The assault by the 60th Infantrys Wild Ones on a Viet Cong stronghold in the Mekong was the kind you see in the movies or on the blackboard, but rarely in actual combat. We served more like the people that trained in WWII. Nearly wipes out 514th Main Force Viet Cong Battalion Meanwhile, the battalion commander of the 3/47th had committed his company B to the right of Company A; but Company B was soon stopped by a heavy fire from along the same streamline. One thing that we found out over there, and what we didnt realize until years later, was what a friend was, he said. February 1966: 2nd Bde Activated Fort Riley, KS. By now, fire from all sides was intense, but despite this, several men of the platoon crawled forward to aid the wounded, only to die themselves. command which never placed a Vietnamese officer above the rank of var width = jQuery(window).width(); d. 7th ARVN took all area North of route 4. f. By agreement with 7th ARVN, MRF had a VN Ranger Battalion as MRF reserve and employed it in combat. It was the day after Fathers Day, June 19, 1967. [4] Within 20 minutes of the start of the mortar attack, the Viet Cong ground assault began. //]]>-->, Alpha Company walked into a batallion-sized ambush, said Powell resident and Army veteran Jim Heller. There are consequences.. When it arrived the 11 carriers quickly deployed in line to the north of Company a so that the battalion was deployed on an assault line 1,000 meters long and facing the east. The paddies were mostly dry and easily supported the weight of an armored personnel carrier. That is a huge, huge loss., Lieutenant Heller and his fellow soldiers in . At 07:00 the final air strike and artillery rounds were fired. memorandum prepared for the President by the Joint Staff of the Joint January 1967: Key Officers & NCOs of 2nd Bde receive special amphibious training from PHIBTRAPAC, Coronado, CA. Report. The perimeter was manned on the west by the 1st Platoon, commanded by First Lieutenant Roger A. Festa and to the east by the 3rd Platoon under Second Lieutenant Hiram M. Wolfe, IV.[3]. Darkness finally came to the rice paddies of Dien Thoung Province in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, but it came slowly. To have met the enemy on his own terms after so many fruitless months of seeking him, suffering daily casualties from mines and booby traps until frustrations reached a crescendo that seared the mind and bloodied the heart; to have met the enemy and destroyed him completely, provided a joy and a sense of accomplishment that caused their hearts to glow and animated each man. 0000004946 00000 n
Members of 4/47 9th Infantry Division remember, reflect on life, those lost. c. Biggest US operation ever held in the Delta. Several personnel carriers were hit and several troops killed and wounded. Learn about the battle, including the cause, the tactics and its impact on the Vietnam War in this lesson. The bomb dropped, but the pilot had been blown up in the blast. A hundred Viet Cong died in the area. Considered small-scale action, Ap Bac was fought on January 2, 1963, in the hamlet (ap in Vietnamese) of Bac. Then we went back to Dong Tam and then in an incredible operation the MRF moved The Viet Cong machine gun fired five separate bursts before it was destroyed by the Americans. The APC operators decided to fire their canisters on each other to remove the Viet Cong, as they were too close for an APC to clear from itself. [1]:108. After discussing the pros and cons with the commander of the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, the brigade commander decided to continue the operation, even though the loss of the blocking force did not augur well for success. g. Results: heavy contact with 514th Viet Cong Battalion, and 263rd Viet Cong Main force Battalions by US and VNMC, light contact with 261st Main Force Viet Cong Battalion by the 7th ARVN. Shakespeare said it best: For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. Thats what these guys represent to each other. In the 3/60th, casualties were unbelievably light. This killed the communists, but in one case, Viet Cong mortar hit simultaneously, blowing up the APC, killing one and injuring many others. Out there at my place on the Willwood where things were quiet, there were no agendas, no one had to go anywhere for food. Battle of AP Bac II, in AP Bac Hamlet, CAN/GUIOC District, Long An Province. ammunition were expended. It took place in an area of the Mekong Delta that had been dominated by VC guerrillas. Learn about the association, Board Members, Officers, and download a membership application form! document.write ("<\/scr"+"ipt>"); response to his concern. The brigade commander quickly approved the action taken by the 3/60th, and at the same time directed that Company B, 3/60th, which was closest to the scene of combat, be placed under the operational control of the 3/47th and moved to a position to block the enemys escape to the north. Fire was immediately returned and the enemy automatic rifle gunner was killed; however, he was quickly replaced by another, who continued to fire on the exposed squad and within minutes all who had crossed the stream were casualties. It took place in an area of the Mekong Delta that had been dominated by VC guerrillas. This day they got a bear by the tail and they didnt let document.write (document.charset ? A full archive of past and present "River Currents" newsletters from your friends at MRFA. Country Series, 1/63) Lieutenant Colonel John P. Vann, senior United States helicopters carrying Vietnamese troops into battle. [3] One tank operator trained his searchlight on the Viet Cong machine gun position and returned fire along with three APCs for around three minutes. 2. thus this was not a real and valid test test of operating radius. For the artillery, it was especially difficult; the tubes were so hot from continuous use that now the rounds they fired were beginning to become erratic.
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