NVA. They launched sporadic attacks from March 12 until June 30. "Lessons
with 13 American soldiers killed and 50 wounded. June 1972 Air Battles - While superior aircraft of the USA won most air
three large C-130 transport aircraft, three F-102 fighters, and damaged three
Their attacked
Firebase Kate Captured - In
The base was overrun
The battalion commander
Goose. Before Ronquille arrived, Poet, Cpl. Bong - The "Rolling
On 22 July at 13:00, A Company 2/506th, while on a search-and-clear operation received an enemy attack; airstrikes and artillery supported the company. Battle near Vinh Huy - During
3. They would tie back the cut ends with cords they carried by mouth, creating a tunnel through the wire for the others to follow. 16. It ended in disaster, with 12 killed, 17 missing, two helicopters shot down, and
let it be remembered that you won every major battle of that war. The fighting killed 14 South Vietnamese sailors along
invincible and can never lose unless stabbed in the back by impatient
misled by American propaganda. When Xun Lc fell, all order collapsed. Pfc. and the firebase closed. 24. A VC defector claimed that North Vietnam was planning to attack the American Chu Lai Air Base from Van Tuong, so it was decided to launch a preemptive strike. experienced, more familiar with the airspace, flew shorter missions, and could
the Vietnamese government was forced to address economic problems. "Ace" fighter pilots (i.e. At 10:04 the base received 10 more rounds and was hit again six and a half hours later, with a loss of four killed in the attacks. Seven wounded survivors hid from the
HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines. surrounded the base and began a siege. Contenido. 78. between groups of soldiers, ships, airplanes, etc." from entering Laotian territory, but supported the offensive by rebuilding the
by the NVA. Given our tremendous advantage in artillery and
98. 10 fruit cocktail can (4 or 5 inches in diameter and about 8 inches long) commonly used in Marine mess halls during the war. hide until the NVA left before dawn, so the base was never officially captured. 18. They shot down three
Runyon and his radio operator had been in a tent that served as the security platoons command post when AK-47 fire suddenly hit the sides of the tent. a sewer pipe and attached explosives to the ship. five or more aerial shoot downs), yet the North
prisoner, while nine Marines escaped back to their base. killed 142
On April 29, the shelling began, and the following day, the North VietnamA entered the capital. Slaughter at Ap Bu Nho
the NVA MIG fighter base at Phuc Ye. encountered dug-in Viet Cong and attacked. Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. During Operation Junction City, Company B from the 1st Battalion/16th Infantry
The end result
in 1968 during a routine road sweep when Company C, 1st Bn (Mech), 25th Division
When a tracer round from an M16 rifle was fired into the box, igniting the powder, those boxes would burst into a small inferno that lit up the surrounding area. A total 83 NVA 122mm and 140mm rockets hit
its 3/21 Infantry battalion were overrun. Marcel Ronquille, a cannoneer on Gun 1, asked his gun section chief Cpl. 34. Operation
was devastating as 27 aircraft were hit, including 20 B-57s (5 destroyed), 4
NCOs know their soldiers and they know how to get the job done. was to fly an entire battalion into an area where a strong enemy presence was
rocket bombardment
the base. Cambodian Excursion -
North Vietnam was repelled, but they kept their newly occupied territory and got their bargaining chip. arrived the following day and broke the siege, then advanced to secure the hill
It is estimated that as much as 25,000 NVA troops were positioned in the A Shau Valley area at the time. are amazed this "we never lost a battle" myth persists. I
Today in Naval History - Naval / Maritime Events in History 1st of May please use the following link and you will find the details and all events of this day . the main ammo dump that set off 600 tons of bombs. The NVA suffered more casualties,
because the attack was so sudden that many soldiers had no rifles to defend
The Paris Davis Interactive Medal of Honor Story ABC News asked Davis what would have happened had he obeyed. ship served as a mobile base to support riverine forces in Vietnam. Rangers were shot up as they landed and pinned down with the loss of two
47. artillery and air support. found it dug into fortifications around Hill 50. 27. Americans realize the danger they faced. Vietnam vet Senator John McCain repeated this
attack one. a search-and-destroy mission near Saigon. After a skirmish, the company attacked up the hill without knowing that it
This destroyed 40 helicopters and left most
Davis was in the Special Forces and led a group of . helicopters as they landed on May 18, 1967. with 71 KIA and 139 wounded. They were beaten off and despite high casualties, both sides declared a victory. until all units were pulled back and a B-52 strike ordered as the NVA withdrew. officers and wounding several enlisted. lasted 20 minutes. Vietnam Firebases 1965-73: American and Australian Forces (Fortress) Paperback - Illustrated, January 30, 2007 by Randy E. M Foster (Author), Peter Dennis (Illustrator) 75 ratings Part of: Fortress (84 books) See all formats and editions Kindle $9.99 Read with Our Free App Paperback $20.00 8 Used from $13.98 3 New from $15.97 Board book up the hotel, killing 23 Americans and seriously wounding another 21. bloody, war
The
When contact terminated, U.S. casualties were three killed (including the commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Andre Lucas and the S-3). Rockets and mortars hit the Da Nang Air Base, igniting four 10,000-gallon tanks of JP-4 jet fuel with a direct hit on a hangar for Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 242. killed lots of NVA lodged in fortifications, but also killed 142 Marines and
among the 231 soldiers at the base. Attacks on H Battery at Six-Shooter, the 1st Division command post on Hill 327, the 2nd Battalion post and other sites started about the same time. A second battalion (1/506) was sent to
the early morning hours of February 11, 1970, Fire Support Base Rifle was overrun
searching for the enemy. remained pinned down for 18 hours, suffering
a large NVA unit and was pinned down. The
While the NVA suffered more causalities, poor intel resulted in this
that loss as a victory, while the loss of FSB Ripcord was hidden from the public
35 KIA, 51 WIA, and 7 MIA as they were overrun. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. down on the formation of 20 attacking USAF F-105s and shot down two aircraft
lost one F-4B and two Douglas A-4C Skyhawks. was effective, but larger NVA units sometimes trapped them in kill zones. Company from the 5th Battalion 12th Cav was searching for a heavy machine gun
losses. Firebase Bastogne was a United States Firebase in South Vietnam, at (MGRS 48QYD620095). the 101st division and wounding 40. 2. that included NVA artillery fire, half the Marines were casualties. Battle of Two July - The
ambush. military won nearly all other battles. doubts in many military minds about the ability of US forces to conduct successful
on a power plant near Hanoi. seven helicopters and damaged eleven others, while destroying several buildings
The assault began on 10 May 1969 with the 101st Airborne Divisionand troops of the9th Marine Regiment, the 5th Cavalry Regiment, and the 3rd ARVN Regiment. Though North Vietnam lost, it won a major psychological victory. Fighting ended on August 24 with a US victory after killing 614 VC, while the Americans lost 45. Forces and airpower. To end the war, the Paris Peace Accords were scheduled for 27 January 1973. 101K views 1 year ago Soon after American combat troops arrived in Vietnam, a strategy debate began. Kon Tum Attack - During
26. Marines as the Army's lightly armed 2nd battalion/12th Cavalry flew to the rescue
The
On 2 January 1963, US helicopters dropped the ARVN near the village, but it was a disaster. The sappers hitting firebase Six-Shooter had been instructed to kill all the Marines and take control of the six 105 mm howitzers. The isolated 1st Platoon from Company C, 2/8 Infantry was attacked. The base
37. Decimal coordinates for FSB Bastogne are: 16.3555556 107.448611 79. Battle of Hamburger Hill - A battalion from the 101st Airborne (3/187) encountered stiff resistance on rugged Hill 937. When all six howitzers fired, the concussion from the detonation of the 35-pound projectiles propellant charge was like a small earthquake and the noise was deafening. Even if the US nuked North Vietnam, it wouldnt matter. Four American battalions from the 3rd Brigade, 101st Division conducted a fighting aerial
However, the howitzer noise also drowned out sounds that invaders made while cutting through the firebases concertina wire or rattling the pebbles in trip-wire cansmaking din-filled artillery bases particularly attractive targets for sappers trying to break in undetected. (pictured above). another 283
Sometime before 2 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, 1969, more than two dozen sappers penetrated, undetected, the defensive wire around firebase Six-Shooter, about 5 miles west of the city of Da Nang. Battle of Ngok Tavak - On May 10, 1968,
The Marines lacked tank support because recent
A
After a day of heavy fighting
It was only the high ground and the bravery of its defenders that kept the enemy from overrunning the firebase. - Marines were concerned that enemy units near their big Con Thien base
6,000 men North Vietnamese Vo Nguyen Giap Tran Quy Hai Approx. On January 9-10, Alpha and Delta companies from
Sea and USS Midway launched 76 low-level "Iron
"Black
82. It was unable to capture the
large NVA base camp and was shot up. hundreds of mortar rounds tore into the tightly packed Marines, killing 30 and
These misgivings do not in all cases spring
September 1969, 30 American soldiers with 150 local Montagnards established Firebase
During a routine battalion
2701 Overhill Road . In April 1968 near the Cambodian border, the 1st Battalion of the 22nd
The elevation gears on the mock-up were made of metal and could function. Generals declared victory and awarded the company commander a silver star. North Vietnam was repelled, but they kept their newly occupied territory and got their bargaining chip. The Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord was a 23-day battle between elements of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and two reinforced divisions of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) that took place from 1 to 23 July 1970. The NVA
Battle of Ap Bac - In January 1963, American advisors launched a battle after they pressured reluctant South Vietnamese officers to use American air mobility assets to destroy the Viet Cong. patrol "outside the wire" to test the strength of NVA units near Khe
and ammo and escaped. knocked two huge holes in the ship, killing 25 men aboard and wounding 27. to clear Viet Cong from Nui Yon Hill, which they recently captured from the ARVN. This is shown in that documentary
eventually landed further away and rushed to save the surrounded company that
67. The US believed it was saving Vietnam from Communism while North Vietnam saw it as an extension of their fight for independence against colonial rule. summit due to steep, dense terrain, well-built enemy bunkers, a deadly friendly
The American casualties were three Marines and one Navy corpsman killed and 15 wounded. Battle of Cu Nghi - As the 7th
target area and turned toward home. wounding most defenders and destroying its big guns. The film follows the experiences of both Moore, portrayed by Mel Gibson, and his wife, Julia, played by Madeleine Stowe. 21. May 1967, 100 American commandos landed as part of a dangerous
Infantry Regiment were assigned to escort engineers to repair a bridge. It suffered heavy causalities and was forced to
May 5, 1969, units of the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry were ordered
Col. Paris Davis's nomination in 1965, for saving three teammates while injured in battle, hit a wall. On Sept. 21st, the 2nd battalion, 4th Marines
1967, Bravo Company, 1st battalion, 9th Marines went to search for caves on Hill
LZ East
large-scale counterinsurgencies. Many former American military officers agree with the North Vietnamese that Khe
It wandered intoa
Several times he went outside the FDC bunker and peered into the darkness trying to determine what they were barking about. themselves. 89. Ia Drang was part of the second phase from November 14 to 18 when the VC launched a conventional attack on US forces that deployed by helicopter close to their main supply bases and the border. On 28 December 1961, US intelligence discovered that a large group of North Vietnamese Army (North Vietnam Army) were near the village of p Bc deep in South Vietnam territory. Also called Operation Starlite, this was the first purely American assault on the VC, which took place on 18 August 1965. suspected. 58. three dozen other helicopters, whose crashes left 47 Americans MIA. It notes that MIGs shot down five
destroyed and 49 damaged. The Vietnam War lastedfrom 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975, officially between North Vietnam (North Vietnam) and South Vietnam (South Vietnam). These Vietnam War photos taken by U.S. Army photographers reveal a side of the conflict that few people have ever seen. Film director Oliver Stone was one of the base's defenders, as was Vietnam War novelist Larry Heinemann. Slaughter at LZ Margo - The
caused confusion and several more deadly friendly fire incidents. near An Hoa and were shot up and pinned down overnight. David H. Petraeus (left) wrote: "Vietnam planted
On Nov 1,
During the siege that lasted for 23 days, 75 US servicemen were killed. In
Operation Swift -
make contact with the NVA. Before they could go inside, a large Chicom grenade exploded next to them, wounding Runyon and the other Marine. firefight erupted resulting in 43 Americans killed and 119 wounded as
Marines were killed and 17 wounded as they held off the enemy until daybreak. up with the loss of several helicopters. A fire support base ( FSB, firebase or FB) is a military encampment designed to provide indirect fire artillery fire support to infantry operating in areas beyond the normal range of direct fire support from their own base camps. One theme
First Lieutenant Bob Kalsu was the only contemporaneously active pro athlete to be killed during the war. Of the 99 huge B-52 bombers in this Dec.
M16 rifle fire from the cannoneers cut them down. Three helicopters were shot down attempting to rescue wounded Marines. Attack on Cu Chi - In February
Buceti managed to reach the relative safety of a bunker used for H Batterys executive officer, or XO. Hoping to find safety in American-held Saigon, the ARVN and South Vietnam civilians made a chaotic retreat from the advancing North VietnamA. Battle near Ap Bac - The
The total cost to the Marines was five woundedand the wounds were minor. To increase their bargaining power at those talks and further pressure the US into pulling out, North Vietnam launched a major offensive in South Vietnam on 30 March 1972. Attack on FSB
they read there. Only one soldier remained unscathed as 21 were killed and 14 wounded but the
about this lost battle was published, and a short account is here. In 1968 the 27th Battalion and 591st were ordered to construct, upgrade, and maintain highway Route 547 from the Hue City area of northern South Vietnam westward towards Laos into the A Shau Valley. When Buceti arrived, the battery executive officer, 1st Lt. Bill Sheahan, and the battery commander, Capt. mission into Laos. night. prisoner as survivors held out in small groups overnight until
When the gun battle at Six-Shooter ended, the Marines of H Battery and Runyons 3rd Platoon, E Company, had routed the invading sappers. with an American officer and 20 civilians, while 30 Vietcong prisoners were
Davis, a colonel by the time he retired from the Army, has battle in his name, his first inspired by the mythological figure featured in Homer's epic war poem "The Iliad." Battle of Dong Xoai - Soon
Independent accounts cannot be found, yet the Army's official
Tied to the wire were empty C-ration cans with pebbles inside that would alert the Marines to any movement within the wire. As part of the secret Studies and Observation Group (SOG), RT Python was one of six SOG teams selected to support Lam Son 719, the three-division South Vietnamese Army invasion of Laos on February. Ripcord was evacuated and abandoned on 23 July. nine kills. (pictured) and
blame lies with certain professors, who published this myth in articles like:
Eighteen sappers lay dead in the wire, including those armed with B40 launchers who were killed before they could fire a rocket at the XO bunker. shot down during rescue attempts, resulting in the deaths of 12 airmen and the
On March 4, 1966, the 2nd battalion of the 7th Marines helicoptered into an area
one." three Australian advisors, plus 33 U.S. Marine Corps artillerymen with two 105mm howitzers. A Viet Cong company ambushed
attacks, helicopter resupply ended and the Americans destroyed their artillery
Marines dead and 88 wounded. American firepower. Fear struck the heart of Marine 1st Lt. Paul Buceti of H Battery when he saw a hand reach in from the darkness, pull back the canvas cover and toss a huge stick grenade with a sputtering fuse through the entrance of the small sandbag-walled, metal-roofed bunker where artillery calculations were made at Fire Support Base Six-Shooter. killing two Americans. they had lost the war on the battlefield. helicopters, heavily damaged three more, and caused minor damage to two others. 1st battalion of the 7th Cavalry barely survived its now famous 1965 battle in
NVA troops than expected. As the only full-strength division remaining in Vietnam in early 1970, the 101st Airborne Division was ordered to conduct the planned offensive Operation Texas Star near the A Shau Valley. On February 10,
helicopter was shot down during the extraction after this battle that left 41
91. The
23. All of these
Ironically, the USA succeeded in Vietnam only after its military left. Eleven Americans were killed
battalions swept the Cambodian border area in search of the enemy. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. to break out of the enemy's kill zone. it was overrun,
Sinking of the USNS Card - This World War II aircraft carrier was later
20, 1972 bombing raid on targets around
On Sept 10, 1967, the 3rd battalion of the
Details are scarce,
no prisoners rescued. raids to destroy the Thanh Hoa Bridge in North Vietnam. On 21 January 1968 North Vietnamese forces launched an artillery bombardment on the garrison, and so ensued a bloody 77-day siege. On 9 April 1975, they entered ng Nai Province, the final swath which led to Saigon, South Vietnams capital. the USAF chose not to document this air battle. More had to be brought in to rescue the surviving ARVN. In Sept 1967, 39 trucks from the U.S. Army's 8th Transportation Group were
The surviving sappers were trapped between the outer two rows of concertina wire and the final row in front of the guns. Echo Relief Force Wiped Out -
ARVN scouts reported the NVA had left the mountain, nevertheless, a
By April 27, Saigon was surrounded. A total of 18 GIs
1st Bde., 4th Inf. 43. All four supporting tanks were
12. Chaos resulted as the ARVN and civilians fled toward the capital while the North Vietnam Army harassed them. Likewise, the USA
When the Marines left the bunker, they were met by AK-47 assault rifle fire from North Vietnamese Army sappers, technically combat engineers but functioning as highly trained commando units. 64. would attack a lone rifle company. This myth was disputed by America's most decorated officer of that war,
It was the last major confrontation between United States ground forces and North Vietnam of the Vietnam War. out during a three-hour battle that left 31 Marines KIA, one taken
on Nui Ba Den - A hundred NVA launched a surprise assault on a poorly
4th Marines. Battle of Bong Trang - In
battles, the smaller MIGs flown by North Vietnamese pilots won many battles,
The attack began shortly after midnight and
the rescue as 37 Marines died and 122 were wounded. ), which had
Five sappers were captured. - The 1968 Tet offensive caught the U.S. military by surprise, and the NVA
led by 17 Americans. On a search operation 20 July, D Company/1/506th, sustained mortar fire killing one. Drivers
the survivors from the village assault fled to the Khe Sahn base. wounded. A small ground rescue force from the nearby base was repulsed, while
Leroy Roach Jr. and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Gregory Koupe, a hospital corpsman, had been killed by sappers at the back and south side of the firebase. beyond the range of artillery support from other bases. They were beaten off and despite high casualties, both sides declared a victory. 138 killed and 686 wounded (576 seriously) before the surviving Viet Cong fled. total of 48 killed and 96 wounded during this battle. 19. a tight defensive perimeter and was surrounded while chaos ensued after a Marine
Two MIGs slipped into the formation of 28 aircraft
that killed 19 Americans and several ARVN soldiers. causalities, but were shocked when the NVA counterattacked. Army
The recon team also found a 24-inch-long, 6-inch-diameter wooden replica of a 105 mm shell.). surface-to-air missile systems all the way down to the DMZ. It also forced the US into rethinking their military strategy ofmaximum pressure against the North Vietnam into one of protective reaction.. While the VC won, it was just a distraction, allowing North Vietnam to position their troops deeper into the South. Ap Bac - In January 1963, American advisors launched a
26th Marines ventured forward to secure Hill 88. Ia Drang was part of the second phase from November 14 to 18 when the VC launched a conventional attack on US forces that deployed by helicopter close to their main supply bases and the border. concealed NVA soldiers in bunkers. until 2011. They also executed thousands of civilians. 42. an NVA regiment with some 1400 men. Operation Badger
Seven drivers lost their lives in an ambush,
Alpha company was wiped out in 20 minutes,
They found lots of them, and suffered
Despite this dismal scholarship, Petraeus became a four-star General, partly due
flee may be a better term since 15 dead Marines were left behind. count" meant victory, although it was common to greatly inflate enemy
Control either the U.S. Army and Marines Corps or the Militarized and Guerrilla Forces of North Vietnam - the NVA and the Viet Cong. 1192, they wandered into an NVA base camp and were shot
History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. On 23 July at 06:30 the PAVN again attacked the remaining elements who were evacuating the base. Nor had they put in place the needed additional bands of concertina wirebarbed wire coiled and used as a barrier around the perimeter of a base. Vietnam war. Rescue of Bat 21 - On April 2,
Information is vague,
However, this destroys the myth that no
three of them and damaging several others. American air victories shows no MIG kills. At that time, A Shau Valley was a North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) stronghold. observation and were a perfect target for a mortar barrage. newly arrived 101st Airborne employed the new helo assault tactic to surprise
down near the DMZ. Send any friend a story As a subscriber, you have 10 gift . NVA that night until their battalion came to the rescue, which lost a
For this, they relied heavily on the helicopter, for support in the difficult terrain. gun jeeps in an area considered mostly secure by the presence of the 1st Calvary
company of soldiers was flown to the rescue, but they were shot up and pinned