All,
1330 Local Time
5 March 1966
Near Hill 50, Quang Ngai Province, RVN
Operation Utah
Earlier this morning 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines pulled back and the boys humped over to join 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, which was now charged with securing Hill 50. The squad linked up with 3/1 and was briefed on the plan to assault Hill 50 from the northeast, with ARVN units attacking further west; as a matter of fact, the ARVN were claiming they had already secured Hill 50. However, preliminary recon by 3/1 proved that was not the case. So the battalion marched south, to its jump-off positions, where the Marines flopped down in the grass to enjoy a nice C-ration lunch and enjoy the show put on by the 105mm howitzers of 12th Marines and assorted airstrikes by Marine A-4 Skyhawks and F-4 Phantoms. The Marines even joined in with the occasional 'oohs' and 'ahs,' as napalm sent flame and roiling black clouds into the sky, as Willie Pete burst on the slopes, sending its white tendrils in every direction, or a string of 500-pound bombs went off, sending shockwaves across the valley. All a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend one's lunch hour.
"Look at all that," Rivera exclaimed. "This'll be a walkover, nobody could survive all that pounding." "Don't kid yourself, Rivera," Cpl Little replied. "Don't any of you kid yourself, there'll be plenty of dinks up there waiting for us, and they'll be plenty pissed of, just like yesterday. So you keep your @#$% wired tight, we're gonna be in for another helluva fight, and we're gonna need everyone pulling his weight," said Cpl Little, shooting a glance at Contreras. "And I do mean everyone."
Overview, north is up. The northeast corner of Hill 50 is visible from far left to bottom center, with two NVA bunkers present, linked by communications trenches and otherwise dotted by patches of jungle and craters from the Marine artillery and airstrikes. Too the southeast is the western end of the village of Chau Nhai (3), which is known to be fortified and occupied by the NVA as well. The squad will be entering from the northeast (top right), looking to make use of the few hedges and thickets of jungle offering cover amongst the slew of rice paddies.
The NVA have both bunkers occupied with troops, men in the trenchlines in the west, and several men manning the trenchline in the ville (bottom right), while the Marine squad is in its jump-off position (top right), ready to launch their assault.
Nik hammers away with his M-60 (bottom right) at the bunkers atop Hill 50 (top center left) as Cpl Little leads the assault element forward (center, from right), looking to get into that stand of trees below the hill (far left).
The assault element reaches the copse of trees (far right), then begins pushing into the ville (far left).
But they've gotten away from the base of Hill 50 (center left top), far enough that the NVA in the East Bunker (bottom right) can spot them and open fire…
A Marine is hit (casualty figure in the grass at right, between the craters and the urns) and Doc fearlessly dashes forward to treat him, ignoring the torrent of NVA fire coming his way.
Two Marines (left and center) are able to work their way out of the village (far right) and clamber up the slope of Hill 50, towards the East Bunker (just visible at far left).
The NVA in the East Bunker saw movement go off to their right and realized they are being outflanked, so they fall back out of the bunker and come left to meet the threat…
To see how the fight turns out, please visit the blog at:
link
Next fight (the last of Operation Utah) coming soon.
V/R,
Jack
ponders nirvana.
