A Landing into Enemy Territory
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dang Hoa
The 1st Marine Battalion - the “Wild Birds”, landed at Trieu Phong district in the
province of Quang Tri on the 11 July 1972. For such a magnificently fierce battle, it
seems almost unjust that no one has written about it. I feel that if I do not record this
event, then no one can do it in my stead.
As I have already written in my memoires - “The Long Tornado”, out of more
than 100 reporters from around the world, not a single one dared to come on this landing
with me. When I invited two Vietnamese journalists (Kieu My Duyen and Lam Thien
Huong) to “come on a trip”, these two ladies shook their heads and said that everyone
longs for fame, but not to the extent that they would put their lives in such a dangerous
situation. “It's as precarious as a bell hung up only by a thin linen thread... no thanks, it's
not our thing.”
Consequently, I feel obliged to speak out about this event, to do justice to the
heroism of the ARVN, but particularly that of the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War.
I write as a witness to it all...
The place was Pha Tam Giang, on a foggy morning on the 11 July 1972.
Despite the fact that it was summer, a heavy fog - like a screen of smoke,
blanketted the entire of the vast Van Trinh area. The crops on the rice fields had just been
harvested, and the air wafted of the smell of hay. A few peasant girls tending the crops,
and one would have had the idyllic scene of a peaceful Vietnam of the distant past.
The 1st Marine Battalion, with more than 700 riflemen were ready and awaiting
the arrival of the helicopters at the landing zone: they were soon to be airlifted into
enemy territory. At 7.00am the command helicopter, HU 1B landed next to the Dien Mon
Church, and carried my American adviser and I out to sea. In order to avoid enemy
antiaircraft fire, the helicopter flew above the sea, but at an altitude which permitted us to
observe the city of Quang Tri and the district of Trieu Phong where the 1st Marine
Battalion was going to land. The district of Trieu Phong itself was situated 2km north east
of Quang Tri's old citadel. It was also the native area of Le Duan, the protege of Ho; the
latter though, had since taken up abode down in the underworld of Hades. The enemy
was not likely to let the area go without a fight.
A carpet of fire, measuring 3km in length and 1km in width, had been created by
B52s. As the bombs touched ground, fire was created, and supplementary explosions
reverberated. The enemy was there, and waiting for us. Our closest friendly unit was far
away, well behind My Chanh's defensive line. We were supposed to jump headlong down
into enemy land, attack them, and somehow make them release their grip on Quang Tri's
old citadel which they had occupied for more than 3 months. The Airbourne Division had
encountered a multitude of problems when advancing into Quang Tri. Probably their
superiors had reckoned without the determination of the Communists to protect the area.
The NVA were going to hold out at all costs, for the district of Trieu Phong also housed
routes to Cua Viet. It was by these very routes that they received supplies, medevacuated,
and were reinforced.
Five minutes after noon on the 11 July 1972 ... the day still figures prominently in
my memory, never likely to be forgotten. Lieutenant General Ngo Quang Truong and
Brigadier General Bui The Lan, came and shook hands with me before I boarded the
helicopter and wished me a successful trip. Brigadier General Lan was the Commandant
of Marine Division. He said, “Into your hands, and those of the men of the 1st Battalion, I
place this honour.”
The sentence tingled my spine.
Colonel Nguyen Nang Bao was the Commander of the 147th Marine Brigade. He
looked at us with the eyes of a father as he watched his children teetering on the brink
with the sinking realisation that he could do nothing. Tears poured down his face as he
bid us good bye:
“Try to protect your brothers-in-arm. Tell each and everyone of the men to pray
according to the dictates of his religion.”
The 1st Marine Battalion - the “Wild Birds”, was airlifted from the Dien Mon
church to Trieu Phong where we were to be dropped off in the rice fields in front of the
aforementioned district. The landing zone had been “cleaned” by B52s continuously for
two hours totalling 33 sorties, but in spite of the B52s' efforts, the sky lit up in fireworks
as the enemy greeted us with their antiaircraft “23” and “37” guns.
Captain Trinh Van Them's 4th Company landed first. The two giant CH-54s
helicopters touched down unexpectedly and thus avoided the enemy's fire. There were 32
helicopters: CH-46s and seventeen CH-53s - these latter being of the same kind of
Chinook which the Americans would use several years later to rescue hostages in Iran.
The CH-53s carried 60 men each, and the CH-46s, 20 men.
The helicopter in which I was caught four antiaircraft bullets and nearly crashed.
Jumping out of the helicopter I was fired upon by a 57mm recoiless rifle. I had numerous
radio antennae surrounding me, and posed an obvious target. I was wounded on my right
thigh, and I felt the warm blood spurting out. The American Naval First Lieutenant's
intestines hung rudely outside his abdomen, but he was still alive. Our battalion suffered
a severe blow two minutes later when the helicopter which bore the medical platoon
exploded. Of the 60 Marines, only 12 survived, among them First Lieutenant Hoan, who
was also a doctor. He had leapt out of the emergency exit when the helicopter (which had
just been shot at) crashed to the ground; he did not manage to make his way back to
Battalion Headquarters until two days later: his body was severely burnt. We were unable
to recover the dead bodies because the helicopter which had crashed, had had on board
numerous antitank mines. Upon crashing into the ground, these mines had gone off,
destroying most the dead bodies which lay in the area. Had I not followed the advice of
my American Adviser in boarding the CH-46 (instead of my usual CH-53) so that we
could jump out faster upon landing, I too would have been killed in that helicopter
explosion.
Upon landing, 200 of our men had either been killed or wounded. My American
advisor informed me that of our 32 helicopters, 29 had suffered antiaircraft bullets: two
had been downed - one exploding on the spot, the other falling into the sea.
World newspapers compared the landing to the Inchon landing in South Korea.
Brigadier General Lan was summoned back to Saigon to talk to the National Council of
Security about it. And everyone was anxious about the progress of the brave “Wild
Birds”.
The rice fields of Trieu Phong witnessed some particularly savage fighting.
Accompanied by their infantry, enemy tanks stormed out to lead the attack on us. Our
“Cobra” helicopter gunships, daringly soared above them, hunting the Communists in a
hawk like fashion. The 1st Marine Battalion since the landing had dispersed and lost
touch with one another; in a way they were like newly hatched chicks lost from the
mother hen. In small groups they tried to fight, with their backs to the Vinh Dinh river - a
branch of the Thach Han river, and trying to safeguard their precarious existence. These
two rivers had nourished the Trieu Phong district, making it the most prosperous and
populated area in the province of Quang Tri; these rivers now sheltered the scattered and
lost “Wild Birds”.
Thanks to the M72 antitank weapons of the Marines, they managed to destroy a
number of enemy tanks, thus bolstering their morale somewhat. They began to rely more
and more on their sophisticated antitank weapons: it was unfortunate that each company
was equipped with only twelve M72s. Bomb craters greatly aided the Marines; these
permitted the Marines to stand upright in them, rest their weapons on the lip of the crater,
and fire at the waves of blood thirsty NVAs.
Captain Bui Bon's 1st Company, with their backs to the Vinh Dinh river, repelled
the hoardes of NVA who charged at them. They also managed to keep up enough of a
barrage to protect the 2nd and 3rd Companies as well as the Headquarters Company, all
of whom had had the unfortunate luck of finding themselves dropped off at the most
exposed part of the landing zone. In its efforts, the 1st Company succeeded in seizing ten
of the enemy's 37mm antiaircraft guns which had been positioned in a phalanx at the
edge of a nearby village.
Nightfall came. Darkness had long been an accomplice to the NVA's raids, but its
treacherous nature meant that it cooperated with our side as well by limiting the enemy's
vision. In the darkness, the enemy's artillery shelling was inaccurate. At 10 pm that night,
most of the units of the battalion managed to link up with each other, and a temporary
defensive line was formed. There remained only Captain Them's 4th Company which
was isolated and had to look out for itself. In a way it was quite beneficial in terms of
tactics, and this isolated company was turned into an outpost for the main body of the
battalion. Positioned at Cho Sai, this outpost used artillery and naval guns to hamper the
enemy's supply route to Quang Tri; in the same vein they gained control of the water way
leading to Cua Viet.
Trieu Phong had been in enemy control and consequently they knew the terrain
well. They lurked and attacked continuously. In doing so they tried to fatigue our troops,
decrease the strength of the units and wear down the Marines' morale. On anyone else,
the Communists' tactics might have been successful, but our Marines were battle
hardened, and en masse, their fighting spirit was formidable.
At 11pm that night, the Marines paused their fire temporarily to eat their rations
of rice. Sitting there in the foxholes they did not need to be told to be watchful. Though
they were eating, the Marines were ever on the alert for any sign of the rats “NVA”. The
night's silence was pierced by shouting from the direction of Cho Sai, where Captain
Them and his 4th Company were positioned. Enemy tanks, their lights illuminated, were
suddenly advancing in a phalanx. The shouting which had shattered the night air came
from the NVA infantrymen on either side of the tanks. As they advanced they fired and
shouted “Charge! Charge!”
Previously, I had prepared all foreseen coordinates for artillery and naval guns.
Forty two of our Howitzers shelled simultaneously and continuously. Thousands of 500
pound rounds from naval guns hammered the enemy. Both kinds of guns used standard
and delayed fuses. I monitored the 4th Company's communications between its
Commander and the platoon leaders. Listening, I felt assured; I admired the courage they
displayed. Over the radio Second Lieutenant Tanh's voice sounded clear and confident. I
heard him say,
“Than Phong! Don't stress. The first tank is 100m away from me. I've ordered our
boys into groups of three and told them to be ready with their M72s... it's only 50m away
now... just sit back and wait for the result. I'm gonna get you and Huong Giang (my radio
code name) a couple of fried salted crabs each.”
“Crab” was the slang for a tank: “Fried Salted Crabs” were a speciality in
Vietnamese cuisine, hence the pun. The Second Lieutenant spoke again.
“I tried a M.72. It was excellent. I never thought that the result would be that fast!
As soon as I fired the tank exploded and was up in flames.”
Following this result, the confidence of the platoons multiplied, their fighting
spirits soared. In groups of three, the Marines used M72s to fry their foe. The Company
Commander called me, and “offered” me 10 crabs. Corporal Ich was a squad assistant
leader; armed with his M79 grenade launcher, he alone was responsable for the
destruction of three tanks!
Although the courage of the 1st and 4th Company has already been well
illustrated, it must be acknowledged that the strength of the “Wild Birds” Battalion would
not have been complete without the bravery of Captain Duat's 2nd Company, and also
that of the 3rd Company - under the command of First Lieutenant Vang Huy Lieu. The
battalion's courage becomes truly impressive when one considers the number of
Communists they were up against: the NVA's 312th Division was ten times more
numerous than the 1st Marine Battalion.
During this particular battle, notwithstanding their greater numbers, and the fact
that they were reinforced after two days, the enemy was still unable to beat us. The
enemy Commander had underestimated the strength of the 1st Battalion. They were so
much greater in size that they expected to swallow us whole. They were wrong... we were
no docile prey to be imbibed effortlessly. The Communists had reckoned without the
Marines' solid cohesion and audacity. Morover, they had failed to take into consideration
the unfathomable patriotism of the ARVN.
The 1st Marine Battalion had built a defensive line with their flesh and blood.
They were able to keep it through sheer guts and determination, and they were greatly
aided by the strong US fire support.
I made contact with the US Airforce, requesting them to pound Ai Tu with their
B52s. The enemy had positioned their headquarters there, which also enabled them to
support their men on the Quang Tri battleground. As I was making these requests for
bombardment, Sergeant Ngu my body guard rushed in:
First Lieutenant Ky, of the Long Range Reconnaissance Company has just
captured two female Viet Cong guerillas. “Their carbines have been seized, and the house
as well.”, he said.
Their bunker was only 10m away from the one which I shared with my American
advisor. I realised that they could have killed us anytime during the past 24 hours. I
decided to go and see them. When I spoke to them, I learnt that when the Marines had
retreated to form a new defensive line south of the My Chanh river, these girls had been
stranded in the communist zone. The NVA had herded them together with other young
people, equipped them, and then formed them into “groups of fighting civilians”. The
girls told me that they had attended the Nguyen Hoang High School and that their brother
was a Colonel working in the Joint General Staff headquarters. I ordered them to be
untied, and their family set free. I took on the responsability of their well being,
promising to take them to the free zone after the operation was complete. For their part
they turned out to be a priceless source of information about the Viet Cong guerillas in
the area. Thanks to the girls we were able to seize numerous weapons and documents. In
this war, to have the people on your side often meant a great reduction in casualties.
After 15 days and nights of fighting, the 2nd Marine Battalion - the “Crazy
Buffaloes”, made contact with us. They were separated from us by the Vinh Dinh river.
We had been unable to evacuate our wounded troops due to the enemy's heavy
antiaircraft fire, so I asked the 2nd Battalion to help. Tying the trunks of banana trees to
each other to form rafts, the wounded were drawn across the river by rope.
Afterwards, the 1st Battalion was transported to Hue. We were a sight to behold.
Our moustaches and beards would have put that of habitual jungle dwellers to shame.
Our eyes were sunk deep in their sockets, and our emaciated visages resembled those of
the chronically ill.
As Marines, we spent our lives continually on the march: from the Thach Han
River in I Corps, to the swampy Ong Doc River. We had crossed into the Cambodian and
Laotian borders, penetrated thick jungles and tackled immense mountains... all with but
one goal in mind: to protect our beloved South Vietnam from invasion by the blood
thirsty Communists
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Dang Hoa
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