"Vietnam Saigon Tet Offensive." Topic

"Lots of picture of ARVN troops fighting in and around Saigon during the Tet offensive…."

See them here
link

Amicalement
Armand

This is another great find. The photos are very high resolution and, but for the very last one, every single one is new to me.

There are lots of ARVN seen (which makes a nice change) but, in practice, we see far more US Army M48s and other AFVs than the smaller ARVN M41s.

But for quality and novelty value….superb

oldsarges is a great blog well worth following.

Yes, the ARVN used the M41 and it is clearly smaller than an M48. Some good pics of the US M728 CEV too.

Just add a Marine M-48 running down the road to Hue. It is a great color shot. Thanks Dan glad you like the blog. Being a Vietnam I figured it is an honor to show all the young guys who fought there.

Happy you enjoyed it my good friend!. (smile)

Great Blog Sgt Dutch… Congrats!.

Amicalement
Armand

Let me again add my personal thanks…great site.

I must follow up on Legion 4's comment on what I assume was an Armoured Recovery Vehicle…..totally new to me. Off to Wiki now….

I am much more confident in 1815. No more expert…just more confident.

The M728 is a Combat Engineer Vehicle. Has a short barrel 165mm Demo Gun. Pics 5 & 22. ghqmodels.com/store/n30.html

The US ARMY M88 Armored Recovery Vehicle in Pics – 13 & 19 … ghqmodels.com/store/n27.html

The US ARMY was still using those when I was on active duty, '79-'90.

Here is another of a the M578.

Those GHQ models are superb and those heavy lift vehicles do represent some serious engineering indeed! thanks.

I only just noticed the extra picture of the M48 added on. I am intrigued by the photographer's determination to get a good shot. Everyone one else is in a ditch or at least keeping low…….in contrast to the camera which is well ahead of the advance!

Here is that link again to GHQ's M578 & M88. ghqmodels.com/store/n27.html The M578 on the left and M88 on the right. The labeled the pic incorrectly(?). They pic sgt Dutch just posted is of an M88 and M48. Looks like they are replacing an engine.

In our Mech Bn we had about 4-6[IIRC] M578 Light Tracked Recovery Vehicles. Called "Cherry Pickers by the Troops. And 2 M88s Heavy Recovery Vehicles.

IIRC the Armor Bns had 6 or 8 M88s? Back in '79-'90 when I was on Active Duty.

My memory is not what is used to be …

I was assigned as both a Mech Bn and later Mech Hvy Inf Bde Motor Officer. Even though I was an Inf Officer. That was standard for an Inf Officer to be a Bn MO. And Armor Officer at Bn MO, etc.

But an Ordinance Officer was supposed to be at Bde level But the Bde Cdr "like my work" as a Bn MO. So he moved me to the CBT SPT Bn. And the Bde MO.

Note routinely the M578 or M88 crews could replace an AFV engine in about 4 hours. And get it back rolling on ops.

And I've seen an M88 pick up an M901 ITV that flipped on it's side. Put it back on it's tracks. And both rolled away … it only took a few minutes.

I ended up my second Southeast Asia vacation in the engineer company attached to the 196th Infantry Brigade in Danang. The Engineer Company (Provisional)* was unusual in that it had 12 platoons, so it was really more of a short battalion, and one of the platoons was the "tank platoon", made up of 2 M48 AVLBs and one M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle. The AVLBs were used occasionally but the CEV sat in a revetment with the demolition gun pointing down Engineer Pass and filling us with false expectations. We had intel that there would be a rerun of the Tet Offensive in February 1972. The VC had come into Danang through Engineer Pass in 1968 but this time we were ready for them because we had this armored vehicle with this big-ass gun and we were going to kick ass and take names.

It didn't happen, of course. Our Kit Carson told us that the offensive was going to come from the north in April and he was right, probably because he had contacts all over the place and in any case the mamasans in the local houses of ill repute knew more about what was going on than USARV and I Corps. When the alert had been lifted I asked the commander of our armored force, a buck sergeant whose name escapes me, whether he and his crew were disappointed that they handed had a chance to fire the big gun. He laughed.

"Hell," he said. "We ain't had any ammo for that gun for goin' on six months. The old man ordered us not to talk about it 'cause he thought it'd make y'all nervous."

*NOT the 175th Engineer Company of which military historians seem to be so fond. The Engr Co (Prov) was formed around A Company 26th Engineer Battalion (Combat) when the Americal Division stood down in November 1971, leaving behind the the 196th Infantry Brigade and the engineers who had been part of the roll up team, i.e. cleaned all the crap we didn't turn over to the ARVNs. Even Shelby Stanton got it wrong.

Legion4 I noticed the mistake. But you only get about half hour to make corrections. It is the way this site works. My unit was attached to the 196th INf 3/21 battalion Company "D". I headed to the big PX in the sky in 1970.

I do that all the time Sgt. I thought that was the case. I come back to see what posted hours later and I'm like – WDF ! I try to blame it on Auto-correct !!!

And both Dutch and Brass – Thank you for your service !

As said I served '79-'90. So I have a massive amount of respect for Vets who served in SE Asia.

Dutch, we did a lot of clean up and/or blow up work for the 3/21 after we moved to Danang and, when the Easter Offensive started in April 72, I was with the two squads of engineers that went up to Phu Bai with them as part of Taskforce Lafayette. Good outfit and the last to leave when the brigade was pulled out in June and July.

LT