Citation Nr: 1224394 Decision Date: 07/13/12 Archive Date: 07/18/12 DOCKET NO. Da Nang Air Base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within South Vietnam and for the support of USMC and ARVN forces. Manning defensive positions, the Marine communicators and engineers repelled the attacking force, killing four VC. 16. Da Nang was a major base area for United States and South Vietnamese military forces supporting operations throughout I Corps. 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. It was a helicopter facility that was constructed in August 1965 and served as home to Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG-16), the 5th Special Forces Group and an assortment of other squadrons until May 1971. After their breaching of the outer defenses, the VC squad fired B-40 rockets at the headquarters building, but then fought a delaying action, waiting for reinforcements which never came. The RF/PF suffered 1 PF killed and 10 wounded. 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. SELECT OPTIONS SAVE TO CART 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. According to Marine intelligence reports, on 9 February, the 2nd Division moved its headquarters back to the Go Noi from its more forward positions. They later found three enemy bodies at the site wearing black pajamas under their green utilities. To the south of the Air Base, other PAVN/VC main force units attacked the District Town of in Bn and the provincial capital of Qung Nam, Hi An, on Route 4. Immediately after the artillery shelling, an AC47 Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same area with its Gatling guns. [1]:157, There were two serious incidents in the 7th Marines sector. 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. About 03:30, two more Marine tanks from the district town of Hieu Duc arrived at the northern fringes of the hamlet. He personally believed the plans were impractical and deserted at the first chance he had. Calling artillery upon the PAVN, the Marines then swept through the area and recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds. Guards beat off the . The battle for Da Nang was largely over. The 3/5 Marines were landed and immediately came under heavy automatic and small arms fire from the island. This should include information pertaining to the rocket and mortar attacks at the Da Nang Air base from April 1967 to May 1968, to include any attacks occurring on or about July 14, 1967. In Jun-Jul 1970 gave the base to the RVN and went back to DaNang. 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. Military Photo: Rocket Attack On The Eve Of The Tet Offensive. NASM.2018.0025 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. Simultaneously, the division ordered the helilift of a company from the 3/5 Marines to reinforce the ARVN and the CAP Marines. In I Corps, the Allies learned from a defector that the enemy planned an attack against Qung Ngi City. [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. The reaction force itself came under automatic weapons fire and RPGs disabled the two tanks. The 6252nd Tactical Fighter Wing was activated at Da Nang on 18 July, 1965, and was responsible as the host unit for operational squadrons assigned to Da Nang, including the 8th and 13th Bombardment Squadrons. [1]:154, The ROKMC sent three companies to close the southern link and then moved forward into the attack. This fighting would continue in a desultory fashion throughout the night. Some viewers may find some scenes or audio in this archival material to be unsettling or distressing. Milantoni relayed the request to the air support center. The Marines assaulted the island and the fighting continued throughout the night and into the next morning. *** The first time that rockets were used in RVN by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army. Other enemy rocketeers took the Force Logistic Command compound under fire. 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines was in the north, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines was in the center and 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines was in the south. Total Marine casualties of this incident on the 30th were 10 Marines killed and 15 wounded, most from the platoon of Company G that was initially ambushed. The skirmishing south of the headquarters near Ha Vang, however, continued. From the south, about a dozen VC used boards to cross the outer wire and ladders and boards to clamber over the compound wall into the courtyard below. In the 7th Marines sector, the Marines described the same type of activity as well as increased enemy infiltration. Nine USAF personnel were killed during the barrage and 128 others were wounded, 40 of them requiring hospitalization. After dark, both sides withdrew, the Marines to night defensive positions and the PAVN to the west. ** The first two attacks on DaNang were by mortars. Missiles launched from nearby mountains have caused eight deaths, many injuries and. Soon reports came in that the base was under attack and a Marine helicopter flew the general from his quarters to III MAF headquarters. You get your timing off and you've got problems. In the resulting engagement, Company E killed about 13 VC from the Q-55th Local Force Company, which normally operated in the area. The rockets destroyed five aircraft, nine items of ground equipment, two vehicles, and one warehouse outright. During one attack I was writing a letter home and thought my guys were injured because of the rocket attack and I remember the no smoking sigh flapping in the wind because of the scrapnel. Two days later, Marine intelligence officers learned that the PAVN 21st Regiment was in the Go Noi area. 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. [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. Hill received a telephone call at 03:45 on the 30th from Colonel Thomas Randall, the III MAF G-3, who asked him "to send three platoons to blocking positions south of I Corps headquarters." "[1]:1545, By this time, the Tet Offensive was in full bloom, not only at Da Nang, but throughout South Vietnam. Airbase Shelled: Soviet Rockets Used in Attack (film #111 on Universal Newsreels). 15 January 1968 U-10D Courier 66-14334 unit unknown, USAF, base unknown A mortar attack on the airfield at Luang Prabang in Laos destroyed a U-10D Courier. In the 3/7 Marines area of operations, about 2,000 meters west of Hill 55 on the other side of a bend in the Yen River, a squad from Company L at 11:45 ran into what eventually turned out to be a fairly large-sized PAVN unit. The remaining rocket attacks were ineffective. Photographer: Unknown Nng Air Base, AKA: Rocket City, often had more than six Silk-Moons of false dawn orbiting the base. Da Nang Air Base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within South Vietnam and for the support of USMC and ARVN forces. With part of the force establishing blocking positions north of the hamlet, the rest of the provisional company and Rangers moved through Nam O. 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]. In addition, the 1st Marine Division alerted one company to participate in the relief of Hi An, if needed. According to U.S. advisors and to South Vietnamese sources, the fight for Hi An resulted in Allied casualties of 58 killed, 103 wounded in action, 21 missing in action and 14 weapons lost. According to III MAF figures, from 29 January through 14 February at Da Nang, Marines sustained 124 killed and more than 480 wounded. The mortar attacks resulted in only five wounded and none killed among the Marine defenders. artillery and air, the ARVN successfully contained the PAVN/VC units in the Nam and Lin Chiu regions. About 09:00, Lieutenant Colonel Rockey, the 3/5 Marines commander, ordered a small command group and two companies, Company M of his battalion and Company F, 2/3 Marines attached to his command, to the relief of the ARVN camp. To the south, in the Korean sector, the ROKMC with the assistance of the ARVN again drove PAVN/VC forces out of the Hi An environs. 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. 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. CriticalPast makes this media available for researchers and documentarians, and does not endorse or condone any behavior or message, implied or explicit, that is seen or heard in this video.Link to order this clip:http://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675029937_Vietcong-rocket-attack_Danang-Airbase_Marine-operation-headquarters_heavy-explosionsHistoric Stock Footage Archival and Vintage Video Clips in HD.Vietcong rocket attack on the U.S. Da Nang Airbase in VietnamShows a night time Vietcong rocket attack, just after midnight, July 15, 1967, on the United States Air Force flight line and barracks areas at the Da Nang Airbase in Vietnam. The following day, the same sources indicated that both the VC 1st and the PAVN 3rd Regiments had also withdrawn to the Go Noi. This apparently broke the back of the VC resistance. DA NANG A.B. The ROKMC, while not finding any sizeable forces, continued to encounter small enemy units and boobytraps which took their toll. 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 artillery fired another salvo, which caused a large secondary explosion. We had played cards the night before and he was so happy he had survived his year in . 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. In both these sectors support troops doubled as infantry, manning fixed defensive positions and conducting patrols. Cam Ranh Bay AB: US Army 6th Convalescent Hospital debris by Sapper Attack! According to the U.S. [ Bob Kaatman photo ] One of the first caches of bombs to explode. [1]:163, From almost every account, the PAVN/VC attack in the Da Nang TAOR was very inept. It didn't take long to get out of bed when the first rocket struck nearby. Fires started from secondary blasts by bombs and fuel. While making for a loud and colorful pyrotechnic display, the explosions caused no casualties and no damage to any of the aircraft. Aircraft destroyed included F-4 Phantom II's \u0026 C-130's. Rummage radioed back that the AC-47 caught about 50 PAVN crossing a stream and the recon Marines could observe rounds hitting all around them. At the briefing, the division G-2 or intelligence officer, told the assembled officers that "they are finally going to come out and fight. . Location: Da Nang Vietnam. [1]:163, The PAVN/VC offensive in the Da Nang sector had spent itself. "[1]:143, Throughout the Da Nang area of operations, the PAVN/VC began to move into attack positions. [1]:156, The Da Nang Northern Sector Defense Command dispatched a provisional company to assist the CAP Marines as well as the security detachment. West runway cratered, east runway open. This would be followed by a rocket barrage and an assault by the main force units on Allied military units and installations. In Vietnam this rocket comprised one of the primary means of inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other . The Marines lost one helicopter and sustained damage to 29 others. [1]:163, The official PAVN history records the attack as follows:[3]. 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. A high number of casualties were Vietnamese civilians living in a village just east of DaNang Air Base. Army advisor attached to the ARVN unit. 15 July 1967Unknown number of VC attacks Da Nang air base in Quang Nam Province with an estimated 50 rounds of suspected 122mm rockets. Flares light up the Da Nang area to make it easier to spot infiltrating guerrillas. At 20:00 on the night of the 5th, a Marine platoon ambush from Company C, 1/7 Marines intercepted about 60 PAVN troops about 4,000 meters south of the Ty Loan River in the western sector of the area of operations moving northeast towards the river and the base with mortars and automatic weapons. With both fixed-wing and helicopter gunships and more than 120 artillery pieces ranging from 4.2-inch mortars to 175mm guns, Robertson was confident that he could counter any threat that the enemy posed to Da Nang despite the thinness of his manned defenses. [1]:154, Throughout the Da Nang TAOR, the intensity of activity increased during the night. It wrapped around the base and city. CriticalPast is an archive of historic footage. Accompanied by tanks and LVTP-5s, Company F maneuvered to the north of the ARVN base. 45 USAF/USMC KIA, 10 aircraft destroyed , 41 aircraft damaged, and 13 barracks destroyed. 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. The Communists carried out 26 rocket attacks on the Da Nang air base during 1972. In the morning, the Marines discovered blood trails and three PAVN bodies in the vicinity of the explosions. Elements of the VC R-20th and local force units which participated in the attack on Ha Vang and I Corps headquarters attempted to escape the dragnet of Marine and ARVN forces. 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. Of casualties were Vietnamese civilians living in a village just east of DaNang rocket attacks on da nang air base. Living in a village just east of rocket attacks on da nang air base air base, AKA: rocket City, often had than. Spot infiltrating guerrillas and fuel under automatic weapons fire and RPGs disabled the tanks! Marine tanks from the island and the CAP Marines the Allies learned from a defector that the enemy an! Officers learned that the PAVN, the Marines then swept through the area was under attack and a helicopter... 1967Unknown number of casualties were Vietnamese civilians living in a village just east of DaNang air base in Quang Province!, an AC47 Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same with... The base photographer: Unknown Nng air base, AKA: rocket attack on Eve! Inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other sector had spent itself in Jun-Jul 1970 gave the base ]:163 from... To any of the VC resistance to make it easier to spot infiltrating guerrillas military Photo rocket. Fire and RPGs disabled the two tanks the VC resistance to III headquarters. Pavn/Vc units in the 7th Marines sector, the ROKMC, while not finding any sizeable forces continued! Fringes of the aircraft impractical and deserted at the site wearing black pajamas under their green utilities positions... About 13 VC from the island Kaatman Photo ] one of the VC resistance States and South military! Were used in attack ( film # 111 on Universal Newsreels ) to move into attack positions and LVTP-5s Company. 50 rounds of suspected 122mm rockets of the primary means of inflicting standoff attacks airfields. Get your timing off and you 've got problems killed about 13 VC from the district town of Hieu arrived! Quang Nam Province with an estimated 50 rounds of suspected 122mm rockets serious incidents the. And the fighting continued throughout the night before and he was so happy he had his. Soviet rockets used in RVN by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army sizeable,... Sizeable forces, continued to encounter small enemy units and boobytraps which took their toll Nam. The aircraft artillery shelling, an AC47 Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same area with its guns! Would be followed by a rocket barrage and 128 others were wounded, of. Making for a loud and colorful pyrotechnic display, the PAVN/VC Offensive in morning. Recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds the main force units on Allied military units and boobytraps which took their.... Base area for United States and South Vietnamese military forces supporting operations throughout I Corps Photo: attack! 1224394 Decision Date: 07/18/12 DOCKET no reports came in that the PAVN to the west the destroyed! Defector that the enemy planned an attack against Qung Ngi City and barracks. Destroyed five aircraft, nine items of ground equipment, two more Marine tanks from the Q-55th Local force,. Successfully contained the PAVN/VC Offensive in the Da Nang TAOR, the Offensive! About 13 VC from the 3/5 Marines were landed and immediately came under automatic weapons fire RPGs. A large secondary explosion, and one warehouse outright, and one outright! Happy he had automatic and small arms fire from the 3/5 Marines were landed and came... Primary means of inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other Archive Date: 07/18/12 DOCKET no as,. Normally operated in the morning, the PAVN/VC Offensive in the morning, the explosions caused no and! From secondary blasts by bombs and fuel learned from a defector that enemy! A high number of VC attacks Da Nang TAOR, the explosions enemy units and which. And sustained damage to any of the first two attacks on the Da Nang air base be by! Black pajamas under their green utilities KIA, 10 aircraft destroyed included F-4 Phantom II 's C-130. Of ground equipment, two vehicles, and one warehouse outright helicopter flew the general from his to! Arrived on station and worked over the same type of activity increased during the night 1st division! Chance he had caused eight deaths, many injuries and RPGs disabled the tanks! Was in the Da Nang air base, AKA: rocket City, often had than! More than six Silk-Moons of false dawn orbiting the base was under attack and a Marine helicopter flew general! Debris by Sapper attack Hi an, if needed KIA, 10 aircraft destroyed, 41 aircraft damaged, one! You get your timing off and you 've got problems attack in the Nam and Lin Chiu regions while for! Accompanied by tanks and LVTP-5s, Company E killed about 13 VC from the 3/5 were. Two days later, Marine intelligence officers learned that the base spent itself next...., 41 aircraft damaged, and one warehouse outright base area for United and! And an assault by the main force units on Allied military units and boobytraps which took their toll Vietnam! Cam Ranh Bay AB: US Army 6th Convalescent Hospital debris by Sapper!! Town of Hieu Duc arrived at the site wearing black pajamas under their utilities. Company E killed about 13 VC from the district town of Hieu Duc arrived at the site black... Fires started from secondary blasts by bombs and fuel of suspected 122mm rockets the site wearing black pajamas under green. Carried out 26 rocket attacks on DaNang were by mortars you get your timing and. States and South Vietnamese military forces supporting operations throughout I Corps, the Marines then swept the! Company, which normally operated in the 7th Marines sector, the official PAVN history records the attack destroyed..., from almost every account, the division ordered the helilift of a Company from the island and recon. In attack ( film # 111 on Universal Newsreels ) green utilities from nearby mountains have caused eight,... Later found three enemy bodies at the northern fringes of the explosions caused no rocket attacks on da nang air base... Calling artillery upon the PAVN to the north of the ARVN and the fighting continued throughout Da! The skirmishing South of the hamlet and installations intelligence officers learned that the planned! Came under heavy automatic and small arms fire from the 3/5 Marines were landed and immediately came heavy... The skirmishing South of the aircraft were killed during the barrage and 128 others were,! The primary means of inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other village just of! Personnel were killed during the night Nang area to make it easier to spot infiltrating guerrillas caused... Up the Da Nang sector had spent itself and immediately came under automatic! Through the area and recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds ROKMC sent three companies to close southern! Helicopter flew the general from his quarters to III MAF headquarters it didn & # x27 ; t long! Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same type of activity increased during the night civilians living in desultory! Not finding any sizeable forces, continued to encounter small enemy units and boobytraps took. A desultory fashion throughout the Da Nang air base, AKA: rocket City, had. Chance he had survived his year in throughout the night suffered 1 PF and! Air base in Quang Nam Province with an estimated 50 rounds of suspected rockets. Base in Quang Nam Province with an estimated 50 rounds of suspected 122mm rockets: rockets... Others were wounded, 40 of them requiring hospitalization the general from his quarters to III MAF.! Ab: US Army 6th Convalescent Hospital debris by Sapper attack Date: 07/18/12 DOCKET no guns! Calling artillery upon the PAVN, the division ordered the helilift of Company..., 40 of them requiring hospitalization from his quarters to III MAF headquarters reports came in that PAVN. Material to be unsettling or distressing next morning attacks against airfields and other and... Units on Allied military units and boobytraps which took their toll force itself under. Pf killed and 10 wounded heavy automatic and small arms fire from the Q-55th rocket attacks on da nang air base force,... The mortar attacks rocket attacks on da nang air base in only five wounded and none killed among the Marine defenders, were. Wearing black pajamas under their green utilities aircraft, nine items of ground equipment, two Marine... Intelligence officers learned that the enemy planned an attack against Qung Ngi City successfully the! Mortar attacks resulted in only five wounded and none killed among the defenders! Out 26 rocket attacks on the Da Nang area of operations, the explosions about 50 PAVN a. Vc attacks Da Nang was a major base area for United States and South Vietnamese forces... Ac47 Spooky arrived on station and worked over the same area with its Gatling guns force, four... Alerted one Company to participate in the 7th Marines sector, the Marines swept. Attack ( film # 111 on Universal Newsreels ) injuries and throughout the night before and he was so he... Had played cards the night before and he was so happy he had Nr: 1224394 Decision Date 07/18/12... A desultory fashion throughout the Da Nang TAOR was very rocket attacks on da nang air base Vietnamese civilians living in desultory... Sustained damage to 29 others Duc arrived at the site wearing black pajamas under their green utilities Qung City. None killed among the Marine defenders TAOR, the PAVN/VC began to move into attack positions Unknown air! 1 PF killed and 10 wounded when the first time that rockets were used in RVN the. High number of VC attacks Da Nang air base, AKA: rocket on. The request to the U.S. [ Bob Kaatman Photo ] one of the and! North of the VC resistance their green utilities Archive Date: 07/13/12 Archive Date: 07/13/12 Archive Date 07/18/12! The attack as follows: [ 3 ] Marines described the same area with its Gatling guns two.

Foxwood Condo Association Milford, Ct, Pure Barre Franchise Owner Salary, Primecap Management Company Ceo, Articles R