All,
1500 Local Time
4 March 1966
Near Hill 50, Quang Ngai Province, RVN
Operation Utah
"So, you really think we're gonna get out and tangle with the North Vietnamese?" Nikki asked Danny. "Hell, I dunno man. On the one hand, look around, we got all these boots, loads of new gear, everybody's fired up like it's the 4th of July. But hell, dontcha remember, they said the same thing about Operation Double Eagle."
This time HQ had it right: Operation Utah was the Marine Corps' first contact with the North Vietnamese Army, and it was a doozy. At 0900 on 4 March 1966, US Marine helicopters lifted an ARVN battalion into an LZ 7 miles northwest of Quang Ngai City; heavy antiaircraft fire was encountered, downing a Marine UH-1 Huey and an F-4 Phantom! The ARVN didn't encounter much resistance once they were on the ground, and they begin maneuvering towards a cluster of hills, Hill 50, 97, and 85. The helos returned to Chu Lai to pick up the waiting Marines of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines (2/7), and began ferrying them back to Quang Ngai, but only one platoon of Kilo Co, 2/7 (K/2/7) was able to be inserted before another hellacious bout of antiaircraft fire cut loose. K/2/7 was isolated for about 15 minutes before the rest of Kilo could be landed, followed by G/2/7 and the battalion's Command Group, which was complete by 1130 local time. The boys were with H/2/7 as part of the third wave, waiting for the helos to return, and were shocked when their pickup was delayed because so many of the twenty of the helos had been shot full of holes, and two of the UH-34s had been shot down! Another helo squadron was quickly scrambled to support, and by 1300 on 4 March 1966, the boys were on the ground in Quang Ngai Province, north of the cluster of hills.
Golf and Kilo had taken Hills 85 and 97 against very light resistance, while the ARVN were working on Hill 50, which was beginning to show sings of being a tough nut to crack, so much so that the ARVN battalion commander was now desperately pleading for 2/7 to support them. As word came in that the ARVN and US Marines were facing the 21st North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Regiment, and that the NVA intended to stand and fight, the Marines' overall commander, General Platt, immediately called up reinforcements, in the form of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, which would be landed the following day, 5 March 1966.
It took awhile to get into position because the ARVN had been held up and thus weren't where they were supposed to be, but LtCol Utter (2/7's commander) got this companies reorganized and moving, now east to west against Hill 50 with Fox Company on the left, Golf in the center, and Hotel on the right, with the ARVN to the battalion's left. Fox Company's job was to maintain contact with the ARVN, Hotel's job was to screen the battalion's open right (southern) flank, while Golf Company was charged with securing Hill 50.
Naturally, the boys' platoon was now attached to Golf Company; "Up and at'em, @#$%birds, time to go earn your pay," Sergeant Garcia said, and they fell in on the far left flank of Golf Company, which was moving east in a company-sized skirmish line, not yet taking fire, though they could hear sounds of battle to their left, where the ARVN were engaged.
Overview, north is up. The center of the west side of Hill 50, showing signs of earlier airstrikes by Marine A-4s and F-4s, runs north to south across the east (right) side of the table, where you can see the hill is honeycombed with NVA defensive positions. There are a few clumps of dense jungle present, but mostly it's the hill and the open rice paddies to the west, which the Marines will be crossing in skirmish line.
The NVA are now occupying their defensive positions: the North Bunker (top center), the South Bunker (bottom right), the AAA Position (top right), and the trenchline running across the hilltop. There is a destroyed bunker at bottom center (taken out by the airstrikes). The Marine mortar team has taken up positions in a hedge in the southwest (bottom left), while the entire squad is fanned out in skirmish line from top left to bottom center left. 1st Fireteam is on the far left, then 2nd Fireteam, the Squad's command group, and 3rd Fireteam.
A traditional fight: the opposing forces, with the Marines on the left and the NVA on the right. The squad is actually overstrength, with sixteen men, two above their allotted table of organization strength.
And they've got a 60mm mortar team attached!
The Marines inch their way forward under heavy fire, taking casualties, in order to close with the NVA bunkers.
Despite a plethora of difficulties, a handful of Marines reach the enemy trenchline on the right flank (left center)!
To see how the fight turned out, please check the blog at:
link
Next fight coming soon.
V/R,
Jack