One of the major attacks was against CAP B-3 in the hamlet of Duong Lam (1) just below the Ty Loan River. [1]:1478, The Marine response to the bombardments was rapid, the 11th Marines artillery units "initiated counter-rocket fires" at suspected avenues of approach. Located between the Cu and Thanh Qut Rivers and on either side of Highway 1, the two battalions provided the last line of defense before the so-called "Vital Area." [1]:163 Obtenez des photos d'actualit haute rsolution de qualit sur Getty Images 17 apr 1966: arab 511, an a-1h (buno 135398), lt (jg) william l. tromp, va-115, went down following a night attack on coastal targets, near approximately 1818 . According to III MAF figures, from 29 January through 14 February at Da Nang, Marines sustained 124 killed and more than 480 wounded. *** The first time that rockets were used in the Republic of Vietnam by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army. CMSgt (Ret) Gary Chaffin, who was at Da Nang with the 366th Civil Engineering Squadron, recalls this attack much as Dick does. A prisoner captured in Nam O identified a PAVN battalion, probably from the PAVN 4th Regiment, operating below the Hi Vn Pass with the "mission to form civilians for demonstrations." [1]:153, The Marines now counterattacked supported by artillery and Marine gunships and fixed-wing air. VC gunners from Ha Vang, nevertheless, maintained an intermittent mortar bombardment upon the I Corps tactical operations center. [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. Robertson observed that the delay of the 2nd Division into the picture may have been because the PAVN forces "got their signals mixed " The VC were supposed to be inside "when the [PAVN] division came marching down main street. At 09:15, a squad from Company G, 2/7 Marines providing road security for a Marine engineer mine-sweeping team on Route 1 just below the pass, encountered a small PAVN sapper detachment. The skirmishing south of the headquarters near Ha Vang, however, continued. You comrades should act as heroes of Vietnam and with the spirit and pride of combatants of the Liberation Army. Immediately after the artillery shelling, an AC47 Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same area with its Gatling guns. This fighting would continue in a desultory fashion throughout the night. At 08:30 a CAP saw a number of VC attempting to swim across the Cu to the island. 00:00 00:00 What the Captain Means Unless otherwise noted all videos on this site appear on, and are posted here via embedded links to, You Tube. The combined force then swept the general area where they found two PAVN bodies and took three prisoners. I called all the regiments and battalions and the same was happening to them. They later found four PAVN dead. In the ensuing firefight fought at a range as close as five meters from one another with the Marines achieving the upper hand. Use big bombs." According to an NCO from the PAVN 31st Regiment captured in the fighting, the mission of his unit was to "attack Hi An, five times if necessary, and set up a liberation government. Rocket attack on the Da Nang Air Base that took place, Da Nang, Vietnam, January 30, 1968. Doc, as his friends called him, was one of 58,200 Americans that died during the Vietnam War. Battle in Vietnam involving the United States in early 1968, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tet_offensive_attacks_on_Da_Nang&oldid=1098267255, Battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War, Articles needing additional references from August 2021, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 15 July 2022, at 01:30. Beginning their attack about 03:00, two companies of the V-25th Battalion used the noise of firecrackers set off and general firing by Tt celebrants to cover their approach. Some viewers may find some scenes or audio in this archival material to be unsettling or distressing. Archives. About the same time as the rocket attacks on the Da Nang base and Marble Mountain, PAVN/VC mortars bombarded the command post of the 7th Marines on Hill 55 south of Da Nang and forward infantry positions. The provisional company linked up with two ARVN Ranger companies that were operating in the area to contain the battalion from the PAVN 4th Regiment which had slipped through the Hi Vn Pass the night before. Because of the location of Hill 65, just above Route 4 about 4,000 meters west of the district town of i Lc and below Charlie Ridge (155610N 1080542E / 15.936N 108.095E / 15.936; 108.095), where the VC had heavy machine gun emplacements which precluded any helicopter lift, the Marine company had to make the move on foot. He arrived with 19 other soldiers, eight of whom were embalmers. Company G repulsed a number of probes throughout the night until the PAVN broke contact at dawn. "[1]:163 [1]:146, Lieutenant Colonel Twyman R. Hill's 1st MP Battalion operated directly under III MAF and was responsible for the "close-in defense" of the Da Nang Air Base, the two bridges between Tiensha Peninsula, Marble Mountain Air Facility and the Naval Hospital on the Tiensha (Tin Sa) Peninsula. 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. Nine USAF personnel were killed during the barrage and 128 others were wounded, 40 of them requiring hospitalization. Just 19 when he arrived, the horrors he witnessed would forever shape him. Naval Support Activity Danang operated extensive logistics facilities on the Tiensha (Tin Sa) peninsula east of the city. DA NANG A.B. These included Hills 65 and 52 manned by companies of the 3/7 Marines in the southwestern part of the TAOR and Hill 41 defended by Company D, 1/7 Marines in the central western sector. Da Nang was a major base area for United States and South Vietnamese military forces supporting operations throughout I Corps. NMCB-7 sends a Disaster. Glasgow, Steve: YN3: Mar 20, 1969 - Mar 20, 1970: US Navy Post Office @ China Beach: . Date: July 15, 1967.Visit us at www.CriticalPast.com:57,000+ broadcast-quality historic clips for immediate download.Fully digitized and searchable, the CriticalPast collection is one of the largest archival footage collections in the world. The only other Marine reserves available to the division were the provisional companies of the Northern and Southern Defense Commands. In fact, elements of both regiments had reached jump-off points just south of the Cau Do River. a-~_ -~ ijsafss 0 w 86 i jun !17 history of 6994th security squadron 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." [1]:153, The attack on the western perimeter was probably the most serious thrust against Marine positions on the day and evening of 30 January. It was damaged by the fire of the adjacent aircraft (BuNo 152588) on the night of 29-30 January 1968. The National Police arrested 25 of the crowd and quickly dispersed the would-be demonstrators. Click here to view those.. Update: 12 December 2020. [1]:1445, About 02:30, the PAVN/VC struck the perimeters of the Da Nang base itself. The MPs shot one of the swimmers, took the other man prisoner and drove off the boats with a fusillade of bullets. In the morning, the Marines discovered blood trails and three PAVN bodies in the vicinity of the explosions. [1]:154, Throughout the Da Nang TAOR, the intensity of activity increased during the night. Photographer: Unknown Nng Air Base, AKA: Rocket City, often had more than six Silk-Moons of false dawn orbiting the base. The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. A warning order and plan prepared by the VC Da Nang City Committee called for a preliminary attack on the city by sappers and VC troops. The aircraft may have been one of those used by Air America. We had played cards the night before and he was so happy he had survived his year in . Army advisor attached to the ARVN unit. From firing positions southwest of the base, 28 122mm missiles fell on the airfield, destroying one aircraft and damaging six others. In the meantime, the VC harassed with sniper fire both CAP Q-4 and the nearby Nam O bridge security detachment from 2/7 Marines. Two LVTH-6s from the Marine 1st Armored Amphibian Company attached to the 11th Marines responded to a call from the U .S. From May 1968 to July 1970, the Army sergeant came of age in the U.S. Army mortuary at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in Saigon. 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. Still PAVN/VC gunners just before 01:00 launched 12 122mm rockets aimed at the Da Nang base and blew up two ammunition dumps, one for napalm and the other for flares. On 2 February, the Marines received a report that the PAVN 2nd Division had moved its headquarters 4 miles (6.4km) north, to a position above Route 4, from its previous location on Go Noi Island. . Mar 3, 2021. [1]:159, While from 15 February, the PAVN/VC ground assaults on Marine positions appeared to diminish , Marine spotters in the tower on Hill 55 reported the constant movement of small groups of enemy troops in the western portion of the ROKMC area of operations. In the town itself, 10 civilians caught in the crossfire, sustained wounds, but no civilians died as a result of the battle. 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. This would be followed by a rocket barrage and an assault by the main force units on Allied military units and installations. 149 likes. Went to Danang to help EOD with the munitions storage facility mishap just outside Danang Air Base. Again the artillery responded with "excellent effect on target." At 07:30, the ROKMC reported about 200 to 300 enemy troops still in Hi An. Nng AB: 366th TFW: Rocket Attack! He and Randall agreed that they would deploy one of the battalion's two reserve provisional Quick Reaction platoons composed of headquarters personnel. He later confided to Davis, "Bill, your phone call was right on the money! The attack started at 12:25 AM and an estimated 50 rounds of 122mm rockets were fired at the installation. The Marines and PF troops fired at armed members of the crowd who appeared to be directing the march. In the attack, the PAVN/VC fired 122mm rockets at Marine artillery positions at An Hoa, Hill 55 and Hill 10. An American advisor within the MACV compound reported at 11:45 that the VC were digging in the engineer compound. Covered revetments to protect F-4s from rocket attacks -1969 [ Bob Kaatman photo ] American down as Marines arrive on scene just outside perimeter of DaNang AFB. Da Nang, the main Seabee base in the I Corps area, which bordered North Vietnam, came under repeated attack from Viet Cong and North Vietnamese regulars. Posted: 02/01/2018. Lieutenant Colonel William K . The only Marine casualties were two men who failed to vacate their "hootches" in time. 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. 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. The communications bunker bore the brunt of the attack where the sappers destroyed both the bunker and the equipment inside and put the division tactical net off the air until 04:00. By dark the Korean had captured the hospital and were in position to relieve the engineer compound. Rising Storm 2: Vietnam - Check Out Chivalry 2https://store.steampowered.com/app/1824220/Chivalry_2/Green Army Thanksgiving!It is turkey time, so we have a Green Army . Marine commanders and staff officers could only speculate that the enemy was probably infiltrating north in small groups to "predetermined rallying points" for a further assault either on the city or on the Air Base. DaNang earned the nickname Rocket City during the Vietnam war, having been attacked over 900 times in 10 years. Joining up with the squad from the 1/7 Marines and some newly arrived ARVN troops, the tanks then relieved the CAP garrison. Rummage reported about 50 PAVN dead with another 100 "probable." . The III MAF Command Center later that evening radioed MACV in Saigon: "Although the enemy has suffered heavy losses within his local and main force VC units during the past two days, he still possesses a formidable threat utilizing [PAVN] troops poised on the periphery of the Da Nang TAOR. [1]:1523, The rest of the enemy efforts in the Da Nang area and TAOR were about as haphazard and relatively ineffective as the fight on the unnamed island. Darkness prevented Sailfish from observing the number of casualties that the artillery and air inflicted upon the enemy. A Company E, 2/3 Marines squad patrol in its regular area of operations just east of the confluence of the Thanh Qut and Vnh in River came under attack from an estimated squad of enemy. "[1]:144, By evening on the 29th, the 1st Marine Division at Da Nang was on 100-percent alert. [1]:1445, In scattered and intermittent attacks beginning before 02:00 and lasting about one-half hour, PAVN/VC gunners fired both mortars and rockets that landed near positions of Marine artillery, antiair missiles, and the Force Logistic Command at Red Beach Base Area. . Freedom Hill 327 can be seen beneath the left flare, with convoy lights winding up the perimeter road. At first, the general and his steward confused the rockets with the traditional fireworks shot off in honor of Tt. Despite the thinness of the Marine lines and the ability of the PAVN/VC to infiltrate, they never capitalized on these advantages. The VC had learned that artillery and/or air strikes would be called in on the launch sites. Reinforced by the remainder of Company L and two platoons from Company M together with two tanks and an LVTP-5, the Marines engaged the PAVN. 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. As Company G began its redeployment along the river route it ran into PAVN forces attempting to retreat in that direction. Suspected excavations camouflaged with tree branches were seen on a peninsula 6 miles southwest of Da Nang. CriticalPast is an archive of historic footage. [1]:160, By this time, Robertson was worried about the ability to contain the PAVN/VC offensive south of Da Nang. Later that night, the 1/7 Marines reported 15 secondary explosions from Marine counter-mortar artillery fire. Advisory Group at Da Nang, the PFs and RFs accounted for eight dead VC and captured one wounded VC. The rockets destroyed five aircraft, nine items of ground equipment, two vehicles, and one warehouse outright. There were still ominous signs and actions that the enemy push on Da Nang was not over. The ARVN 51st Regiment operating in the southern sector of the Da Nang area of operations came across evidence including documents pointing to a buildup of PAVN/VC strength together with probes of Allied defenses. Finally the PAVN broke contact at 20:00 and disappeared. "[1]:159, The heaviest action occurred in the 3/5 Marines and 4th Battalion, 51st ARVN sectors along Highway 1. Despite limited attacks later in the month, these were largely, as a report stated, "an attempt to maintain the facade of an offensive. Two other squad patrols from Company C in the vicinity quickly joined the first squad. (AP) AP According to the prisoner accounts, they were from the PAVN 3rd Battalion, 31st Regiment and confirmed that "Da Nang itself was the ultimate objective. In I Corps, the Allies learned from a defector that the enemy planned an attack against Qung Ngi City. One of the rockets damaged one of the missile launchers and wounded three of the Marines. According to them their mission was to mine and interdict allied traffic in the Hi Vn Pass area. On 14 February 1965 the Marine 1st LAAM Battalion established its anti-aircraft operations center colocated with the USAF CRP. "[1]:163, During the Tet Offensive in Da Nang, both sides experienced heavy casualties. Some 36 of the large missiles landed on the main base, including the airfield. 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. By the afternoon of the 31st, the Marines and Rangers had completed their sweep. This apparently broke the back of the VC resistance. The Marine staff speculated that the enemy launched the mortar attacks largely as a cover for the rocket attacks against Marble Mountain. 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. According to Marine intelligence sources, Rummage may well "have rendered a reinforced battalion combat ineffective, forcing the enemy to modify his plans at a critical time." He remembered that because of the number of casualties his battalion sustained, "it was necessary to employ administrative personnel on patrols" with "clerks, cooks, and drivers" on line. [1]:142, While activity in the Army's 23rd Infantry (Americal) Divisions areas of operations in Qung Ngi and Qung Tn Provinces was somewhat diminished, there was enough enemy in northern and central I Corps to cause concern for both the American and South Vietnamese commands. Supported by U .S . Although most of the enemy activity was restricted to small-unit contacts, on the night of 2/3 February, PAVN/VC gunners again rocketed the Air Base. 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. Bldg. Apparently the division was slow in moving into the Da Nang area and was not in position to support the local forces in the earlier phase of the offensive . One sapper was captured. At the same time, the 1st Division had sent out several reconnaissance elements. In a message to III MAF, Robertson observed "Never have so few done so much to so many. South Vietnamese and Korean casualties probably equalled or slightly exceeded the U.S. losses. The AC-47 then called in Marine fixed-wing attack aircraft which dropped Napalm with "outstanding coverage of target." The company arrived at its dispositions at 01:00 the following morning . Reinforced by another squad, the Company G Marines killed three and captured two. In Jun-Jul 1970 gave the base to the RVN and went back to DaNang. Calling artillery upon the PAVN, the Marines then swept through the area and recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds. 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. From 18:00 to 24:00 on the 30th, the 1st Marine Division reported to III MAF over 30 incidents ranging from sightings of large enemy forces, to mortar attacks and a few infantry assaults. In the resulting engagement, Company E killed about 13 VC from the Q-55th Local Force Company, which normally operated in the area. 07-18 488 ) DATE ) ) On appeal from the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Muskogee, from Vice: That day, Mr. Trump hosted a ceremony to honor law enforcement officials who had provided security for the inauguration. 17. Finally there were rumors that the other two regiments of the 2nd Division, the VC 1st and the PAVN 3rd, had infiltrated even further north. Da Nang Vietnam January 30, 1968 - Rocket attack on the Da Nang Air Base. At Da Nang, III MAF knew that the PAVN/VC were on the move. Pictures of Danang 9. At 07:35, VC gunners fired two RPGs at the compound tower and a VC infantry platoon opened up upon the CAP unit. [ Bob Kaatman photo ] The Marines failed to determine whether this mixed force had a specific mission or consisted of remnants from units that had participated in the earlier attack on the I Corps headquarters. According to documents captured later, the two VC assault companies were to pull out at first light, but became bogged down in the city. 1969. As various outposts reported their sightings to the Division FSCC, the artillerymen then shifted these fires to actual sites. At Da Nang city the Military Region's main force 2nd Division, sapper battalions, the Quang Da province local force battalions and mass forces participating in the political struggle had been preparing since October 1967. The PAVN fought a delaying action as they began to withdraw. In the engagement, the Marines lost 5 killed and 12 wounded. [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. Bringing up two artillery platoons , the ARVN gunners lowered their pieces and fired pointblank at the VC. Open to all Vietnam Veterans that served at DA NANG Air Base of ROCKET CITY from 1971-1972. 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. 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."