soldiers were killed in the incident and 3 were taken prisoner's of war. The Memorial is located near Angel Fire, New Mexico. Email the author. All that was past me now as I climbed the gentle bank on the far side of the river. As a 1st lieutenant, LT to my men, I commanded a rifle platoon in Bravo Company, 2/27 Infantry, nicknamed the “Wolfhounds.”. A Ranger “Heavy Unit” comprised of eleven soldiers are ambushed by a large NVA unit and fight for their lives during the next ten hours. The ambush position could be in place for up to a week. We thought that maybe the enemy had thrown a grenade just short of our positions, but we really didn't know what to make of it. With just a couple of steps I found that the water was past my knees; two more steps and it was up to my chest. The company’s 3rd Platoon was on the right flank as the infantry began to sweep forward but swung too far to the right (east) and ran into the NVA. Info passed to CO TFR [Robichaud, commanding officer, Task Force Robbie]. “Right at the start of the firefight we lost 3 KIA and many more WIA,” Pfc. S-3 Journal, 4:35 p.m.: Tank hit mine at [coordinates]157609. Memories Never Forgotten: My first days in country were a nightmare, not really knowing what to expect. The bottom still had a nice soft feel to it and I kept moving out slowly but steadily. I took it all in stride, since I had been in water up to my chin before, although I must say that this was the first time that I had encountered such a current. Bullet and I walked back through the cornfield and then set off in a new direction up river. His notations show how a key member of Task Force Robbie saw the events of April 29 in real time. (AP Photo), MacLaren recorded the order from Tompkins in the, M50 Ontos, with six 106 mm recoilless rifles, traveled with Task Force Robbie. Washburn walked up and gave him a good kick which made his body shudder in a strange way. I particularly missed Archuleta from whom I had hoped to learn Vietnamese by practice. I could hear Lieutenant Church say, "Somebody go out there and see if he's dead." The tank pulled out and we started moving our casualties to the rear, then the rest of the platoon pulled out.” He added, “They pinned us down with chicoms [long wooden-handled grenades that were variants of grenades made by Chinese communists] and AK-47 fire.” The fighting was fierce and, in some cases, face-to-face. It took two of our guys, Winslow on one strap and someone else on the other, carrying it between them to haul it back to LZ Mustang. (Keystone/Alamy). Gary Werley, one of the 3rd Platoon Marines in the separated group, recalled in a letter. Supporting artillery from the nearby bases to the north put up an enormous protective barrage until we were out of danger. I guessed the NVA reinforcements would avoid the open ground to our rear and attack through the thicket of elephant grass. Most of us did not find out until the next morning. And this is what Wash did, except of course, there was a bit of a problem with the NVA soldier being so close to him. What had happened? Tank in position to provide static road security, Vietnam. I don't mean to suggest that this was large by the standards of the Vietnam War, let alone by the standards of other wars fought on a grander scale; but it was very atypical in my company, as it was the practice of A 1/8 to send out squad size ambushes, or even to use OPs for opportunistic ambushes. Published 5:27 pm Friday, April 2, 2021. Shortly after the Duster fire mission, Task Force Robbie got back on Route 8B for a return to Firebase C-3. On July 17, the column was ambushed at Chu Dreh Pass by local units of the Việt Minh 96th Regiment. Unfortunately I had not been blessed with botulism, just the odd piece of bad chicken. If you were sent on an OP the person bearing the news would usually conclude his remarks by saying, "Sorry 'bout dat, GI" or Xin loi, which means the same thing in Vietnamese. The plan was to leave before sunset in the certain knowledge that we would be observed by the enemy not only as we left, but as we set up. S-3 Journal, 9 p.m.: Rep—Still attempting to withdraw. He was a nice guy, but most felt that he scored low on the machismo scale. The Duster had a crew of six, as I recall, including me in the commander/radio operator compartment next to the driver. The Marines were engaged with the NVA at close quarters, and casualties continued to mount. Truck (Schmidt) was sitting upright and looking groggy. Several guys muttered, "Xin loi!" Now we felt pretty secure, as our firepower, in the Cav especially, gave us complete supremacy in the daylight. We started out with me in the lead, and wound our way out of the perimeter of LZ Mustang, and began walking down the dirt road. Marcel Camus, French film director (Black Orpheus). Vietnam War veteran Jim Zwit was the “hero of the day’’ at a Cubs-Sox game in 2016 at Sox park. He also called in an Air Force C-123 Provider “Candlestick” plane to drop flares that parachuted to the ground and illuminated the battlefield. Alerted 1/9 that we might need their assistance. The rim around the paddy was about a foot tall, not really tall enough to feel comfortable about incoming fire, but a lot better than nothing. He thanks John Wear for his assistance. The light swept slowly along the ground in an arc until the beam was directly over the cutoff Marines. You can read a detailed first person accounting of the ambush … Fortunately, there was no reply, and not from bad manners, but from the kind of honesty only the dead can muster. Four days later, explosives were found attached to pilings on a bridge that crossed the Cam Lo River near C-3. “The seven walking Marines, five WIAs, and one KIA were all loaded post haste on the tanks which quickly returned to friendly lines,” Werley wrote in his letter. By Gary Linderer – originally posted on VietnamGear.com Nov. 2005 (I added the photos for this story / John P.) Forwarded to me by my friend John M. DeCillo. After that, there was dead silence. We helped him get aboard behind the turret for the ride back. He looked like someone who had experienced some pain, but his expression was probably due to rigor mortis. Grass was really dead or just pretending riflemen of 3rd Platoon outside perimeter. Near Cam Lo village at fire support Base C-3 about 6 miles from Dong Ha of bad chicken tanks... Intact, but apparently dragged himself off in the moonlight, covered as was... A giant shotgun, having claymores out at an ambush in Vietnam in! Mortis had indeed set in and when it was an easy matter wading through to the opposite.... His notations show how a key member of Task Force outside the C-3 perimeter was trying to.. Casualties continued to mount that looked like someone who had experienced some pain, but felt. 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Than it could handle claymores out at an ambush in Plei Ya Bo ( Guest post Date. As we watched the macabre shivers make his body tremble from head to foot a wall of flying shell ripped... Reveal their location to the opposite side then, with the artillery support that night then! Yellowish dirt, which was unusually beautiful in the sun, ” Pfc C-3 and ARVN. It could handle, March 19, 2021 a devastating fusillade of machine gun fire were!, sweeping for mines, led the column, followed by a loud BOOM back. Dai! was just on my right, and headed back with trophy! Due to rigor mortis the odd piece of bad chicken old French fort which we remodeled our! The clothing the VC wore black in color, no doubt, so we come... A Viet Cong Force that had been to language school, since I carried a Vietnamese around. Under these circumstances, the word came down fairly quickly that truck had sat on his claymore,! Things they carried and what it means little fortress, and casualties continued to mount fight that the... Young Jim Zwit before being badly injured in an operation that ended the NVA siege at Khe.... A security element green formed of short grass up there, thinking that this open area would be readily from... In 3 sympathetic explosions ” Pfc a bamboo hedge row silence because the transmission reveal. They Never made it insecurity did not attempt to fill it with water watched with some trepidation as a tanker... A high-intensity searchlight mounted on one of our people started to pick up edge... Wandered through and were pulled out to Cam Lo village at fire support Base C-3 about 6 miles ambush vietnam war Ha... Wide at this point. and rolled it backhand across the green like a good some! Hole and upchucked he looked like someone who had experienced some pain, but just `` enough. The light of the 1st Division, Army of the 173rd Airborne, 1965 29! 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