Advancing to Quang Tri
An account by a Vietnamese Marine
On the 30th of March 1972, the NVA suddenly opened a general offensive in Quang Tri province with three infantry divisions, approximately 40,000 troops, T-54, T34, PT-76 tanks and SA-2, SA-7 missiles, as well as the strongest firepower of its artillery division, which was equipped with 130mm long range guns.
The 3rd Infantry Division re-inforced by a Marine Brigade and a Ranger group was only able to resist the onslaught for 31 days.
On the 1st of May, 1972, the ARVN had to retreat out of Quang Tri. All forces organized the defensive line south of the My Chanh river, the border between Quang Tri and Thua Thien provinces. From this border, Marines stopped all NVA attempts to extend south, and at the same time, performed several small-scale attacks on Hai Lang and My Thuy, north of the My Chanh, by means of airlifts and amphibious landings. These raids forced the enemy to assume a defensive attitude, as they could not predict when and where we might attack next.
On the 27th of July 1972, the Marine Division received orders to replace the Airborne division at the task of recapturing Dinh Cong Trang citadel, the main target of the counter-offensive aimed at recapturing Quang Tri.
The ARVN crossed the My Chanh and reached the vicinity of Quang Tri within the day. Three days later, the Airborne division succeeded in controlling the entire city - with the exception of the Dinh Cong Trang Old Citadel. It was a square monument, 500m by 500m, built with hard bricks covered with a layer of earth on top. A 10m wide moat surrounded it. It was where the Quang Tri subdistrict government had took up residence and where the 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters had been stationed throughout the month of April. Brigadier General Giai had ordered maximum protection for the Citadel, having scores of barbed wire fences erected around the foot of the wall. Hundreds of fortified bunkers were built on top of the wall by the ARVN. The combat engineers of the 3rd Infantry Division had also built a solid TOC of timber, iron and 15 layers of sandbags. All these structures ended up serving the enemy when they invaded Quang Tri! For us, it was a sad case of “being beaten by one's own stick”. The Communists benefited a great deal from these solid shelters, making it difficult for the Airborne Division to make headway, even after 20 days of attempting to do so.
Four highly experienced Airborne Battalions, including the one that had fostered at least six generals, were stopped at the foot of the Citadel by the NVA within. Even at the last minute, as responsibility was being transferred over to the Marines, the Airborne commanders sent in a group, hoping to establish at least one flag. Unfortunately all were killed. In accepting the challenge of recapturing the Old Citadel, the Marines were in effect carrying the expectations of the ARVN and that of the entire nation on their shoulders. History was waiting to be made. Thousands of Marines were likely to be sacrificed to attain the honour. Colonel Ngo Van Dinh was assigned the task.
A few changes were made to the operation map. The area to the east of the National Route 1 became the area of responsibility of the Marines. The 6th Marine Battalion replaced the 6th Airborne Battalion in the south west. Forty days after beating the enemy tanks at Pedro, the troops of the “Divine Hawks” continued to fight. In the earlier stages, the 3rd Marine Battalion replaced the 5th Airborne Battalion to the east of the Citadel. However, it was the “Sea Wolves” who managed to scale over the top of the wall from the east in the end, opening up the way for friendly units to pour in and raise the flag on the 16th of September 1972.
The 147th Marine Brigade in the East, blocked the enemy at Trieu Phong district right to the sea. The 1st Marine Battalion, stayed put where they had landed in the south of Trieu Phong, to impede the enemy supply route that sustained the Citadel. The route received daily shellings, forcing the enemy to move at night and to use alternative routes - namely across the Thach Han. As a result, supplies were limited and delivery was erratic. Having the “Wild Birds” protecting their flanks, the “Sea Wolves” felt safe to concentrate on the moss-covered wall only 400m away (double the range of M-16 bullets).
The 3rd and the 8th Marine Battalion rotated between themselves to fight more effectively. Each meter was hard fought for - sometimes, we would surge forward ten metres, only to lose ground later. A company had 140 fighters. One time, after 48 hours of fierce fighting, it lost sixty men, and the remaining 80 had to withdraw to recuperate and get more manpower. Artillery rounds and mortar from the direction of the Thach Han northern bank rained down on marines. Bullets from 75mm recoiless rifles, B40 and B41 rockets from within the Citadel sprayed everywhere.
We could not attack at day time. All our activities were observed by the enemy positioned on higher ground. Every movement was targetted. A steel helmet raised over the trenches, would immediately be shot at by all sorts of weapons. Any one unfortunate enough to run out, would be riddled within seconds.
Intelligence sources reported that an enemy regiment was within the Citadel. Thus, at least one NVA battalion was within bunkers shaped like the letter A, and each metre was occupied by one NVA soldier. The problem was how to dislodge “Ho's Children” who had all sworn “Born in the North, die in the south”. B52 bombardments were out of the question as the enemy were so close to ARVN forces. The Artillery was ineffective. A thousand rounds would see only 15 hitting the top of the wall. The Communists would run into fox holes like rats. If a round was lucky enough to hit the opening of such a hole, only one NVA soldier would be killed at most.
Only tactical aircraft bombardments were effective. Aircrafts had to fly very low, regardless of anti-aircraft firepower. Each bomb weighing 500lbs, could destroy several metres of the wall. However, to destroy the entire wall, thousands of air sorties were needed. And even then, there was still the problem of scaling up the rise.
Though the bombs did succeed in killing NVA troops, once the aircrafts left the sky, new replacements would climb up to man the wall. They would then set about repairing the damaged bunkers and foxholes. Where the wall was breached, they made up for it with an intense wall of fire coverage - impossible for even a bird to fly through.
Thus the Red Berets had been prevented from approaching the wall. It had taken them seven days to cross the My Chanh to reach the outskirts of Quang Tri, but it took them 20 days to advance a mere 500m. It was then that Lieutenant General Truong decide to transfer the task to the Marine Division. The most difficult problem the Marines faced was how to come up with a plan that would allow them to achieve their goal with minimal losses.
It was decided that maximal Air, naval, and Artillery firepower was to be used. Secondly, it was agreed that slow but definite advances were necessary. Units were to move forwards only if the conditions were permissive. If the situation was dangerous, it was better to wait or retreat slightly. It was imperative to avoid needless sacrifices. An efficient means of re-supplying and med-evac was organized. With all factors covered, it was only a matter of time before victory was ours. The “time” it took was 48 days of continuous fighting, before we could plant our flag.
The day after we replaced the Airborne Divison, I followed the 369th Marine Brigade Commander to the 6th Marine Battalion headquarters to see with my own eyes, the ruins of Quang Tri. When the jeep stopped, a torrent of 130mm shellings poured down, The Marines of the 6th battalion quickly sought shelter in small bunkers within the ruins. We waited for five minutes for the shelling to die down before being led to headquarters. Major Tung welcomed us. He was the hero of the victory of tank battles at Pedro that took place 2 months before, in which 23 tanks were destroyed. He had also led his men behind enemy lines at Hai Lang and My Thuy. His battalion had spearheaded the operation in Quang Tri.
He asked us jokingly:
“What do you think of the gun salute?”
“Nothing new! Have you forgotten that during the days in Ai Tu, we were hammered by an entire artillery division? It was much more intense.
This battlefield is too large for one artillery division. A couple of rounds of artillery aren't going to make much of a difference..”
We countered.
Then he led us to the observatory tower and showed us the positions already under Marine control. The observation point was a partly destroyed two-story house with a brick stair case leading up to a balcony and a single standing wall with a gap through which we observed the Citadel.
From here, I looked around the entire city. I did not see anything except stones, bricks, metal sheets, and rubble. God knows how many rounds of artillery and bullets had riddle this miserable city. I couldn't see any streets, nor a single house intact. Billows of smoke rose all over the city. as the enemy continued to hammer us. About 700m to the east, a cloud of smoke from the bombardments could be seen. I left the observatory pitying the city and its inhabitants. Even if we did recapture it, how long would it take for them to rebuild their houses and piece together their lives?
Major Tung informed me that about 400m from the Citadel wall, there were still many enemy strong-holds. Marine and enemy positions were haphazardly placed all over the ruins, so it was impossible to delineate the border. Only Marine Companies and platoon commanders knew where the positions of the men were.
The day before, the Marines detected a squad of the 6th Airborne Battalion still lying deep behind enemy line. They were lucky to be found before night fall, after which they could have easily fell victim to friendly fire. At the front lines, the watchful guards were always ready to throw hand grenades into the darkness the slightest sound in front of them. This was because enemy sappers always exploited the darkness.
An officer of the 6th Marine Battalion told us about an enemy strong point, where his platoon had been prevented from advancing for days. One bald NVA soldier was particularly tough and cunning, but was eventually overcame.
The battle of Quang Tri progressed with small-scale battles. Although the enemy were unable to move their tanks into the battle, their artillery was still a permanent threat to the ARVN.
At daytime, Marines took shelter to avoid hammering. At night, they waited for enemy sapper attacks. When the opportunity came, Marines moved forward to occupy ruins. When pressed, they retreated a few metres. The top commanders, giving orders from the distance, did not see how difficult it was for the platoon leaders and their companies. Sleeping and eating were luxuries that could not be afforded. How could one eat when one's friends were dying. How could one sleep when the enemy yelled “Charge” throughout the night?
One Marine Company was forced to withdraw after three days of fighting as a third its 140 riflemen were wounded. The luckier companies were able to withstand for ten days before their numbers were reduced by half. Superiors would demand the reason for such slow progress, not realizing that just to hold ground was heroic in itself. Indeed, nobody appreciated the difficult position that lower rank officers and their men were in.
It took four battalions forty days of rotational fighting to push the enemy inside the citadel. During that period, the most successful company had advanced only 500m. Others managed 200m, a distance covered with the blood and bones of infantry men. The battle south of Trieu Phong district progressed in the same way. The 1st and the 2nd Marine Battalions competed with each other, but neither managed to become master of the Trieu Phong District.
The entire enemy regiment was in the Citadel, which was shaped like a square rice cake. The problem was how to smash the cake, paralyze the enemy and push them back to the other side of the Thach Han River. The 80th day of the 90-day campaign arrived. The Airborne Division had spent 20 days attemting to capture the Citadel, and had only managed to plant one flag on the wall before being repelled. The Marines, after 80 consecutive days had managed to force all the enemy within the Citadel, but their closest position was still 200m from the foot of the wall. It was a strange battle. The whole Division concentrating on a square area. Top commanders were very disquietened. The people of South Vietnam were keen to hear the victorious news.
Without delay, the Marine Division planned operation “Thunderstorm”
The aim was to continuously use firepower for 48 hours. B52's lay a carpet of fire on the other side of the Thach Han River day and night destroying the enemy's artillery batteries, headquarters and logistical dumps. Naval guns from ships off-shore pounded all suspected enemy positions round the clock. ARVN 175mm artillery from Phong Dien gave further reinforcements. Twelve 155mm , fifty four 105 mm Howitzers belonging to the Marine Division were ordered to shell the Citadel non-stop. Artillery men organized shelling and sleeping shifts amongst themselves. Guns were rectified in co-ordinates so that not a single round would fall outside the citadel. There was no need for the artillery men to scrounge for rounds. Hundreds of trucks carrying artillery ammunition fron Da Nang arrived at Quang Tri around the clock. Artillery ammunitions were laid on both sides of the National Route 1 in a segment 1km long. Trucks belonging to the Marine Division would then come along to collect them. No order forms needed to be sign.
At Port My Thuy, boats unloaded artillery ammunition along the sea shore. Never before had artillery men been allowed to fire so extravagantly as this. Some were so exhausted that they collapsed as they loaded the rounds into the guns. For 48 hours, artillery battalions fired 60,000 rounds. Not a single square metre inside the Citadel escaped bombardment. The ramparts were 5m wide, and this was left to Tactical Air to take care of. The pilots had to choose direction of flight so as to accurately bombard it. It was essential to flatten the wall, or at least lower it, and destroy the four well-fortified bunkers at the corner. The machine guns had to be muted, and if necessary, all enraged Communists who had locked themselves to guns and sworn to fight to the death would have to be annihilated.
Laser guided bombs from US aircrafts punched breaches in the wall, and soon most of it was reduced to a few metres high. However under the heap of rubble, Ho's children were still moving like rats within the bunkers that still resisted our bombardments. Everytime the shellings stopped, they would emerge and open fire savagely at the Marines.
The difficult to swallow “square cake” was cut in half: each one was given to a Marine Brigade. The eastern half belonged to the 147th Marine Brigade, which was to advance in two prongs: the 8th Marine Battalion was to attack from the east. The 3rd Marine Battalion was to attack on the right corner of the south wall. The 258th Marine Brigade was responsible for the western half. The 2nd Marine Battalion, the “Crazy Buffaloes”, was to advance from the west. The 6th battalion was to aim at the destroyed wall. Everybody was waiting for “Thunderstrom” to paralysed the enemy before executing the plan. In the bunker that was the commanding post of the 3rd Marine Battalion, Major Canh slowly talked to Captain Thach, commander of the 3rd Company.
“Thach, I know that your company just returned to rest only a few days, and it would be unfair of me to assign you the following task... but you are the best company commander.”
Thach interrupted; “Major, please just give me the order, and I will carry it out.” He knew what was required of him. He mumbled a swearword, then said: “It isn't neccessary to praise me, sir. My name means “stone”, and a stone can be thrown anywhere.”
“I am more than happy to do so. I received orders to recapture the Citadel before the deadline. We only have 5 more days. “Thunderstorm” started yesterday. With such strong shelling and bombardments, I hope that the enemy is shaken. Tonight, lead your company to replace 1st Company, then try to advance close to the foot of the wall before dawn. If you can't reach the wall, then retreat, because if the enemy see you, it will ruin the whole plan.”
“I understand completely. I'll get my men to move at midnight. Great Eagle, please request them to stop firing flares at midnight.”
“Sure... and good luck. If you need anything else, S4 will supply it.”
Thach stood erect, saluted the Battalion commander, then quickly returned to Company position. He summoned all platoon leaders and ordered them to prepare for departure. Looking at these subordinate young officers who had shared so many dangers and hardships with him, he felt proud. At the same time he was overcome with pity for them. They always trusted him. They were tired and had hoped for more days of rest, but they also understood that military discipline always had to be respected, and orders simply had to be executed. Captain Thach lowered his voice:
“Being summoned here, you probably know already the task to be fulfilled”. The Battalion Commander ordered us to replace the 1st Company tonight - at midnight, we will spearhead an assault on that horrible wall. This is not the first time we fight, but this time we have to succeed. It's a matter of honour: yours, mine, the Battalion's, all the Marines' and the Marine Division's. Many of our brothers-in-arms have sacrificed themselves. This is the first and the last time that we are going to recklessly throw young soldiers at this wall. If we feel that we can not achieve the task, we have to give this honour to another unit. Now we have to plan the midnight attack. We needn't draw the target over the overlay - even with our eyes closed, we should hit the moat. After crossing it, we will be at the foot of the wall. This time, we will not fire and charge as before. When the flares stop at midnight, we will quietly crawl forwards, infiltrate the ruins, and keep absolutely silent.
Now you may return and make preparations. You still have a few hours to sleep. Every minute of sleep counts. We leave on the dot of midnight. Follow our usual formation. Second Lieutenant Thach, your platoon will be the vanguard. Toa, on the right... Thanh to his left, Phan come with me. The Mortar platoon comes with me too. Forward observer, you'll have to direct accurate fires on that wall from now till midnight. After which, aim 100m further. And don't use flares. Remember to use as many “delay” fuses as possible. Every accurate round means more Marines saved. “Hundreds of things depend on you.”
“Captain, I'll try to my best.” The young forward observer never felt so important in all his life.
"Now before you leave, you may ask questions. If nobody has any, we will start preparations. I stress again, that no one is to fire needlessly. Just crawl forwards in silence! On reaching the foot of the wall, throw hand grenades and then ascend. Don't lose your foot hold. Once on top, you can spread out to fight. That's the only way to succeed. Good Luck.”
Captain Thach shook hands with each platoon leader. To Second Lieutenant Thach, he said:
“Our names are the same, and “stones” are supposed to be hard. That's the reason I chose you to lead. I hope you will attain this goal.”
On the battlefield, Captain Thach anxiously awaited the progress of the vanguard. To the signalmen who followed him like a shadow, he whispered continually:
“Any news ? Give me the handset”
“Thach Thao, Thach Sanh is calling.”
“Thach Sanh, Thach Thao is listening ...”
“Where are you up to?”
“I think close to the moat. There's not much water... too dark to see. I wasn't able to contact Xuan, who crawled first. He was too quick.”
“OK. Try to find him. I think he's only a short distance ahead waiting for you.”
Thach gave the handset to his signalman. The spearhead platoon had probably reached the moat by now. The company had had to grope their way in the darkness for three hours - only to cover a distance of 200m. Never had troops been forced to move so slowly. They were at least safe. the enemy was still aimlessly shelling as before. But the Marines were cautious, seeking shelter when necessary, and moving on whenever they could.
Suddenly, a salvo exploded in front of Captain Thach - he grabbed the handset: “Thach Thao...are you OK?” “Yes sir, we are safe...” There was a conversation at the other end of the line. then Captain Thach heard the platoon leader utter a joyful shout. “Captain, Xuan has crossed the moat and has reached the foot of the wall. our shellings are exploding right over his head. Please ask our Artillery to stop firing so we can climb up.”
“OK. Climb with them quickly. I'll be backing you. I will urge the 2nd and the 3rd platoon to advance in parallel with you. Dawn is approaching. We must get to the foot of the wall and climb up as soon as possible.”
Captain Thach ordered his Marines to speed up the crawl. He could not believe how well things were progressing. The 1st platoon reached the wall.
As Captain Thach finished informing the Battalion Commander about the progress, he heard the sound of ten grenades exploding through the hand set:
“Xuan has reached the top, and we have all crossed the moat.”
“Very good Thach Thao. I am going to climb with you now. All platoons are to scale the wall and take up defensive positions. No one is to retreat.”
Now the enemy had discovered the attack. The guns on top of the wall sprayed bullets down, and mortars and artillery rounds started falling somewhere near the end of his company. Captain Thach stood upright shouting “Charge!” Everybody ran across the moat that had become shallow because of the rubble. The artillery and mortar prevented anyone from retreating. The only way to survive was run towards the wall. Meanwhile, at the south west side of Dinh Cong Trang Citadel, a company of the 6th Marine Battalion, commanded by Captain Dinh, nicknamed “Small Dinh”, had also crawled to the foot of the wall. Hearing the shout of “Charge!” to his right, he also shouted it to his men. Five minutes later, the Marines of the “Divine Hawks” were masters of the southwest corner of the Citadel. The communist resistance weakened gradually. A number of NVA absconded to the north. Those who stubbornly refused to exit their bunkers were annihilated by grenades. At day-break, the whole southern side of the wall was occupied by the “Divine Hawks” of the 6th, and the Seawolves of the 3rd Battalion.
At the northwest side of the Citadel, 2nd Marine Battalion, the “Crazy Buffaloes”, was accompanying M-48 tanks towards the wall. On the east side, the 8th Marine Battalion was approaching. It was only a matter of time before they too would climb up. In the west, to the left of the 6th Battalion, the tank column of the 20th Armour Brigade was rushing towards the Citadel. The battle was clearly in our favour.
Attacked on three sides at once, the enemy defence weakened. By the afternoon, the Marines had occupied the southern half of the Citadel. The enemy retreated, but still managed to cling to the northern part.
The top commander had announced that “the rats” were to be all dislodged from the bunkers by night fall. The victory flag was expected to be raised the next morning.
Captain Thach stood on the wall and observed: “We have occupied a few bunkers of the prison inside the Citadel. So the enemy commanders have fled, and NVA’s fighting spirit is very low. A few prisoners have admitted that as a whole, the NVA had wanted to run when the intense bombardment had started. Indeed, many did. Some died, and a few managed to escape...Their weapons are thrown everywhere.”
Captain Thach ordered the platoon leaders to review their units, and to get more M-72 and hand grenades. It was impossible to use the artillery at this stage. Only the M-72's could be applied. The Marines of the 3rd Battalion fired M72, and threw abundant hand grenades. The NVA threw down their weapons and scattered like ducks. Those who were slow died. Hundreds of them quickly climbed across the wall, jumped into the Thach han River, and swam to the north bank.
Late in the afternoon, aircrafts left the sky - only a L19 Reconnaissance plane remained. Seeing the NVA swimming across the river to escape, the pilot wanted to make fun of them, and swooped low. But with only his pistol and smoke grenades, he couldn't exactly do them harm.
As soon as the two companies of the 6th and the 3rd Marine Battalion set foot on the south side of the wall, the national flag was immediately hoisted. News of the victory came to the Brigades and then to the Marine Division headquarters at Huong Dien. Brigadier General Lan woke at 5.30 am to follow the progress and give orders to the Commanders of the 147th and the 258th Brigades.
Though the flag had been hoisted that morning, it was necessary to clear the “Square cake” for the official flag raising ceremony that was to take place the next morning at 8.00am. The media was not permitted to enter. G5 wanted to have a picture as beautiful as that of the US Marine Corps in Iwo Jima 1945.
The Recapture of Dinh Cong Trang Citadel ended at 8.00pm on the 15th of September 1972. Marine units reported that they could not finish the count of weapons seized, and that the Battalion would need several 2.5 tonne trucks to carry the load away.
Leaning on what remained of the wall, Captain Thach raised a hot cup of coffee, sipped it, and said to his signal man: “Call the platoon and request them to find as many rods as possible - the longer the better. We're going to plant flags.”
It was 48 days and nights since the 3rd Marine Battalion replaced the Red Berets at the task of recapturing the Old Citadel - that very night, Captain Thach had the pleasure of taking off his battle shoes to sleep a fitful uninterrupted slumber.
When his bodyguard woke him the next morning, he wept for joy at the sight of all four walls covered with hundreds of yellow flags carrying three red stripes fluttering in the morning sunshine.
It was the 16th of September, 1972.
An account by a Vietnamese Marine
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