They also mortared and rocketed MAG-13 at Chu Lai on 31 January 1968. Supported by U .S . On the ground a patrol from Company A, 1/7 Marines, operating below the battalion's command post on Hill 10, saw about 10 PAVN soldiers just south of the Ty Loan River preparing positions. 1969. [1]:154, Throughout the Da Nang TAOR, the intensity of activity increased during the night. Soon reports came in that the base was under attack and a Marine helicopter flew the general from his quarters to III MAF headquarters. In the resulting engagement, Company E killed about 13 VC from the Q-55th Local Force Company, which normally operated in the area. No rockets fell on the main airbase but Marble Mountain sustained some damage. [1]:1467, About 05:45, the 1st Division learned that the VC squad in the I Corps headquarters compound had disengaged and took its casualties with it. 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." About 01:00, a Marine platoon from Company G, 2/7 Marines, positioned near the Nam Bridge on Highway 1 crossing the Cu River north of Da Nang, saw another two enemy on a raft with a wooden box. *** The first time that rockets were used in the Republic of Vietnam by the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army. He seems to think there was only one rocket attack at Da Nang in 1972. At the meeting Westmoreland ordered Americal Division commander General Samuel W. Koster to reinforce Danang. "[1]:159, The heaviest action occurred in the 3/5 Marines and 4th Battalion, 51st ARVN sectors along Highway 1. 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. Battery A, 1st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion armed with MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles, in the mountainous Hi Vn Pass sector north of Da Nang, reported about 01:40 coming under 82mm mortar fire. Would like to get in touch w/anyone attached to Security. Other disturbing intelligence tended to confirm this analysis. "The soldiers and cadre of the "South Vietnam Liberation Army" were to move forward in the attack: 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. Accompanied by tanks and LVTP-5s, Company F maneuvered to the north of the ARVN base. Citation Nr: 1224394 Decision Date: 07/13/12 Archive Date: 07/18/12 DOCKET NO. With the departure of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in mid-January for Phu Bai Combat Base, the 3/7 Marines extended its area of operations to include An Hoa Combat Base to the south. An alert ARVN sentry took the VC under fire near the flagpole. Able to establish clear fields of fire in the rice paddy where the heaviest firefight occurred, the PAVN prevented the 7th Marines elements from closing with them. That same day, the 1st Marine Division notified III MAF that "usually reliable sources" told of staging areas south of Da Nang for an impending attack. 1969. Calling artillery upon the PAVN, the Marines then swept through the area and recovered about 17 60mm mortar rounds. Despite the thinness of the Marine lines and the ability of the PAVN/VC to infiltrate, they never capitalized on these advantages. During the day, the division had positioned 11 reconnaissance Stingray patrols along likely enemy avenues of approach. According to them their mission was to mine and interdict allied traffic in the Hi Vn Pass area. # Not in AF records, submitted by members, # Not in AF records, submitted by members, Air Base Defense in the Republic of Vietnam, 1960-1973. "[1]:158, While the PAVN/VC forces continued to harass allied positions on the night of 31 January/1 February, the intensity of combat did not match that of the previous two nights. 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 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. The reaction force itself came under automatic weapons fire and RPGs disabled the two tanks. In addition to the VC R-20th Battalion, south of Da Nang, the VC 1st and PAVN 3rd Regiments both part of the 2nd Division started to deploy toward G Ni Island. 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. 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]:163, Another possible explanation was that the Da Nang attack may have been a secondary assault, to cause as much damage as possible and divert Allied forces from the almost successful effort of the PAVN/VC forces to capture Hu. Freedom Hill 327 can be seen beneath the left flare, with convoy lights winding up the perimeter road. Both the 2/3 Marines to the east of the Army task force and the 3/5 Marines to the south, also reported relatively little enemy activity in their sectors. 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 fighting during the preceding week had drawn down the strength of the ARVN and the two Marine battalions and the PAVN 2nd Division still had uncommitted units that it could throw into the fray. [Peter Halferty photo]. [1]:153, South of the Hi Vn Pass, in the northern portion of the Da Nang TAOR, in the 2/7 Marines sector, the PAVN were able to close Highway 1 temporarily, but failed to penetrate Allied defenses. 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 . The C-123's ability to land on short, unimproved fields proved invaluable and the four units served in Vietnam until the end of the war. Mortars and recoilless rifle rounds continued to land inside the headquarters compound from enemy firing positions in Ha Vang. With one of his companies on the Tiensha Peninsula and the other three protecting the Air Base perimeter, Hill argued that he could not spare three platoons. He ordered the 3rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion to form a blocking position on the southeastern bank of the Vien Dien River. 16. Army advisor attached to the ARVN unit. The Marines and PF troops killed 22 VC and took another 23 prisoner. By the afternoon of the 31st, the Marines and Rangers had completed their sweep. The National Police arrested 25 of the crowd and quickly dispersed the would-be demonstrators. a-~_ -~ ijsafss 0 w 86 i jun !17 history of 6994th security squadron The first half of my year in Vietnam (1967) I was stationed at the large U. S. base in Danang. The battalion's Company B, however, in an operation with a CAP in two hamlets on the Tiensha Peninsula or Da Nang East, surprised a VC force in two hamlets north of Marble Mountain. Vietnam Rocket City 1971-1972, Palm Bay, FL. 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. Four ARVN M113 armored personnel carriers reinforced by a reconnaissance squad maneuvered to contain the attackers. In the extensive Da Nang TAOR, the early morning hours of 31 January were almost a repeat of the events of the 30th. Employing small arms fire, satchel charges, Rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) and Bangalore torpedoes, the sappers thrust through blown gaps in the Marine wire. 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. In the engagement, the Marines lost 5 killed and 12 wounded. [1]:146, At 03:30, on the other side of the main Da Nang Bridge, MPs noticed two VC in the water and several sampans approaching. 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. This platoon under First Lieutenant John E. Manning departed the airbase about 04:15 and arrived in the blocking positions about 05:15. 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. 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. 1st MAW ComdC. The enemy had also planned to hit the main airfield at Da Nang. Narrative: Possibly the worst ground aviation accident of Vietnam War occurs on March 23 1967 at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam, when traffic controller clears US Marine Corps Grumman A-6A Intruder, BuNo 152608, of VMA(AW)-242, MAG-11, for takeoff, but also clears USAF Lockheed C-141A-LM Starlifter, 65-9407, of the 62nd Military Airlift Wing, McChord AFB, Washington, to cross runway. Remains of 45-1102; sandbag detail later. At Duy Xuyn, however, the PAVN/VC overran the town, forcing the district chief to flee and take refuge with the Koreans. Rocket attack on the Da Nang Air Base that took place, Da Nang, Vietnam, January 30, 1968. According to a VC after-action report early in the offensive, the writer complained that the "commander did not know [the) situation accurately and that orders were not strictly obeyed ." Next Photo. NMCB-7 sends a Disaster. The U.S Marine Corps Fighter Squadron VMF (AW) 232, also based here, lost some of its F-8E Crusader aircraft in this attack. 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