Ia Dang Valley Analysis

The United States Army is over 240 years old, and for every war the Army has been in, field artillery has played an essential role. The artillery and infantry have always worked hand in hand, a requirement if fire support is to be in direct support of maneuver. Artillery preps and shapes the battlefield; setting the conditions for battle. Throughout the conflict in Vietnam, specifically the Battle at LZ Gold, the Army made essential changes and improvements to the tactics, techniques and weaponry of field artillery to meet the ever-changing demands of battle.

(INTRODUCTION) In August 1964, Vietnamese DRV torpedo boats attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. President London B. Johnson ordered the retaliatory bombing of military targets in North Vietnam. Shortly after the incident, U.S. congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Johnson war-making powers, and U.S. planes began regular bombing raids (Reference http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history ). In Vietnam, the US enjoyed virtual air supremacy. Nevertheless, Air Defense Artillery (ADA) units were able to distinguish themselves and prove their versatility by providing fire support to ground forces. ADA earned more than 450 medals for valor, receiving more than 1000 Purple Hearts, and one Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to SGT Mitchell Stout (Reference http://www.usc.edu/dept-00/dept/armyrotc/branches/air_defense.html ). Despite there being no confirmed aerial engagements, Air Defense Artillery played a vital role in the Vietnam War, and were at times crucial to battle success, proving their versatility, adaptability, flexibility.

As the war between North and South Vietnam continued, countless lives were lost and doubt grew among the American population, it was concluded that something must be done to prevent further loss to the United States (US). Vietnam had become a stalemate and it was obvious that it was time for the US to end its involvement in the action. The time came for a major operation that would demonstrate the Army of the Republic of Vietnam’s (ARVN) potential to defend their nation without the aid of the US forces and advisors. They needed an operation that would boost the morale of the South Vietnamese troops, and one that would ultimately give the US fighting forces the opportunity to leave Vietnam. It was called Lam Son 719.

During the Vietnam War the M42 (Duster) tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) vehicle influenced the future versatility and capabilities of the Air Defense Artillery systems of today’s United States Army. This system put a lasting impression on the minds and confidence of the American Army Soldiers. These Soldiers actively participated in defending the South Vietnamese from the North Vietnamese and its southern allies, known as the Viet Cong (or Vietnamese Communist). Not only did the M42 Duster (SPAAG) raise the moral and boost confidence with the American Soldiers, it instilled fear and discouraged the enemy from attacking positions that were fortified with versatile air defense systems. This

Lt. Colonel Honeycutt, commander of 3/187, ordered two of his companies to the north and northwest ridges of the hill. Bravo company started pushing up the hill while meeting large amounts of North Vietnamese soldiers. Because of the resistance, they called in close air support to aid in moving up the hill. Miscommunication caused the air support to confuse the landing zone for an NVA camp resulting in them opening fire and killing two and injuring thirty-five of their own. Unfortunately, this was the first but not the last friendly fire incident during this battle. The thick vegetation caused for so much miscommunication and inability to properly identify targets. Honeycutt continued to launch assaults against the NVA. Theses assaults would face heavy resistance with many casualties. Lt. Colonel Conmey, commander of the 1st Battalion 506th Infantry regiment shifted his assaults to the southern base of the hill. American pushes were caused to fall short due to the thick vegetation, this also effected the capabilities of the American’s heavy weapons. Those hindrances gave huge advantages to the NVA. Because of all the vegetation, they called in approximately 270 Air Strikes in a ten-day period. These strikes dropped 890 tons of explosives and 115 tons of napalm. These air strikes and napalm eliminated many of the NVA bunkers and trenching system (Hickman,

The battle of Ap Bac was a small battle engaged between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the insurgents, or the People Liberation Armed Forces (Viet Cong AKA VC) with the assistance of American’s weapons and advice during the Vietnam War. It took place on 2 January, 1963, near a small village named Ap Bac which is located approximately 65 km southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta. (Starry, 2002). As a senior leader, it is important that we have to be technically and tactically proficient. In order to be proficient, we not only need to be trained, but also we have to know how to gain experience from past battles in history using battle assessment, and critical thinking process to study the battle. That way, we know what needs to be improved, how to sustain it, and how would we execute it better next time. Therefore, studying the history of the battle of Ap Bac will enhance the knowledge of how the commanders used the most effective and efficient method for applying decisive action on the battle field. It would be a successful outcome for the South Vietnamese ARVN, and Kennedy’s administration would have gained more trust from American people for the presence of American troops in Vietnam, if the American advisers and the ARVN’s commanders would have integrated intelligence preparation of the battlefield (ITP) throughout the operations process to identify the gaps of intelligence between human intelligence (HUMINT),

The United States Army is over 240 years old, and for every war the Army has been in, field artillery has played an essential role. The artillery and infantry have always worked hand in hand, a requirement if fire support is to be in direct support of maneuver. Artillery preps and shapes the battlefield; setting the conditions for battle. Throughout the conflict in Vietnam, specifically the Battle at LZ Gold, the Army made essential changes and improvements to the tactics, techniques and weaponry of field artillery to meet the ever-changing demands of battle.

North Vietnamese General Chu Huy Man and his headquarters element planned operations in the central highlands area of South Vietnam. His objectives were to attack American forces and control the western plateau consisting of Kontuam, Pleiku, binhdinh, and Phubon Provinces. The campaign began in the fall and by the end of October 1st Calvary Division was going the offense against General Man’s 32n d and 33rd Regiments following failed

The battle of Ap Bac was a small battle engaged between the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and the insurgents, or the People Liberation Armed Forces (Viet Cong AKA VC) with the assistance of American’s weapons and advice during the Vietnam War. It took place on 2 January, 1963, near a small village named Ap Bac which is located approximately 65 km southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta. (Starry, 2002). As a senior leader, it is important that we have to be technically and tactically proficient. In order to be proficient, we not only need to be trained, but also we have to know how to gain experience from past battles in history using battle assessment, and critical thinking process to study the battle. That way, we know what needs to be improved, how to sustain it, and how would we execute it better next time. Therefore, studying the history of the battle of Ap Bac will enhance the knowledge of how the commanders used the most effective and efficient method for applying decisive action on the battle field. It would be a successful outcome for the South Vietnamese ARVN, and Kennedy’s administration would have gained more trust from American people for the presence of American troops in Vietnam, if the American advisers and the ARVN’s commanders would have integrated intelligence preparation of the battlefield (ITP) throughout the operations process to identify the gaps of intelligence between human intelligence (HUMINT), outsourcing

“No other battle of the entire war produced a better count or kill ratio then that claimed by the Americans at the battle Khe Sanh”, (Pisor, 1982). On the Morning of January 21 1968, the Marines of Khe Sanh Combat Base woke to fighting and bombardment in one of the longest and most intense battle of the Vietnam War. It was the first of a seventy-seven day battle that later is titled as the Tet Offensive. The People’s Army of North Vietnam began a massive artillery strike on their combat outpost. Six thousand United States Marines, together with their Vietnamese allies struggled to hold off four Battalions of Northern Vietnamese soldiers. This battle would later prove what our artillerymen already knew: there is no-obstacle, or force that

Understanding the tactics of the Viet Cong (VC) is crucial to analyzing the war that these marines faced. VC strategy was based on two simple concepts: blending in, and hit and run. The VC hid within the dense forests at night, and by day took on the role of peasant farmers. It was nearly impossible to distinguish between a Viet Cong guerilla, a Viet Cong supporter, and an innocent villager. An elderly lady was as much a horrific killer as a guerilla soldier completely camouflaged; a child running toward a

The Battle of Hamburger Hill was part of Operation Apache Snow. The operation was designed to keep pressure on the North Vietnamese Army in the Shau Valley in northern part of South Vietnam. The operation was a three part operation that began during the spring of 1969. The second part of the operation was to be fought around Dong Ap Bia mountain near the Laotian border. The mountain was called Hill 937 but later changed to Hamburger Hill because it turned into a “meat grinder”. (Summers, 1985, p.184) The tactic used by the United States during this battle were to use heavy artillery, napalm, and air strikes followed by assaulting the enemy positions with infantry soldiers that would use hand to hand contact to defeat the North Vietnamese Army. This tactic was very common throughout the

Col. Honeycutt’s 3/187 began their air assault onto Hill 937. Dismounting from their helicopters, the troops were faced with a truly difficult task, of ascending the steep, triple canopied jungle hill side. If it weren’t bad enough dealing with the dense bamboo and tall elephant grass, soon after their upward trek, small arms fire (AK-47), hand grenades, and RPG’s (Rocket Propelled Grenades) began raining down on them. Hitting the ground and taking cover as fast as they could, they began returning fire, blindly. Little did they know, that this skirmish, would become one the most controversial battles of the Vietnam

Today’s military still utilizes the attack and defensive techniques presented in this battle by the Allied and Axis forces. It is also important to take away the role that Wojtek played, and how a simple solution to a difficult problem can vastly change the tactics, techniques and procedures of a military force in future operations. One of the most valuable tools to understand is how to use and implement the lessons learned process to improve and dominate future military operations. As the fires community moves forward it should continue to understand the role that it plays to shape offensive and defensive operations, either in a standalone method or as part of a joint attack to control the ground force commander’s

As the army was not necessarily in the downsizing face but in the face of rebuilding post-Vietnam in the late seventies and early eighties, the pace was changing and the missions around the world where changing. The 101st Airborne Air Assault Division was commencing the transition from AH-1 Cobra Helicopters to the new AH-64A Apache Helicopter. During the process 1st Battalion of the 101st Airborne Air Assault Division where sent to Fort Hood, Texas to