From Trng Bng, Route I provided a high-speed approach through the Division base at C Chi and on to Tan Son Nhut and Saigon. United States infantry soldiers receive Mine and Booby Trap instruction at course at Cu Chi, South Vietnam. Other than Newsweek, news magazines failed to report on the attack. About Us | https://www.historynet.com/tet-1969-at-cu-chi/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot. Well all head back to Cu Chi. In many respects the entire program of the American 25th was thus no more than a limited training exercise for a variety of South Vietnamese units. When Robert Komer, head of Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support (CORDS) tried to enlist the aid of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to relieve Chinh, Westmoreland upbraided him for bypassing the US military chain of command. Some of the officers assigned there looked at me strangely, wondering what a Spc. Instructor briefs students. Do I return it? I glanced out the cargo compartment door and saw a stream of red tracers. Youll need to refuel and then fly over to the Muleskinners to pick up a flight crew and take them to Saigon. field gun was 26.7km (16.6mi). Take a look inside the stifling tunnels, one of the Vietnam War's best-preserved relics. I buckled my seat and shoulder belt, put on my gloves and helmet, and then plugged in. [3]:143, In 1965 the Division was under the command of Col Phan Trong Chinh, a friend of both Republic of Vietnam Air Force commander Nguyn Cao K and III Corps commander General Nguyn Chnh Thi. Chinh thus had his hands full providing static security for those provinces under his authority and keeping an eye on the political situation in Saigon. Since April 1966, the Cu Chi base camp had never been penetrated by an attacking force. Registered accounts may order 25 FREE screener or proxy files for download per month. Ground Attack on Cu Chi Base Camp 26 Feb 1969. They looked like glowing golf balls tossed at me. It began with a rocket and mortar attack. That reduced the capacity to refuel aircraft but did no serious damage. He was sent to Vietnam to serve in the 12th Evacuation Hospital in September 1966. It wasnt long before we had made our way to Saigon, following the standard practice of flying at low altitude to avoid aircraft taking off or landing at Ton Son Nhut. The 8th and 9th Battalions, 205th Regiment, were on local Route 13 southwest of Soui Da, and the PAVN D-14 and D-16 Ty Ninh Battalions were blocking ARVN relief efforts. Meanwhile, on Route 26 east of Ty Ninh City, an outpost at Cau Khoi, manned by the 351st RF Battalion, was overrun. Puff suddenly opened fire, the red tracers of his mini-guns combining into a long, glowing stream that resembled a ruby-colored ray from a science fiction movie. As a precaution against being flanked by a strong attack down the Saigon River corridor, General Ton sent the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, to reinforce Rach Bap, the western anchor of the Iron Triangle. I hope were in no hurry to get back, I said. On March 10, 1969, Newsweek reported: 'At Cu Chi, the headquarters of the U.S. 25th Infantry Division (Mechanized) some 20 miles northwest of Saigon, enemy sapper squads slipped undetected through the barbed-wire perimeter in the middle of the night and ranged up and down the airstrip planting their explosives. In less than one hour of fighting, the battalion was completely destroyed with 270 soldiers either killed or wounded and 217 men were captured. Gen. L Tng B, like General Ton had a background in armor and was exercising vigorous, personal leadership in the forward areas, urging his troops to patrol more aggressively into the contested area north of the city. They lost a bunch of their airplanes.. Cu Chi Vietnam 1966 "Manchu" This is a collection of personal pictures, letters, newspaper clippings and other things left from my tour of duty as a infantryman in Vietnam. Satellite and aerial maps of Cu Chi base camp with nearby locations: Toggle Map . The damage wasnt heavy, except to the Muleskinners and even then, some of the destroyed aircraft had been replaced by noon the next day. History [ edit] 25th Infantry Division sign, Cu Chi, 1 September 1966 1965-70 [ edit] The officer on duty at C Chi Base Camp (en) owl: sameAs. The base remains in use by the People's Army of Vietnam. Although the center was where the NVA or VC aimed, a few of the rounds fell near us, waking us and sending us scrambling for the bunkers. Quite a few bases were described by the media as being northwest of Saigon, so those reports could have been about one of the other attacks. Hard to believe it's been 45 years since we were here. Yet the Tet 1969 attack at Cu Chi, where I was stationed at the time, was a memorable engagement. No one from our company should be running around on the runway. Frequent mortar attacks, ambushs and attack on base. C Chi district - Wikipedia C Chi Base Camp (also known as C Chi Army Airfield) is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base in the C Chi District northwest of Saigon in southern Vietnam. It is famous for its C Chi tunnels, which were constructed during the Vietnam War, and served as headquarters for the Viet Cong. C Chi Base Camp was established in 1965 near Highway 1, 25 km northwest of Tan Son Nhut Air Base and 50 km southeast of Ty Ninh. Got everyone a little jumpy.. [12]:1657, The 3rd Battalion, 48th Regiment made contact with a PAVN company west of the Vm C ng River on 17 March, killed 36, and captured a number of weapons. [8]:1048, In 1967 MACV assessed that the three ARVN divisions surrounding Saigon, the 5th, 18th and the Division had shown no improvement, and US advisers considered their commanders, Generals Pham Quoc Thuan (5th Division), Do Ke Giai (18th Division) and Phan Trong Chinh, flatly incompetent. [1] The southern vertex of the Triangle opposite the village of Phu Hoa and at the confluence of the Saigon and Thi Thien Rivers, was only 26.5km (16.5mi) from the runways of Tan Son Nhut and Bien Hoa Air Bases, and maximum range of the PAVN's 130-mm. A History of the 12th Evac Hospital The long and storied history of this extraordinary hospital began on December 23, 1917, when it was first constituted as Evacuation Hospital Number 12 and organized at Fort Riley Kansas. Aerial view of 25th Infantry Division Headquarters Base camp in Cu Chi, North Wes.HD Stock Footage CriticalPast 300K subscribers 74 Dislike Share 16,199 views May 23, 2014 CriticalPast is. I was feeling uncomfortable because I had taken off without a shirt. Both divisions guarded the approaches to Saigon, but the brunt of the fighting had been assumed by US combat units, the 1st and 25th Infantry Divisions and three separate brigades. US soldiers at a Viet Cong tunnel during a search and destroy mission in Vietnam, on April 24, 1967. Vietnam Our Division's third brigade arrived in Pleiku in Vietnam's Central Highlands in December 1965. Board reads 'Bamboo Foot Spikes. I parked in the revetment, shut down and got out of the aircraft. The 75th Artillery Division had five regiments operating in Tay Ninh for this campaign, and the 377th Antiaircraft Artillery Division had about 15 antiaircraft battalions, some providing direct support for infantry. Performance cookies are used to see how visitors use the website, eg. The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living . Over the intercom I heard, French fort firing up at us. The French forts, triangular-shaped structures built low to the ground, were now occupied by South Vietnamese soldiers who had a habit of shooting at everything without regard to its identity. [12]:1015, In early December 1974 heavy combat in Ty Ninh began, with PAVN rockets falling on the province capital and on adjacent military installations. These were green, meaning enemy, and much closer. The Allied force killed 36 VC and captured 10. He rode up in a jeep, walked toward the nose of his aircraft and waved a hand over his head, telling us to crank. Vietnam, Cu Chi base camp TET 1968 - YouTube 0:00 / 2:39 Vietnam, Cu Chi base camp TET 1968 frank goins 319 subscribers Subscribe 246 35K views 7 years ago Feb. 2, 1968. Westmoreland, noting that Thinh had been relieved as commander of the 22nd Division in 1965 because of his poor performance, was not enthusiastic about the choice, but he could only hope that he would do better than his predecessor. Normally, upon return from the days missions, the weapons were stored. The crew chief opened fire, his ruby tracers flashing down at the end of the runway. Flight lead, by default, was Downs. analytics cookies. Cu Chi Base - rjsmith.com [12]:43, PAVN strategy in Ty Ninh called for continuing pressure along lines of contact, preventing South Vietnamese forces from probing too deeply into the base area, and undermining the fragile hold on the vital corridor between Ty Ninh City and Saigon. [9]:4601 The US 3rd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (11th ACR) moved into southeastern Hu Ngha Province to support the 49th Regiment and the US 2nd and 3rd Brigades, 25th Infantry Division worked with the Division's 10th Cavalry Squadron and Regional Force units in northern and western Hu Ngha Province. Need more? PDF Ground Attack on Cu Chi Base Camp 26 February 1969 - VHPA 25th Division (South Vietnam) The 25th Division [1] of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975was part of the III Corps that oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital, Saigon. Those cookies cannot be used to directly identify a certain visitor. Use the "Reject" button or close this notice to continue without accepting. In the only other major contact in the Ty Ninh-Saigon corridor in late 1972, a Hu Ngha RF battalion met a battalion of the PAVN 101st Regiment, reinforced by a local company, northeast of Trng Bng, the Hu Ngha battalion collected 32 weapons on the battlefield and buried 56 PAVN soldiers, while RF casualties were 19 killed and 33 wounded. Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, United States military bases of the Vietnam War, "26 Feb 1969 Boeing CH-47A Chinook 66-19022", http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=148178, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. They want to know if you know the destination, said the crew chief on the intercom. License Agreement | There were some fires burning on the base, but not very big ones. Joint General Staff commander General Cao Vn Vin stated that it was "not only the worst ARVN division, but possibly the worst division in any army. We use cookies for technical purposes and, with your consent, for other purposes as specified in the, HD Master, Broadcast-ready (1920x1080, unmarked), HD Screener (1920x1080, full-res with timecode), Proxy (320x240, low-resolution, watermarked). His American advisers had given Chinh some credit for his interest in the civil matters of his division tactical area and seemed pleased by his new appointment." 4 Isaac Stringer, Jr. Faced by a formidable enemy on his western flank as he assumed command in II Corps, General Nguyn Vn Ton set about making decisive changes in dispositions and concepts to deal with the threat. The enemy stopped shooting at us. The media seemed to believe that fewer troops were engaged and the scale of the attacks had been reduced significantly. With Tri Tam in its possession, the PAVN now controlled the Saigon River corridor from its beginning, near Tong Le Chon, to the ARVN outpost at Rach Bap in the Iron Triangle. Other units stationed at C Chi included: The airfield was capable of accommodating C-7 Caribou and C-123 aircraft. Sitting on the pad was what looked like a brand-new Chinook. On 20 March Troops L and M and an ARVN Battalion regained contact with the 272nd Regiment killing 142 VC that day and 57 more in the same area 6 days later. The base had received clear intelligence it was to be attacked. Tet 1969 at Cu Chi - HistoryNet Once we finished eating, we strolled back out to the aircraft to await instructions. The artillery, tank, and automatic weapons fire was intense; the 271st was supported by a battalion of 37mm antiaircraft weapons used as field artillery, as well as by the 42nd Artillery Regiment with its 85mm and 122mm guns.
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