The Lethal Claws of
The "Divine Hawks" at Work in Pedro
Colonel Pham Van Chung
Confronted by the ferocity of the full-scale general attack from the NVA infantry and armour units, the 56th Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Camp Carroll surrendered. The 147th Marine Brigade, based at Mai Loc were similarly pressed, and was forced to retreat. Fire Base Pedro soon came to the fore of the defensive line. Major Do Huu Tung of the 16th Da Lat Class, and leader of the 6th Battalion, knew that his Divine Hawks stationed at Pedro, were next in line of enemy fire. Major Tung was reknown for his cautious and methodical outlook to life. He was vastly experienced, and always kept his composture, even when under pressure. Predicting the confrontation with the tanks, he co-operated with the 258th Marine Brigade to set up anti-tank mine fields on the paths leading to Pedro.
On the night of April 8th 1972, the whole battalion moved out of the base and repositioned on vantage points around the base. As expected, the enemy shelled the area the entire night in preparation for the assault. The Divine Hawks waited patiently for the NVA - safe and sound in their foxholes and bunkers. At 6.45am the next day, an NVA infantry regiment and T54 and T55 tanks appeared in the west. The Marine Artillery were requested to shell the enemy, but only succeeded in stopping the infantry. The enemy tanks continued to roar forwards. From his foxhole, Major Tung smiled sardonically as he watched through the binoculars. (Major Tung had a very wry smile. His friends always mocked his dangerous half smile - which usually preceded a deadly manoeuvre). Because he was of a taciturn nature, he generally kept subordinates and superiors, alike, in the dark. Thus, his men were waited anxiously, having no idea what Thau Duong (his radio code name) was up to. A few enemy tanks rolled over the fence of the base. Still he said nothing. He was patiently waiting for them to come within range of the antitank weapons.
Suddenly, a mine exploded, and one of the tanks burst into flames. The other tanks momentarily stopped, as if stunned. At that very instant, Major Tung gave the order to fire.
The Divine Hawks emerged from their foxholes, personal firearms at the ready. Their M72 anti-tank weapons continued to fire mercilessly at the column of tanks. About ten burst into flames, sending the rest into a panic. But the tanks were too unwieldy, and easily fell victim to the antitank weapons positioned high on the vantage points. Nearly twenty tanks came to grief. The "Divine Hawks" leapt up on to the tanks, and pointed the muzzles of M16s at the hapless NVA crew. The enemy were told to surrender - the only other option offered was a dramatic end by means of a grenade. The NVA infantry, on seeing their tanks demolished, fled in terror.
Immediately after being informed of the situation, Lieutenant Colonel Ngo Van Dinh ordered the 1st Marine Battalion to pursue the enemy. Tactical aircrafts were called in to bombard the retreating NVA. The enemy fled to the west, leaving behind 400 corpses and 23 bombed out tanks. The 1st Marine Battalion were responsible for the destruction of four of the tanks.
Generally, tanks are countered by opposing tanks. In this case, a group of heroic Marines set themselves against the might of armoured vehicles. Such an uneven confrontation is rare in military history.
A few months later, Lieutenant Colonel Do Huu Tung led the 6th Marine Battalion to storm half of the Old Citadel at Quang Tri.
As the first commander of the 6th Marine Battalion, I write this in memory of Lieutenant Colonel Do Huu Tung.
He was the longest serving commander of the Divine Hawks, and had led them in many great victories. He was the archetypal hero - noble and brave. He left behind him many grieving friends and a heart-broken lover who was one of the country's most famous singers. As the Executive Officer of the 258th Marine Brigade, he and the Brigade Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Xuan Phuc, went missing in the last days of April 1975. No doubt they met their fates nobly. More than twenty years later, we are still awaiting news of them.
As I write, my heart aches with sorrow and my eyes weep for you my friend - you, who have shared many a glory and hardship with me for more than a decade in the tragic Vietnam War.
Colonel Pham Van Chung
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