THE LULL BETWEEN THE STORMS
With the departure of the 3d Marines, a relative calm prevailed at Khe
Sanh for the remainder of the year. Although occasional encounters and
sightings indicated that the Communists still had an interest in the
area, there was a marked decrease in large unit contacts and the tempo
of operations slackened to a preinvasion pace. Such was not the case in
other portions of Quang Tri Province.
During the summer and fall of 1967, the center of activity shifted
to the eastern DMZ area. After being battered and thrown for a loss
on their end sweep, the Communists concentrated on the middle of the
line again. With an estimated 37 battalions poised along the border,
the NVA constituted a genuine threat to the northernmost province. At
times as many as eight Marine battalions were shuttled into the area
for short-term operations and three or four were there full time, but
the enemy's intensified campaign created a demand for more troops.
As a result, General Westmoreland was forced to make major force
realignments throughout South Vietnam to satisfy the troop requirements
in I Corps.(14)
General Westmoreland drew the bulk of these reinforcements from areas
in Vietnam which, at the time, were under less pressure than the five
northern provinces. During April and May 1967, Task Force OREGON,
comprised of nine U. S. Army battalions from II and III Corps, moved
into the Chu Lai-Duc Pho region and was placed under the operational
control of General Walt. By the end of May, five battalions of the 5th
and 7th Marines at Chu Lai had been released for service further north.
Two of these units moved into the Nui Loc Son Basin northwest of Tam
Ky to conduct offensive operations and support the sagging Vietnamese
Revolutionary Development efforts. The other three settled in the Da
Nang tactical area of responsibility (TAOR) and in turn released two
Marine battalions, 1/1 and 2/1, which moved to Thua Thien and Quang Tri
provinces.
In addition to his in-country assets, General Westmoreland also
called on Admiral U. S. Grant Sharp, Commander in Chief, Pacific, for
reinforcements. Besides the two Special Landing Forces afloat with the
U. S. Seventh Fleet, the Pacific Command maintained a Marine Battalion
Landing Team (BLT 3/4) as an amphibious reserve on Okinawa.[7](15)
Actually, this unit was part of the BLT rotation system whereby
battalions were periodically shuttled out of Vietnam for retraining and
refurbishing in Okinawa before assignment to the SLF. ComUSMACV needed
the unit and got it. On 15 May, 3/4 began an airlift from Okinawa to
Dong Ha by Air Force and Marine C-130 aircraft and within 31 hours the
1,233-man force was in-country. After the realignment of units in I
Corps was complete, there was a net increase of four USMC battalions in
the DMZ area making a total of seven. Additionally, the SLFs, cruising
off the Vietnamese coast, provided two more battalions which could be
landed quickly and added to the III MAF inventory. SLF Alpha (BLT 1/3
and HMM-362) was placed on 24-hour alert to come ashore and SLF Bravo
(BLT 2/3 and HMM-164) was given a 96-hour reaction time.(16)
During the second half of 1967, the enemy offensive south of the DMZ
was a bloody repetition of the previous year's effort. With more
courage than good sense, the NVA streamed across the DMZ throughout the
summer only to be met and systematically chewed up in one engagement
after another. In July, the enemy, supported by his long-range
artillery along the Ben Hai, mounted a major thrust against the 9th
Marines near the strongpoint of Con Thien. Reinforced by SLFs Alpha and
Bravo, the 9th Marines countered with Operation BUFFALO and, between
the 2d and 14th of July, killed 1,290 NVA. Marine losses were 159 dead
and 345 wounded.(17)
[Illustration: Action near the DMZ was characterized by hard fighting
in rugged terrain. A Marine of 3/4 moves forward during Operation
PRAIRIE. (USMC Photo A187904)]
[Illustration: Marine Battalion Landing Teams aboard U. S. Seventh
Fleet shipping augmented III MAF forces. USS =Iwo Jima= stands off
South Vietnamese coast. (USMC Photo A650016)]
After this crushing defeat, the NVA shifted its emphasis from direct
infantry assaults to attacks by fire. Utilizing long-range rockets and
artillery pieces tucked away in caves and treelines along the DMZ, the
enemy regularly shelled Marine fire support and logistical bases from
Cam Lo to Cua Viet. One of the most destructive attacks was against
Dong Ha where, on 3 September, 41 enemy artillery rounds hit the base
and touched off a series of spectacular explosions which lasted for
over four hours. Several helicopters were damaged but, more important,
a fuel farm and a huge stockpile of ammunition went up in smoke.
Thousands of gallons of fuel and tons of ammunition were destroyed. The
enormous column of smoke from the exploding dumps rose above 12,000
feet and was visible as far south as Hue-Phu Bai.(18)
The preponderance of enemy fire, however, was directed against Con
Thien. That small strongpoint, never garrisoned by more than a
reinforced battalion, was situated atop Hill 158, 10 miles northwest
of Dong Ha and, from their small perch, the Marines had a commanding
view of any activity in the area. In addition, from one to three
battalions were always in the immediate vicinity and deployed so that
they could outflank any major enemy force which tried to attack the
strongpoint. Con Thien also anchored the western end of "the barrier,"
a 600-meter-wide trace which extended eastward some eight miles to Gio
Linh. This strip was part of an anti-infiltration system and had been
bulldozed flat to aid in visual detection.[8](19)
Because of its strategic importance, Con Thien became the scene of
heavy fighting. The base itself was subjected to several ground
attacks, plus an almost incessant artillery bombardment which, at its
peak, reached 1,233 rounds in one 24-hour period. Most of the NVA and
Marine casualties, however, were sustained by maneuver elements in
the surrounding area. Operation KINGFISHER, which succeeded BUFFALO,
continued around Con Thien and by 31 October, when it was superseded by
two new operations, had accounted for 1,117 enemy dead. Marine losses
were 340 killed.[9](20)
While heavy fighting raged elsewhere, action around Khe Sanh continued
to be light and sporadic. Immediately after its arrival on 13 May,
Colonel Padley's undermanned 26th Marines commenced Operation
CROCKETT.[10](21) The mission was to occupy key terrain, deny the enemy
access into vital areas, conduct reconnaissance-in-force operations to
destroy any elements within the TAOR, and provide security for the base
and adjacent outposts. Colonel Padley was to support the Vietnamese
irregular forces with his organic artillery as well as coordinate
the efforts of the American advisors to those units. He also had the
responsibility of maintaining small reconnaissance teams for long-range
surveillance.(22)
To accomplish his mission, the colonel had one infantry battalion,
1/26, a skeleton headquarters, and an artillery group under the control
of 1/13. The 1st Battalion, 26th Marines, commanded by Lieutenant
Colonel James B. Wilkinson, maintained one rifle company on Hill
881S and one on 861; a security detachment on Hill 950 to protect
a communication relay site; a rifle company and the Headquarters
and Service Company (H&S Co) for base security; and one company in
reserve. The units on the hill outposts patrolled continuously within
a 4,000-meter radius of their positions. Reconnaissance teams were
inserted further out, primarily to the north and northwest. Whenever
evidence revealed enemy activity in an area, company-sized search and
destroy sweeps were conducted. Although intelligence reports indicated
that the three regiments of the =325C NVA Division= (i.e. =95C=,
=101D=, and =29th=) were still in the Khe Sanh TAOR, there were few
contacts during the opening weeks of the operation.(23)
Toward the end of May and throughout June, however, activity picked
up. On 21 May, elements of Company A, 1/26, clashed sharply with
a reinforced enemy company; 25 NVA and 2 Marines were killed. The
same day, the Lang Vei CIDG camp was attacked by an enemy platoon.
On 6 June, the radio relay site on Hill 950 was hit by an NVA force
of unknown size and the combat base was mortared. The following
morning a patrol from Company B, 1/26, engaged another enemy company
approximately 2,000 meters northwest of Hill 881S. A platoon from
Company A was helilifted to the scene and the two Marine units killed
66 NVA while losing 18 men. Due to the increasing number of contacts,
the 3d Battalion, 26th Marines, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Kurt
L. Hoch, was transferred to the operational control of its parent unit
and arrived at Khe Sanh on 13 June. Two weeks later, the newly arrived
unit got a crack at the NVA when Companies I and L engaged two enemy
companies 5,000 meters southwest of the base and, along with air and
artillery, killed 35.(24)
Operation CROCKETT continued as a two-battalion effort until 16 July
when it terminated. The cumulative casualty figures were 204 enemy KIA
(confirmed), 52 Marines KIA, and 255 Marines wounded. The following
day, operations continued under a new name--ARDMORE. The name was
changed; the mission, the units, and the TAOR remained basically
the same. But again the fighting tapered off. Except for occasional
contacts by reconnaissance teams and patrols, July and August were
quiet.(25)
On 12 August, Colonel David E. Lownds relieved Colonel Padley as the
commanding officer of the 26th Marines. At this time the 3d Marine
Division was deployed from the area north of Da Nang to the DMZ and
from the South China Sea to the Laotian border. In order to maintain
the initiative, Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman, Jr., who had
relieved General Walt as CG, III MAF in June, drew down on certain
units to provide sufficient infantry strength for other operations.
Except for several small engagements Khe Sanh had remained relatively
quiet; therefore, on the day after Colonel Lownds assumed command, the
regiment was whittled down by two companies when K and L, 3/26, were
transferred to the 9th Marines for Operation KINGFISHER. Three weeks
later, the rest of 3/26 was also withdrawn and, as far as Marine units
were concerned, Colonel Lownds found himself "not so much a regimental
commander as the supervisor of a battalion commander." The colonel,
however, was still responsible for coordinating the efforts of all the
other Allied units (CACO, CIDG, RF, etc) in the Khe Sanh TAOR.(26)
[Illustration: Colonel John J. Padley turns over the colors and the
26th Marines to Colonel David E. Lownds on 12 August 1967. (Photo
courtesy Colonel David E. Lownds)]
As Operation ARDMORE dragged on, the Marines at Khe Sanh concentrated
on improving the combat base. The men were kept busy constructing
bunkers and trenches both inside the perimeter and on the hill
outposts. On the hills, this proved to be no small task as was pointed
out by the 1/26 battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson:
The monsoon rains had little effect on 881, but when the first
torrential rains of the season hit 861 the results were disastrous.
The trenchline which encircled the hill washed away completely on
one side of the position and caved in on another side. Some bunkers
collapsed while others were so weakened they had to be completely
rebuilt. Because of the poor soil and the steepness of the terrain,
the new bunkers were built almost completely above ground. To
provide drainage, twenty-seven 55 gallon steel drums, with the tops
and bottoms removed, were installed in the sides of the trenches
around 861 so water would not stand in the trenches. (Culvert
material was not available.) All bunker materials, as well as other
supplies, were delivered to the hills by helicopter. Attempts were
made to obtain logs for fighting positions and bunkers in the
canopied jungle flanking the hills. This idea was not successful.
The trees close to 881 and 861 were so filled with shrapnel from
the battles the previous spring that the engineers did not want to
ruin their chain saws on the metal.... In spite of the shortages,
Marines of 1/26 worked extremely hard until every Marine on 881(S)
and 861 had overhead cover.(27)
Another bit of foresight which was to prove a God-send in the
succeeding months was the decision by higher headquarters to improve
the airstrip. The original runway had been a dirt strip on top of which
the U. S. Navy Seabees had laid aluminum matting. The 3,900-foot strip,
however, did not have a rock base and as a result of the heavy monsoon
rains, mud formed under the matting causing it to buckle in several
places. Upon direction, Colonel Lownds closed the field on 17 August.
His men located a hill 1,500 meters southwest of the perimeter which
served as a quarry. Three 15-ton rock crushers, along with other heavy
equipment, were hauled in and the Marine and Seabee working parties
started the repairs. During September and October, U. S. Air Force
C-130s of the 315th Air Division (under the operational control of
the 834th Air Division) delivered 2,350 tons of matting, asphalt, and
other construction material to the base by paradrops and a special
low-altitude extraction system. (See page 76) While the field was shut
down, resupply missions were handled by helicopters and C-7 "Caribou"
which could land on short segments of the strip. Work continued until
27 October when the field was reopened to C-123 aircraft and later, to
C-130s.(28)
On 31 October, Operation ARDMORE came to an uneventful conclusion. The
absence of any major engagements was mirrored in the casualty figures
which showed that in three and a half months, 113 NVA and 10 Marines
were killed. The next day, 1 November, the 26th Marines commenced
another operation, new in name only--SCOTLAND I. Again the mission and
units remained the same, and while the area of operations was altered
slightly, SCOTLAND I was basically just an extension of ARDMORE.(29)
One incident in November which was to have a tremendous effect on the
future of the combat base was the arrival of Major General Rathvon
McC. Tompkins at Phu Bai as the new Commanding General, 3d Marine
Division. General Tompkins took over from Brigadier General Louis
Metzger who had been serving as the Acting Division Commander following
the death of Major General Bruno Hochmuth in a helicopter crash on 14
November. In addition to being an extremely able commander, General
Tompkins possessed a peppery yet gentlemanly quality which, in the
gloom that later shrouded Khe Sanh, often lifted the spirits of his
subordinates. His numerous inspection trips, even to the most isolated
units, provided the division commander with a first-hand knowledge of
the tactical situation in northern I Corps which would never have been
gained by simply sitting behind a desk. When the heavy fighting broke
out at Khe Sanh, the general visited the combat base almost daily. Few
people were to influence the coming battle more than General Tompkins
or have as many close calls.(30)
During December, there was another surge of enemy activity.
Reconnaissance teams reported large groups of NVA moving into the area
and, this time, they were not passing through; they were staying.
There was an increased number of contacts between Marine patrols and
enemy units. The companies on Hills 881S and 861 began receiving more
and more sniper fire. Not only the hill outposts, but the combat base
itself, received numerous probes along the perimeter. In some cases,
the defensive wire was cut and replaced in such a manner that the break
was hard to detect. The situation warranted action, and again General
Cushman directed 3/26 to rejoin the regiment. On 13 December, the
3d Battalion, under its new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Harry L.
Alderman (who assumed command 21 August), was airlifted back to Khe
Sanh and the 26th Marines.(31)
On the 21st, the newly-arrived Marines saddled up and took to the
field. This was the first time that Colonel Lownds had been able to
commit a battalion-sized force since 3/26 had left Khe Sanh in August.
Lieutenant Colonel Alderman's unit was helilifted to 881S where it
conducted a sweep toward Hill 918, some 5,100 meters to the west,
and then returned to the combat base by the way of Hill 689. The 3d
Battalion made no contact with the enemy during the five-day operation
but the effort proved to be extremely valuable. First of all, the men
of 3/26 became familiar with the terrain to the west and south of
Hill 881S--a position which was later occupied by elements of the 3d
Battalion. The Marines located the best avenues of approach to the
hill, as well as probable sites for the enemy's supporting weapons.
Secondly, and most important, the unit turned up evidence (fresh
foxholes, well-used trails, caches, etc.) which indicated that the NVA
was moving into the area in force. These signs further strengthened the
battalion and regimental commanders' belief that "things were picking
up," and the confrontation which many predicted would come was not far
off. Captain Richard D. Camp, the company commander of L/3/26 put it a
little more bluntly: "I can smell ... _[_enemy_]_."(32)
[Illustration: General Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., Commandant of the
Marine Corps, talks with his son, First Lieutenant Walton F. Chapman,
during the General's visit to Khe Sanh in January 1968. Lieutenant
Chapman served with the 1st Battalion, 26th Marines and spent a good
portion of the siege on Hill 950. (USMC Photo A190283)]
FOOTNOTES:
[7] The two Special Landing Forces of the Seventh Fleet are each
comprised of a Marine Battalion Landing Team and a Marine helicopter
squadron, and provide ComUSMACV/CG, III MAF with a highly-flexible,
amphibious striking force for operations along the South Vietnam
littoral. During the amphibious operation, operational control of the
SLF remains with the Amphibious Task Force Commander designated by
Commander, Seventh Fleet. This relationship may persist throughout
the operation if coordination with forces ashore does not dictate
otherwise. When the Special Landing Force is firmly established ashore,
operational control may be passed to CG, III MAF who, in turn, may
shift this control to the division in whose area the SLF is operating.
Under such circumstances, operational control of the helicopter
squadron is passed by CG III MAF to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
[8] The system was an anti-infiltration barrier just south of the DMZ.
Obstacles were used to channelize the enemy. Strongpoints, such as Con
Thien, served as patrol bases and fire support bases.
[9] In addition to the action near the DMZ, there was one other area
in I Corps that was a hub of activity. The Nui Loc Son Basin, a rice
rich coastal plain between Hoi An and Tam Ky, was the operating area of
the =2d NVA Division=. Between April and October 1967, Marine, U. S.
Army, and ARVN troops conducted 13 major operations (including 3 SLF
landings) in this region and killed 5,395 enemy soldiers. By the end of
the year, the =2d NVA Division= was temporarily rendered useless as a
fighting unit.
[10] The official designation of the unit at Khe Sanh was Regimental
Landing Team 26 (Forward) which consisted of one battalion and a
lightly staffed headquarters. The other two battalions were in-country
but under the operational control of other units. The rest of the
headquarters, RLT-26 (Rear), remained at Camp Schwab, Okinawa as a
pipeline for replacements. RLT-26 (Forward) was under the operational
control of the 3d MarDiv and the administrative control of the 9th
MAB. Any further mention of the 26th Marines will refer only to RLT-26
(Forward).