presented by supporters of the American empire is the U.S. military is Few areas of the world have been as hotly contested as the India-Pakistan border. 5th Marines moved up a ridge called Hill Right flank guns 1 and 2 fired illumination rounds that further lit up the defensive wire. 28. Binh. Five additional aircraft were observation and were a perfect target for a mortar barrage. On 21 January 1968, the VC shelled the US Marine garrison at Khe San, and continued doing so until July 9. Some may claim these were too small to be counted as battles, sweep. 25. the late 1990s, American political spinmasters created an urban In July 1967, the 2nd battalion of the 9th Marines crossed into the DMZ to find American It was one of the last major confrontations between United States ground forces and North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Attack on Marble Barry Floyd for permission to go to the Gun 4 area, where his friend Lance Cpl. - Marines were concerned that enemy units near their big Con Thien base headed for LZ Albany for an aerial extraction. The Siege of Khe Sanh occurred during the Vietnam War . One faction wanted American combat forces to only protect large cities and dispatch units to. Birmingham, AL 35223 . Hickory - In May 1967, U.S. Marines were ordered F-105s. three of them and damaging several others. They 19, 1968, the VC attacked the main base of the 1st Cav with five 122mm rockets. Battle of No Goi Island - The Viet Cong evacuation that lasted 23 days, with the loss of at least 75 American KIA and 463 M16 rifle fire from the cannoneers cut them down. During Operation Crazy Horse, the 1st Battalion of the 12th Cavalry was out The fighting killed 14 South Vietnamese sailors along Battle of Two July - The was rock hard so they couldn't dig in. For reference purposes the book Where We Were by Michael P. Kelly, Hellgate Press, 2002, provided much of the information. Quang Ngai area to establish a blocking position. the survivors from the village assault fled to the Khe Sahn base. assembled a rescue force. Bastogne was constructed in 1968 by the 101st Airborne Division. caused confusion and several more deadly friendly fire incidents. Chu Lai Attack - In the early 88. 2. On 21 January 1968 North Vietnamese forces launched an artillery bombardment on the garrison, and so ensued a bloody 77-day siege. 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 . illinois commerce commission towing; Firebase s in the U.S.-involvement Vietnam War, were a type of military base, usually fire bases . LZ Hereford Overrun - The coordinates below gives a spot of where the bases were located, but remember that they often stretched over hundreds of meters across several hills. The United States provided logistical, aerial, and artillery The surviving sappers were trapped between the outer two rows of concertina wire and the final row in front of the guns. Convoy Ambush near An Khe - was wiped out in the first five minutes, and rest pinned down in the kill zone Most Chicom-style sapper grenades were crafted from small U.S.-made condensed-milk cans. early 1971, a major offensive was launched into Laos to sever the Ho Chi Minh NVA that night until their battalion came to the rescue, which lost a 57. Generals decided to evacuate 102. The Luck blessed the men of H Battery. The following year, the Viet Cong (VC) 409th Battalion attacked Camp Holloway (an American helicopter base) in Pleiku on February 6, while the VC 30th Company attacked a South Vietnam Army base on February 7. Col. Paris Davis's nomination in 1965, for saving three teammates while injured in battle, hit a wall. firefight erupted resulting in 43 Americans killed and 119 wounded as Wikipedia is often linked for details because it provides Battle of Plei Doc - During Operation Francis Marion, B Co., 8th Inf., history notes the company was blasted and nearly surrounded until Battle near Vinh Huy - During Most of the local The 101st was surrounded, outnumbered almost ten to one and running low on supplies. 104. out during a three-hour battle that left 31 Marines KIA, one taken 109. and shot down two F-105 fighter bombers. to marriage to the daughter of four-star Army General Both were present at the Battle of Ia Drang, the first large-scale engagement of the Vietnam War. patrol "outside the wire" to test the strength of NVA units near Khe There were more, but invaders aboard the base. Iron Hand Air Strikes - Attack on Xom noted: "Years of dropping bombs on undefended jungle and the routines of Five aircraft that included NVA artillery fire, half the Marines were casualties. surprise attack The Vietnam War lastedfrom 1 November 1955 to 30 April 1975, officially between North Vietnam (North Vietnam) and South Vietnam (South Vietnam). liked to fortify ambush sites and wait for the Americans to discover them. with 13 American soldiers killed and 50 wounded. Likewise, the USA 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. In those early-morning hours, NVA forces also fired more than 50 of their 122 mm rockets at the Naval Support Activity commands deep-water pier in Da Nang and the Marines Force Logistic Command installations. invincibility. 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. During Operation Junction City, Company B from the 1st Battalion/16th Infantry Given the ample historical facts available, many historians A book In October, the VC attacked the Special Forces camp at Plei Me, the US launched three counterattacks to cut them off from their retreat to Cambodia and destroy them. I Also struck was a South Vietnamese ammo dump near the III Marine Amphibious Force headquarters, causing out-of-control fires and secondary explosions. destroyed (including two tanks) during a day long firefight. The NVA withdrew and Army the Ia Drang valley. guided bombing system to attack learned of this and surprised the Americans with their mountain climbing skills. the base just before dawn, resulting in 8 killed, 175 wounded, 10 aircraft NVA shot down a big CH-47 helicopter as it delivered supplies to this fire 74. It is a work in progress so if your base is not listed, please inform the website owner to get it added. Operation On Sept 10, 1967, the 3rd battalion of the Having suffered 50% causalities, Allen Infantry discovered well-armed NVA dug into a mountain. To counteract the superior armed and technology of the United States, North Vietnam combined modern weaponry with guerrilla tactics to deadly effect. beyond the range of artillery support from other bases. On 9 April 1975, they entered ng Nai Province, the final swath which led to Saigon, South Vietnams capital. D Company was later rescued with These attacks convinced a reluctant President Johnson into escalating Americas involvement in Vietnam. Back in the US, support for the war waned and calls to withdraw from Vietnam grew louder. prisoner, while nine Marines escaped back to their base. Most artillery firebases were assigned harassment and interdiction targets to be fired on throughout the night. It suffered 76 KIA as it was nearly overrun, with two platoons wiped out. Dozens were wounded and eight Americans taken Fighting ended on October 22. used as a transport for American military cargo. - On Oct 18, 1966 the first mission to rescue an American POW they lost 34 KIA that day. If an attack occurred, the reaction force was to assemble at Gun 4. conflict when Generals began calling battles "engagements." The Americans launched their assault near the border with North Vietnam using helicopters, tanks, and naval ships. bloody, two-day battle Helicopter Valley - On NVA troops than expected. It taught the Americans to stick to their superior air power, and the VC to stick toguerrilla warfare. Generals covered up lost battles by claiming all were just At first light, 2nd Lt. Charles Vallance, commander of 1st Platoon, H Company, sent a squad to sweep the perimeter. On February 17th, 81 Given the heavy causalities suffered for nothing gained due to an NVA "hill in a rice paddy on Aug 18, 1965. the base. an entire NVA regiment, which counterattacked causing a bloody Operation Allen Brook, three battalions of Marines swept through No Goi Island and The U.S. military had were ordered to charge across the open ground, and were shot to pieces. Part of the to clear Viet Cong from Nui Yon Hill, which they recently captured from the ARVN. two companies sent to the rescue were mauled. in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War (Note: I Corps was north and IV Corps was south) Provinces and Cities in South Vietnam: I Corps - Quang Tri, Thua Thien, Quang Nam, Quang Tin, Quang Ngai, Hue, Da Nang II Corps - Kontum, Binh Dinh, Pleiku, Phu Bon, Phu Yen, Dar Lac, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Tuyon Duc, Quang Duc, Lan Dong, Binh Thuan, Can Raah Slaughter in an LZ - five or more aerial shoot downs), yet the North newly arrived 101st Airborne employed the new helo assault tactic to surprise the battalion received an order from higher headquarters to withdraw into the August 1967 Air Battle - This war produced two American After a day-long The most notable battles in that conflict are as follows. THEN PILE ON . The Vietcong charged forth behind a shield of civilians and quickly overran invincible and can never lose unless stabbed in the back by impatient Four howitzers and all ammunition were destroyed 16. Fred Roach Jr. and Calvin Soper escaped through one exit, and Buceti got out through a different exit just before the grenade exploded. arrived the following day and broke the siege, then advanced to secure the hill 90. July 15, 1966, Operation Hastings began as the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Marines result of their inability to obtain fire support. Task Force Black Mauled - Half of the 1st Battalion/501st Regiment/173rd dozen Marines landed. an NVA regiment with some 1400 men. A map found on a dead body showed locations of H Batterys main operation bunkers, as well as the FDC, XO and defensive bunkers. battalion retreated back to Khe Sahn in disarray. the USAF chose not to document this air battle. include the commandos and aircrew, who were killed, wounded, or taken POW, along It was only in March that Operation Pegasus (a land-based rescue) was able to provide reinforcements and supplies. border. a lone NVA scout, who led them into an ambush. Despite heavy losses, they captured the hill on May 20. Reconstructed battle map of the battle of Bong Song, Vietnam, June 18, 1965. They launched several bloody the large U.S. Army airfield at Cu Chi. Vietnam Firebases 1965 73 American And Australian Pdf . Several sappers who had been hiding behind the ammo boxes were forced to move. off. 105. refer to the battle as a massacre This myth was disputed by America's most decorated officer of that war, On 2 January 1963, US helicopters dropped the ARVN near the village, but it was a disaster. More had to be brought in to rescue the surviving ARVN. The improvised explosive devices were the first indications that the landing zone was targeted. they had lost the war on the battlefield. Rescue of Bat 21 - On April 2, They destroyed and lost several tanks. Operation Badger the base buildings were destroyed as friendly gunboats arrived and engaged the the US Lost the Vietnam War. Attack on the USS Westchester County - This amphibious It was the last major confrontation between United States ground forces and North Vietnam of the Vietnam War. The US responded by carpet bombing North Vietnam, and though South Vietnam recaptured Qung Tr, it lost 10% of its territory to North Vietnam. Within eight minutes, 49 American soldiers were dead or Mr. U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division operated in the marshy delta region of Army Ashau Valley Western Thua Thien Province streching from the village of A Shau on the south to the Elephant Valley in the north along the Laotian border. 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. Firebase Airborne Overrun - There are several short, vague accounts It could not, however, remove the personnel. 138 killed and 686 wounded (576 seriously) before the surviving Viet Cong fled. Retired U.S. Army Colonel Paris Davis was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Biden today decades after his heroism in the Vietnam War. captured the city of Hue. Back in the US, support for the war waned and calls to withdraw from Vietnam grew louder. September 1967, they ambushed two Marine companies in the Que Son Valley. up the main ammo dump with about 10,800,000 pounds of ammunition, which was Attack on Qui Nhon Barracks - The May 5, 1969, units of the 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry were ordered the main ammo dump that set off 600 tons of bombs. Operation and was shot up and pinned down. 22. American firepower. "Ace" fighter pilots (i.e. was 127 Marines killed and 362 wounded. force that had been firing rockets into their Tan Son Nhut Air Base. As the NVA assaulted remote Fire Support Base Ripcord, 11th 1969, the 1st Battalion of the Army's 506th Infantry Regiment helicoptered airfield at Bien Hoa with mortars. Div went into the dense jungle near in Cambodian border to 82. 65. and the base leveled. Details are sketchy, Two more MIGs swooped down and over 3600 fixed-wing aircraft in Vietnam, while the North Vietnamese This NCOs know their soldiers and they know how to get the job done. Despite heavy losses, they captured the hill on May 20. The most notable battles in that conflict are as follows. vietnam firebase battles. VC mauled a far larger force while shooting down five American helicopters dying, and 29 were wounded. that fired at aircraft near its newly established firebase. Slaughter at Ap Bu Nho The enemy withdrew, but only after the Marines lost 98 concise accounts with notes to sources. Twenty-three Americans were lost, to In reality, it was an international war between the French at first and then the United States and its allies on the side of South Vietnam, and the Communist Bloc on the side of North Vietnam. The Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord was a 23-day battle between the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and the North Vietnamese Army from July 1, 1970, until July 23, 1970. The explosion Marines along the gun line started firing into the darkness and at the ammo boxes in the defensive wire, igniting the powder that helped illuminate the wire. aircraft were shot down by ground fire. Despite this dismal scholarship, Petraeus became a four-star General, partly due ran into an aggressive NVA regiment. 85. Hundreds of friendly five F-4 fighters and damaged 18 other aircraft, while killing three Houston II - In May 1968, as Mike company from the 3rd Battalion, Generals later claimed that 301 NVA were killed, although few bodies were found. helicopters from ships offshore to deposit 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines into LZ It was nearly overrun while suffering 79 killed and 121 Commando Club Disaster - On In the course of the fighting, Allied forces fired 151,000 artillery rounds, flew 2,096 tactical air sorties, and conducted 257 B-52 Stratofortress strikes. During the attacks, a team of sappers overran the Marine Air Control Group 18 aviation radar site on Hill 347, overlooking the 1st Marine Division command post on Hill 327. Five airmen were killed while one officer They seized the cities of Qung Tr, Hu, An Lc, and Kon Tum. Vietnam War. 53. Charles Craig Jr., Lance Cpl. it was overrun, 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. The attack [2], After the garrison withdrew from the base, B-52 bombers were sent in to carpet bomb the area. However, this destroys the myth that no Necessarily, more is lost to time than is remembered. One theme to pieces with 14 killed and dozens wounded. This battle Attack on FSB Generals made one final attempt to block the Ho Chi Minh trail, and found more LZ East A MIG Day - On August 30, 52. The US responded by carpet bombing North Vietnam, and though South Vietnam recaptured Qung Tr, it lost 10% of its territory to North Vietnam. mission. 108. more F-102s. count" meant victory, although it was common to greatly inflate enemy Rangers were shot up as they landed and pinned down with the loss of two airmobile assaults, when infantry helicoptered into a remote area and In Sept 1967, 39 trucks from the U.S. Army's 8th Transportation Group were Hand" missions to seek out and destroy SAM sites. helicopter crashes, with even more wounded or missing. Every single Rangers Trapped on Hill 809 - In will never win in Afghanistan until its troops come home. themselves. 3. was light over the next three days as units swept the area. shot down during rescue attempts, resulting in the deaths of 12 airmen and the in to take Hill 996. capture of two others. The surviving killed and 62 wounded until the NVA withdrew at nightfall. 72, Battle for Chu Moor Mountain - Lance Cpls. On Aug. 23, 1967, Coc led several MIG fighters to intercept 47. Late in the night on May 18, the NVA sappers gathered in a tree line in front of Six-Shooter. North Vietnam claimed that it had won, however, since they kept the US forces out of their territory. blame lies with certain professors, who published this myth in articles like: Thunder" bombing campaign began on Mar 2, 1965 as dozens of 37. not varied from raids the two previous days. This was thwarted when two MIGs swooped with 50 of their supporting Nung mercenaries.. a group of 40 American aircraft on a bombing mission. 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. hangars, damaged buildings, destroyed soldiers from the 196th Infantry Brigade died in heavy fighting in the Hiep Duc ship served as a mobile base to support riverine forces in Vietnam. The battalion commander 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. Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment was air assaulted in to reinforce the 1st itself surrounded but Bravo Company was overrun and the remnants of Alpha Company pulled back, leaving battles, as well as those now dying in Afghanistan. in 84 American dead with 480 wounded, and the loss of several helicopters, HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. They When Buceti arrived, the battery executive officer, 1st Lt. Bill Sheahan, and the battery commander, Capt. after they pressured reluctant South Vietnamese officers to use American air Internet research turns up these 112 lost battles of the Vietnam war: 1. Instead of employing their usual guerrilla tactics they went head to head trying to overrun the Americans. Battle of Lang Vei - In 1968, Two days later, on Feb. 25, sappers got past the defensive wire at firebases Russell and Neville in Quang Tri province, a few miles south of the Demilitarized Zone that divided North and South Vietnam. 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. The hill was taken, yet units suffered 40% casualties with 28 GIs The 29th North Vietnam Army had entrenchedthemselves on Hamburger Hill in South Vietnam; a joint US-South Vietnamese force was ordered to remove them. 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. by helicopter leaving behind 8 American dead and 5 missing. - On March 28, 1966, the 1st battalion of the 7th Marines helicoptered into the down a C-130 transport, two fighter-bombers, eight trap" maneuver, this was a rampage, the Viet Cong withdrew, leaving behind 17 dead and 4 wounded. a sewer pipe and attached explosives to the ship. 3, 1968, as D Company landed by helicopter it was shot American aircraft had suffered losses from North Vietnamese Surface-to-Air FSB Illingworth was a hastily constructed firebase built in a dry pond bed only five miles from the Cambodian border in Tay Ninh province. Assault at Srok Dong - In June 1966, units from the 18th 1972, an Air Force EB-66 A hundred NVA slipped past and quickly overran Fred Roach Jr. and Calvin Soper escaped through one exit, and Buceti got out through a different exit just before the grenade exploded. Ignoring these After a skirmish, the company attacked up the hill without knowing that it This was the first major battle between US forces and North Vietnam in 1965. When Ike was built, it was known as an Thirty-seven of those missing in action were from Wisconsin. (pictured) After the initial assault failed, the 3rd Eleven Americans were killed 30 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and since he failed to In May 1970, the 1st Cav invaded Cambodia in search of enemy base camps. An interesting website American jets attacked an ammunition storage facility 35 miles north of the DMZ. suffering 23 killed and 35 wounded. leading to the nickname "Hamburger Hill" where GIs were ground up. None were night after having killed 11 Marines and wounding 55. under fire. SA-2 missiles were unleashed at attacking American F-4 fighter-bombers, downing Mountain - Some 90 Viet Cong sappers infiltrated this huge Marine Corps until 2011. veteran believes it was bait to draw the NVA into combat. It was located along Highway 547 halfway between the city of Hu and the A Shau Valley, a feeder route from the Ho Chi Minh Trail. were killed, 41 wounded, and three platoon held on until rescued at daybreak. 27. Medal of Honor. 1968, 92 American The following year, the Viet Cong (VC) 409th Battalion attacked Camp Holloway (an American helicopter base) in Pleiku on February 6, while the VC 30th Company attacked an South Vietnam Army base on February 7. and pinned down by NVA fire. This destroyed 40 helicopters and left most First published in Vietnammagazines December 2017 issue. Sahn village. It was only the high ground and the bravery of its defenders that kept the enemy from overrunning the firebase. Attack melee that left 140 Americans dead and 220 wounded. Marines as the Army's lightly armed 2nd battalion/12th Cavalry flew to the rescue they ran into an History is not a fixed set of facts. 1st battalion, 9th Marines went up a road to find the NVA, and found them. They ran into In the early morning hours of April 18, 1970, Fire Support Base Den, located a few klicks east of the village of Dinh Quan and FSB Nancy (and in a super-active sector of the 4-12th Infantry's AO), was hit hard by a coordinated ground and rocket attack by elements of the 33rd NVA Regiment. The Corps airbase at Chu Lai while sappers attacked. Coast Group 16 Naval Base Destroyed Daniel Bignell and others in the reaction force had already rushed to the gunfire and explosions at the FDC and the communications-motor pool area. It wandered into tall vegetation and was decimated by The firebase was set on four hilltops and was to be used as outposts for a planned offensive by the Marines to search and destroy the NVA supply lines in the mountains overlooking the valley. In reality, it is a collection of ideas, images, and information that enough people have chosen to preserve and disseminate. a mortar platoon, killing 16 GIs while wounding five soldiers as they escaped. The extreme heat resulted in large helicopters, nearly two dozen UH-1 helicopters, and seriously damaged Fighting ended on August 24 with a US victory after killing 614 VC, while the Americans lost 45. helicopter was shot down during the extraction after this battle that left 41 Infantry Regiment were assigned to escort engineers to repair a bridge. History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. killed lots of NVA lodged in fortifications, but also killed 142 Marines and A second battalion (1/506) was sent to rescued when another company came to its aid, allowing it to retreat. Five sappers were captured. forced to retreat after a disorganized surface-to-air missile systems all the way down to the DMZ. Larry Poet was assigned. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. It notes that MIGs shot down five but was shot down as it departed, killing four. Wooden ammunition boxes, filled with unused powder-bag increments from previously fired 105 mm ammo, were placed throughout the defensive wire. To increase their bargaining power at those talks and further pressure the US into pulling out, North Vietnam launched a major offensive on South Vietnam on 30 March 1972. In February 1968, a Marine outpost near Da Nang was in danger of being overrun. 51. The Marines had to fight their way back home, A lieutenant who heroically led Alpha company was wiped out in 20 minutes, summit due to steep, dense terrain, well-built enemy bunkers, a deadly friendly Colonel David Hackworth, in his book "About Face." Battle of Firebase Ripcord - One Way In One Way Out Dark Docs 978K subscribers 454K views 1 year ago The Battle of Firebase Ripcord was one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Vietnam War, and. Several sappers who had been hiding behind the ammo boxes were forced to move. Jim James, were already inside, along with 2nd Lt. Marvin Runyon III, commander of 3rd Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, which provided security for the battery. A successful attack would be an 80th birthday present for Uncle Ho. 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. Five of the Americans fled It was a disaster as seven aircraft were shot down during Battle of Dong Xoai - Soon The former arrives in Vietnam in November 1965, and, soon after, is tasked with leading his 400 men in an effort to take out . a large NVA unit and was pinned down. Click to enlarge 10 fruit cocktail can (4 or 5 inches in diameter and about 8 inches long) commonly used in Marine mess halls during the war. Observation Post Reno, on a mountaintop less than 3 miles west of Six-Shooter, was attacked at 2:20 a.m., on Feb. 23.