"Lightning Fire" in Laos
Lieutenant Colonel Doan Trong Cao
In February 1971, the whole 369th Marine Brigade returned to Saigon to resupply, re-equip and to prepare for Operation Lam Son 719 in South Laos. Resting only a day at base Camp, the 369th Marine Brigade was airlifted to Khe Sanh airfield. Lamson 719 had already started before they arrived.
The other two Marine Brigades were already there:
The 147th Marine Brigade commanded by Colonel Hoang Tich Thong was composed of the 2nd, the 4th, the 7th Marine Battalion, and the 2nd Marine Artillery Battalion.
The 258th Marine Brigade commanded by Colonel Nguyen Thanh Tri was composed of the 1st, the 3rd, the 6th Marine Battalions, and the the 3rd Marine Artillery Battalion.
The 369th Marine Brigade commanded by Colonel Pham Van Chung was composed of the 5th, the 8th and the 9th Battalions and the 1st Marine Artillery Battalion. This Brigade served as a Reserve for I Corps, and protected the Operation Headquarters. Headquarters was composed of the Forward Headquarters of the 1st Infantry Division, that of the Airborne Division, that of the Marine Division, and that of the Ranger Group. It also included the logistical dump and the Khe Sanh airfield.
The most remarkable thing I recall is the successful retreat of the 147th Marine Brigade. After all ARVN units - the 1st Infantry Division, the Airborne Division, the Armour Brigade, and the Ranger Group - had all withdrawn out of Laos, the enemy concentrated on besieging the 147th and the 258th Marine Brigades, bombarding them mercilessly. Colonel Bui The Lan, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Division daringly ordered the 147th Marine Brigade to withdraw at night to evade the enemy. No one had dared to withdraw at night in such forbidding terrain - it was mountainous, riddled with deep crevices, and covered with thick jungle. At 3.00 pm, on the day of the withdrawal, Colonel Lan ordered 5,000 artillery flares to be delivered. At Khe Sanh, fog always started to fall at around 4.00pm. When the first trucks arrived with the flares, we placed them in nets.
Twenty four US Marine CH 53 Skorsky helicopters airlifted the nets immediately to Mt Coroc, where the 3rd Marine Battalion was. We were able to supply only 3,000 flares before night fell. The 3rd Marine Battalion of Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Nang Bao received orders to move south westerly about 4 km to evolve and to await the return of the 147th Marine Brigade. As soon as there was total darkness, the 3rd Marine Artillery Battalion was ordered to send flares into the sky to lead the 147th Brigade. It was an unbelievable feat that all three Battalions of the 147th Marine Brigade, the 2nd Marine Artillery Battalion and their communications, engineers and reconnaissance units all arrived safely at the rendez-vous point, and that they had only lost 50 in action.
Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Lam of I Corps was stupified, and demanded of Colonel Hoang Tich Thong: “How on earth did you Marines return in such numbers unscathed ?”
Lieutenant Colonel Doan Trong Cao
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