[51], Anti-sensor techniques. When it sounded you scrambled to the nearest bunker for protection. In the early years of the insurgency in the South a larger variety of weapons were used, ranging from World War I-era bolt-action rifles to World War II-era weapons, with procurement via a wide range of methods. Ferries shuttled troops across rivers and streams. June 24: A PAVN 122mm rocket struck the Thanh Tam Hospital in Ho Nai, Bin Ha Province, killing one patient. Overall weight of the weapon launch system was around 120-pounds (making it quite easy for several soldiers to move and use). A bit ungrateful of our Ukrainian friends to complain about our military aid and the thousands of Yarmuk rockets sent as they are being used from weapons which are not meant for them. is familiar to Westerners, less is known about the tens of thousands of teenage girls and young women (ages 13 to 22) sent south: the young women warriors Hanoi sent to fight and die along the Ho Ch Minh Trail struggled daily not only with American bombs but also with hunger, disease, sexual abuse, and death. The rocket launchers, relatively light, were broken down into portable pieces the men could carry, along with their ammunition. Women survivors, who often would be left sterile, disfigured, and bitterly alone in a society that treasured the extended family, adapted to the unspeakable carnage in war.[39]. Most material movement in bulk was not by gangs of sweating laborers, but modern Soviet-supplied trucks. Other weapon systems were also used. When Hanoi showed no signs of weakening, the rationale shifted toward interdiction, but this goal, too, proved unobtainable. [46] Official North Vietnamese sources also confirm the massive buildup, although figures differ between American and Northern sources. Other missile salvos damaged accompanying aircraft. The country continued to function for war despite the aerial onslaught. Public entrance via Fairbairn Avenue, Campbell ACT 2612, Book your ticket to visit: awm.gov.au/visit, Copyright PHIL M. HAUN, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF. 122 mm rockets captured in the rocket belt south of Da Nang transported on a mule motorized cart to Camp Dong Son. Since China bordered Vietnam, it was an immensely important conduit of material on land, although the Soviets also delivered some of its aid by sea. Prima. [13], The Trail had over 20 major way-stations operated by dedicated logistics units or Binh Trams, responsible for air and land defence, and delivery of supplies and replacements to fighting points in the South. Physical description. The National Liberation Front (NLF) was a united front designed to encourage non-communists to support the insurgency in the south. [25], Some port areas of North Vietnam were also vital to the logistical effort, as were ships by socialist nations that fed the continual stream of war material. Posted by 6 days ago. Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains today and into the future. There was a significant overlap of logistical functions in the communist organization, as the PAVN and the VC civilian agencies worked an area. Other types used by the less standardized VC included the Soviet PPS-43, captured or Chinese produced M1 Thompson and M3 Grease Guns, and ex-German MP 40. By Crusader1307. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for New 1:72 China PLA PHZ89 122MM Multi Barrel Self-propelled Rocket Launcher Model at the best online prices at eBay! . She is fluent in German and is a member of the U.K. Military Historical Society. There were several ways to keep traffic moving amid the destruction wrought by the bombers. Later ''modified versions'' claimed distances of 11,000-meters. The phrase was also used in Vietnam to describe similar underground sniping holes used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, according to the US army Military History Institute. [50], A daily march cycle might begin at 4:00am with a pause around noon, and continuation until dusk-6:00pm. The stage was now set for the battle under the new Union commander, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. Duplication also produced a wider range of alternative sources for supplies, and made the whole structure more resilient. This network was considered an integral part of the overall supply system incorporating Laos and North Vietnam and centered around the Cambodian port of Kompong Somor Sihanoukville. Cambodia's port of Sihanoukville made possible the flooding of the South Vietnam battlefield with a family of Sino-Soviet equipment that was completely compatible with that used by VC/NVA forces in the rest of Vietnam. An AC-47 on station at the time forced the VC to abort their attack and abandon some equipment. Viet Cong 122 mm DKZ-B Rocket Launcher and Stand. This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 08:57. Air interdiction of the Trail hurt supply efforts but failed to stop the logistical buildup on a sustained basis. Two technicals MLR GRAD 122MM, 52 km range. The siren would sound again to indicate the attack had ended and all was clear to exit from your bunker. If you saw a curve in the red arc it was hitting the ARVN base camp or the Air Force base. Designated personnel were tasked with dismantling them, or watchmen kept them under observation- signaling all within blast distance to disperse when the bombs showed signs of detonating. Her areas of interest include the Vietnam War and World Wars I and II, with a focus on Great Britain, Germany and Eastern Europe. The Ho Chi Minh Trail consumed massive amounts of attention, but the internal pipelines were also crucial, and these were not closed off because the US and particularly the South Vietnamese Government failed to control the major population concentrations effectively.[20]. (Two above Photos by Chris Bussells, 31st HHC), Newly built Charlie Troop hooches before sandbags, Two above photos by Jordan Green (Charlie Troop Maintenance, 1969-70). 1998. Infiltration numbers increased yearly. Our hooch did not take a direct hit, but a Red platoon . In Ukraine, these shells are reportedly being fired from BM-21 Grad, a soviet-era MLRS inherited by Ukraine, which is also the most widely used artillery rocket system in the world. cit, Pike "Viet Cong", op. US patrols encountered numerous B-52 bomb craters used as fish and duck ponds by PAVN/VC troops. American war makers ran a restrained start-stop aerial campaign for fear of Chinese or Soviet intervention exempting MiG airfields in China, targets above certain geographical or navigational boundaries, and many dams and locks associated with North Vietnam's agricultural system. 116. Bomb tonnages dropped on the Trail in Laos offer some indication of the scale of the American campaign: 1969 433,000 tons, 1970 394,000 tons (74,147 sorties), 1971 402,000 tons (69,000 sorties). [3][4], Weapons used by the VC were originally a varied mixture of both French weapons from the days of French Indochina, captured enemy weapons and Soviet and Chinese support, including both newly produced weapons, old stockpiles and captured enemy stockpiles from World War II. In the space of 20 seconds, a single Grad can launch its 40 122mm rocket-propelled rounds, hitting targets across a 15-20 hectare territory at distances of between 25-45 km. By 1968, activity was brisk on the Trail. Way-stations were located deep in the forest, and contained caches of supplies for use by the infiltrators. Copyright 2013 Stronghold Nation. Again bombing failed to fulfill the promises made for it. The North Vietnamese were quick to take advantage of the leverage afforded under both Johnson and Nixon. The initial American Operation Rolling Thunder campaign while inflicting painful local damage, did not halt the continual stream of men and materiel into the south. Yarmuk 122mm rockets are meant to be used with our Ghazab launchers while Ukrainians are using Show more. [10] China also provided radar stations and airfields where Vietnam People's Air Force aircraft could marshal for attack, or flee to when in trouble against American air forces. It handled all storage, movement, anti-aircraft defense and fortification on the Ho Chi Minh Trail which snaked through parts of Laos and Cambodia. February 23, 1969. Then there was the night Charlie threw some big stuff at us (Sept. 12th 1970). During the bombing campaign over the north, facilities and installations were widely dispersed and concealed. Sturdier pontoon structures were made by tying wooden canal boats together with camouflage measures to hide them during the day from aerial observation. One of the most helpless feelings I experienced in Vietnam is when our firebase was being mortared (incoming) and hoping the next rocket wouldnt be a direct hit. The term NVA identifies regular troops of the North Vietnamese Army as they were commonly known by their Western opponents. Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers, []. A VC rocket attack on Bien Hoa Air Base on May 12, 1967, caused only moderate damage but provided a major breakthrough. The Nixon regime forbade the bombing of dams and dikes for example, along with POW camps, hospitals and religious shrines. Total losses to disease are estimated at around 10 to 20%. 2002. r/shittytechnicals. The ICRC estimates that in Laos alone, 9 to . Repairs were often done at night when the enemy aircraft would be less active. VC fighters in some areas ironically treasured the American M16 Rifle despite its sometimes quirky performance, for the wide availability of both the weapon and its ammunition on the black market or through purchase from corrupt ARVN soldiers, or through the careless handling and loss of magazines by US troops. Other rocket types included tube-launched Chinese 107mm and Soviet 140mm variants.[4]. When the attack seemed to be over, we came out of the bunker to access the damage. In the latter year of the conflict, field units of the VC/PAVN deployed Soviet SA-7 Man-portable air-defense system that presented a significant challenge to US air dominance, particularly helicopters. These rockets are launched from a LAU-10 container, with a capacity for 4 units.. rockets, fired without warning from the surrounding area, rained down on the U.S. camp. Throughout most of the conflict the US generally enjoyed air superiority, although this was often challenged in the north by MiG fighters and especially modern Soviet surface-to-air missiles. 152175. 2005. GRADUAL FAILURE: THE AIR WAR OVER NORTH VIETNAM 19651966. Communist forces target Saigon and . On the night of July 14, the new 122mm launchers were set up in six . 152175, Clodfelter. Accurate, powerful, easy to maintain and repair, the D-74 remained in service with the Peoples Army of Vietnam through about 2010. 27119, John H. Hay Jr., Vietnam Studies: Tactical and Materiel Innovations (Washington D.C., Department of the Army: 1989) pp. Since most of the US effort focused on trucks, the bulk of the fighting men were able to travel without the full weight of US pressure, although they sometimes came under attack. The shorter pack carried the warhead and fuze in the detachable triangular pouch snapped on. All rights reserved. Fin stabilization was used (4 on the tail of the rocket). Da Nang, Spring 1968. pg 20. Format. Outgunned and out-ranged in artillery, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam saw its weapons quickly silenced. The whole network was segmented, so that one part did not know the other branches. For a 122, you have seven seconds to get hidden before impact. There was a row of barrels filled with sand between us and where the mortar landed. Since July 3, 1863, there have been many calls for Confederate flags to be returned to their home states, and in particular, for the 28th Virginia Infantry Regiment flag return to Virginia. In our basecamp full of rubber trees, a tree . [51], Techniques used to fool US air-power also included placing gasoline-soaked rags along the trail to fool pilots into thinking they had hit or ignited something of value. The railway network in the Chinese provinces bordering North Vietnam was of vital importance in importing war material. [9] Targeting however was tightly controlled and limited, and while most major industrial centers had been destroyed by 1967, imports from Soviet bloc countries and China furnished most war-making material. Stars and Stripes news special-reports vietnam-at-50, Tet Offensive & Khe Sahn Vietnam War Footage, Vietnam War Casualties Listed by Home of Record. The two most common types included the French MAT 49, using either its original 919mm ammunition or having been converted to use the 7.6225mm Tokarev cartridge, and the Soviet/Chinese PPSh-41, often modified and converted in PAVN arsenals to the K-50M. A Romanian LAROM multiple rocket launcher which can fire 122mm rockets, as seen here, or 160mm types., DoloresRKT via Wikimedia Any of the dozens of existing 122mm rocket launcher operators could . For example, US F-4 aircraft destroyed power generators at the Lang Chi Hydroelectric Plant during Linebacker I, but left its dam 50 feet (15m) away untouched to minimize civilian collateral damage. Armed liaison agents, who knew only their section of the Trail, led each infiltrating group between way-stations. Within the southern logistical organization, 3 agencies were responsible. This takeover involved setting up new headquarters and replacing fallen VC with PAVN regulars. [13] Some binh trams had extensive anti-aircraft defenses. Within SVN, the PAVN/VC military HQ, COVSN, had responsibility for overall logistical coordination. In terms of stopping Hanoi's ruthless drive for reunification, the overall US bombing campaign, with its varied stops and starts, was ultimately ineffective in the face of cascading imports from socialist allies, political restraints on American action, the remorseless marshaling of the populace and the stoic endurance of the North Vietnamese. [31] The largest repair organization was the Youth Shock Brigades Against the Americans for National Salvation. by Merle Pribbenow, Lawerence KS: University of Kansas Press, 2002, p. 78-211, The BDM Corporation, "A Study of Strategic Lessons learned in Vietnam", (The BDM Corporation: 1979) p. 5-1, NLF and PAVN strategy, organization and structure, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, "K vt gn lin lch s Cng an Vit Nam", "Sng tiu lin K61 ca anh hng c cng L B c", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NLF_and_PAVN_logistics_and_equipment&oldid=1150291885. Conflict. Indeed the sanctuaries gave them the trump card that enabled them to fight a protracted war and outlast the United States commitment to the Republic of Vietnam.[58]. US MACV estimates posited a more modest total of around 280,000. Three more batteries were stationed around the Chu-Lai airstrips in the "Rocket Pocket", the target of 122mm rockets day and night, during '69's post TET offensive. They were fielded in 1966 and would remain dominant until the end of The War in 1975. The Forward Supply Council marshaled the money and resources raised by the Finance section, and the services of the rear Group. [44] The Nixon regime removed some of the operational constraints on American power late in the war, but was already committed to removing US forces from the theater, and the punishment inflicted by expanded bombing, while heavy, did not fundamentally threaten Hanoi's existence. [9] China provided an estimated $150 million to $200 million annually, along with such in-kind aid as the deployment of thousands of troops in road and railway construction in the border provinces. This particular example was recovered from an arms dump near the Cambodian border. South Vietnamese units trying to move came under fire as nightfall and cloud coverage limited the use of air power. Camouflage was used heavily. The Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) used well-organized logistics methods to supply and equip their fighting forces. Both of these artillery guns were used in the counter-attack against Vietnam. The 470th Transport group was established to move material from Cambodia. R-Han 122 is a family of rocket artillery developed by PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) of Indonesia with maximum speed Mach 2.95 (3,614 km/h) and maximum range of 32 km. In all, some 320,000 Chinese soldiers served in Vietnam during the war. [1], Overall, the supplies and equipment of communist units were adequate, and their infantry small-arms were a match for those of their opponents. We pay our respects to elders past and present. ARVN and US sources were also significant localized conduits of arms. Staff Sgt Dave Roger. Mauser Kar98k rifles, both of captured German origin by way of Soviet Union or Chinese-made Chiang Kai-shek rifles were also provided as military aid. She has written numerous military history books, articles and book reviews and is also an award-winning author. The B-52 has been used in Vietnam, the . Tonnages needed for communist forces were modest for the low-intensity protracted war style. It is similar to the BM-13 "Katyusha" and was partly replaced in service by the 122 mm BM-21 Grad. Some 2,000 imported generators provided essential power, and oil and gas were shuttled ashore on small craft from Soviet ships and stored in thousands of small 55-gallon drums throughout the countryside, alongside roads and in rice paddies. By the war's end almost a million soldiers had made the trip down the Trail and tens of thousands of tons were being transported annually.[15]. Study No. and 107-mm. but it was written in the 1970s to cover the use of napalm in Vietnam, which is not how these weapons . The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. In Vietnam this rocket comprised one of the primary means of inflicting standoff attacks against airfields and other . T-300 Kasirga. I rolled out of bed to the floor and low crawled as fast as I could to the nearest bunker. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. . Bridges across water obstacles were often built under water, difficult to detect from the air, and multiple crossing points were developed. Sakr-18 [Egyptian] 122-mm Multiple Rocket Launcher. Common weapons included the French MAS-36 and other weapons left behind from the First Indochina war, the Soviet Mosin-Nagant, especially M1944 carbines, mostly by way of China. Logs and bamboo were laid over the quickly dissolving mud and the Northern fighters moved on. Movement was at night to avoid American air attacks. By that evening, virtually every ARVN fire support base within 20 miles of the border was surrounded and fighting for survival. [22], Load bearing by porters was greatly enhanced by the use of ingenious "steel horses" bicycles specially modified by widening the handlebars, strengthening the suspensions and adding cargo pallets. Over 150,000 Northern soldiers however remained in the South after the 1972 Offensive, expanding the conquered zone, building up logistics capacity (including the construction and extension of pipelines) and biding their time, until the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975. As noted above, the risk of air attack caused men and material to move along linked, but separate routes, and truck loading operated in shuttle fashion. Zita is the editor of both Military History Quarterly and Vietnam Magazine. The NVA employed the gun as the long-range component of independent artillery regiments assigned to advancing forces. Tubes ranged from 8 to 10-feet in length. As the war progressed, the North Vietnamese expanded and improved the Trail, moving material by truck, installing missile batteries for air defense and laying fuel pipelines. A massive 1966 bombing mission by thirty B-52's for example attempted to pulverize vital stretches of the strategic Mu Gia Pass.
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