THE BREAKOUT
The blueprints for a major Allied drive into the Khe Sanh Plateau had
been on the drawing boards at III MAF Headquarters in the embryo stage
since late January. The 1st ACD was slated for the campaign since that
division had displaced from Bong Son, in II Corps, and arrived at Phu
Bai on 22 January. Three days after he assumed operational control of
the new division, General Cushman directed General Tolson to prepare
a contingency plan for the relief of Khe Sanh. This action eventually
resulted in Operation PEGASUS but there was a series of events which
delayed its start until April. The first was the disruptive Communist
TET Offensive and the resulting Battle of Hue City which raged until 25
February. Throughout February and early March, the 1st ACD was busily
engaged in and around the old imperial capital. Logistics was another
consideration. General Westmoreland had initiated a supply build-up in
I Corps during December 1967 but III MAF did not yet have sufficient
stock levels to support an operation the size of PEGASUS, especially
while the heavy fighting still continued in Hue. Finally, the poor
weather prevented large-scale helicopter operations in the Khe Sanh
area.(200)
An alteration of the command structure in I Corps also indirectly
affected the proposed operation. Until the early part of 1968, the
three divisions in I Corps (1st MarDiv, 3d MarDiv, and the U. S. Army
Americal Division) were under the direct control of General Cushman,
CG, III MAF. General Westmoreland, however, was convinced that a
critical, if not the most critical, phase of the war was taking shape
in I Corps and had begun to pump reinforcements into the two northern
provinces. These included the 1st ACD and the 101st Airborne Division.
To keep closer tabs on the action in the north, General Westmoreland
also established a forward echelon of his MACV Headquarters, under
the Deputy, ComUSMACV, General Creighton W. Abrams, at Camp Hochmuth,
Phu Bai on 9 February. There was little formal change in the command
structure; General Abrams simply acted as an agent for ComUSMACV in
an advisor/coordinator role. On 10 March, however, the structure did
change; MACV Forward was converted to Provisional Corps, Vietnam (PCV)
and placed under the operational control of General Cushman, CG, III
MAF. PCV's new commander, Lieutenant General William B. Rosson, U.
S. Army, assumed control of all American combat forces operating in
the northern two provinces, less the southern portion of Thua Thien.
At that time the three major U. S. units in the area were the 3d
MarDiv, the 1st ACD, and the 101st Airborne Division. In addition, the
reinforced ARVN 1st Division was operating in this region. In essence,
PCV was established to provide closer supervision over growing U. S.
forces and coordination with the Vietnamese units in the northern
area.(201)
As the operations around Hue tapered off, General Cushman, on 29
February, directed General Tolson to take the plans for PEGASUS back
off the shelf. During the first week in March, General Tolson met
in Da Nang with Generals Cushman and Abrams for a discussion of the
operation.[70] The mission was threefold: relieve the Khe Sanh Combat
base, reopen Route 9 from Ca Lu to Khe Sanh, and eradicate any NVA
elements within the area of operations. In addition to the three
brigades of the 1st ACD, General Tolson was to assume operational
control of the 26th Marines, the 1st Marines, and the 3d ARVN Airborne
Task Force. D-day was tentatively set for 1 April--depending on
the weather. With the basic directives, General Tolson returned to
Camp Evans, and settled down to detailed planning with his division
staff. During the next few weeks, there were numerous planning and
coordination meetings with III MAF, PCV, the 3d Marine Division, 1st
Marine Aircraft Wing, Seventh Air Force, and representatives of the
attached units.(202)
The logistics portion of the plan hinged around construction of a base
and airfield near Ca Lu which could accommodate C-7 Caribou transports
and later C-123s. Before work could be initiated, elements of the 3d
MarDiv had to secure and repair the stretch of Route 9 between Ca Lu
and the Rockpile so that supplies, fuel, ammunition, and construction
material could be stockpiled. Once this was accomplished, a joint task
force of engineers--the 11th Engineer Battalion, Fleet Marine Force,
the 1st ACD's 8th Engineer Battalion, and Navy Mobile Construction
Battalion 5--began construction of an airfield, parking ramps,
logistical facilities, and defensive positions. By the time the lead
assault elements were ready to jump off in the attack, the installation
was 83 percent completed. The base was dubbed Landing Zone (LZ) Stud.
On 25 March, D-6, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry (1/9 CavSqd), operating
from LZ Stud, began extensive reconnaissance in the PEGASUS area of
operations to pave the way for the initial air assaults. The mission of
the unit was "to find the enemy, destroy his antiaircraft capability,
acquire hard intelligence for exploitation, and locate and prepare
suitable landing zones." Since General Tolson had little concrete
information on exact enemy locations, the activities of the 1/9 CavSqd
were essential to the operation. The squadron fanned out from LZ Stud
in ever increasing concentric circles under the cover of tactical air,
B-52 strikes, and the 8-inch and 105mm batteries which had been moved
to Ca Lu. During this phase, the air cavalrymen called in 632 tactical
air strikes, 49 specially fuzed construction sorties (Daisy Cutters),
and 12 Arc Light strikes on enemy antiaircraft positions, troop
concentrations, and future landing zones.(203)
As a prelude to PEGASUS, the 3d MarDiv launched a regimental-size,
diversionary attack in eastern Quang Tri Province. On 30 March, Task
Force KILO, comprised of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines; the U. S. Army
3d Squadron, 5th Cavalry; and the 3d Battalion, 1st ARVN Regiment
pushed northward from Dong Ha on a search and destroy sweep through
the Gio Linh coastal plain area between the Cua Viet River and the
DMZ. In addition, a company from the 101st Airborne Division was used
as a reconnaissance force and to convey a picture of greater weight
and diversity of attack. Although the foray was primarily designed to
confuse the NVA and draw attention away from the mailed fist which
was poised at Ca Lu, the Allies of Task Force KILO killed 150 North
Vietnamese during the first day.(204)
At 0700 on D-day (1 April), two battalions controlled by the 1st
Marines (2/1 and 2/3), which had moved from Phu Bai to LZ Stud several
days before, spearheaded the attack to the west. Meeting only light
resistance, 2/1 wheeled to the north of Route 9 and secured its
objective while 2/3 swept through and consolidated the area to the
south of the road. With both flanks screened by the infantry, the 11th
Engineer Battalion began the mammoth task of renovating Route 9. Later
in the day, elements of the 3d Brigade (Bde) 1st ACD leapfrogged by
helicopter to positions midway between Ca Lu and Khe Sanh. The 1st and
2d Squadrons, 7th Cavalry swarmed into LZ Mike which encompassed Hill
248, approximately 7,500 meters east of the KSCB. This high ground to
the south of Route 9 was cradled on three sides by branches of the
Quang Tri River. To the north some 3,000 meters, the 5th Battalion,
7th Cavalry air-assaulted the southern slope of Dong Chio Mountain
which was designated LZ Cates. This stretch was particularly critical
because the road was sandwiched between the Quang Tri River on the
south and the nearly perpendicular cliffs which towered menacingly
over Route 9 to the north. Following the initial waves, the 3d Brigade
Headquarters displaced to LZ Cates and established a CP. By 1650, the
Flying Horsemen were in place and continued to expand both zones while
105mm howitzers of the 1st Battalion, 21st Artillery, were helilifted
in for direct support. Throughout the PEGASUS area of operations, the
Americans established defensive perimeters and passed the night with
little or no contact.(205)
While the combat engineers continued their steady movement along Route
9, additional elements of the airmobile armada were thrown into the
action. On D plus two, the 2d Brigade, 1st ACD which had been staging
at Ca Lu conducted a vertical envelopment into LZ Tom and LZ Wharton
which were roughly 6,000 and 8,500 meters southeast of Khe Sanh. The
air assault went smoothly even though the zones were shelled by NVA
gunners. By the end of the day, all 2d Brigade units were in position
along with three batteries of the 1st Battalion, 77th Artillery. In the
meantime, the 3d Brigade and the 1st Marines expanded their TAORs along
Route 9.(206)
On 4 April, General Tolson began to put the squeeze on enemy elements
to the south of the KSCB. Moving northeast from LZ Wharton, the 1/5
CavSqd attacked the old French fort near the junction of Route 9. At
the same time, the 26th Marines, which had been attached to the 1st ACD
since 31 March, began the long awaited breakout from the base. At 0600,
three companies of Lieutenant Colonel John J. H. Cahill's 1/9 (relieved
Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell on 1 April) moved out of the rock quarry
perimeter and advanced on Hill 471 which was 2,500 meters due south of
the airstrip. The hill was a key terrain feature since it overlooked
the road junction and that segment of Route 9 which snaked to the
southwest. The area was also occupied by major elements of the =304th
NVA Division=. After heavy prep fires, the Marines stormed up the
slope in the face of light enemy fire and secured their objective at
1720.[71] Thirty North Vietnamese bodies were strewn over the hilltop.
The men of 1/9, however, were in for a long night. Later that night,
the enemy lashed out at the hill with 192 mortar and artillery rounds.
The barrage was undoubtedly designed to soften up the Marines for a
counterattack the next morning. The North Vietnamese might as well have
saved their ammunition and their counterattack.(207)
At 0515, the =7th Battalion=, =66th Regiment=, =304th NVA Division=,
charged up Hill 471 in a vain attempt to knock 1/9 from the crest. The
=66th Regiment= was definitely a hard-luck outfit; it had been bloodied
at Khe Sanh Village on 21 January and again during the abortive attack
against the 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion, on 29 February/1 March. The
enemy's string of bad luck remained unbroken on the morning of 5
April. Lieutenant Colonel Cahill's Marines stood their ground, poured
withering fire into the onrushing enemy troops, and, with the aid
of artillery and tactical air strikes, smashed the North Vietnamese
attack. During the one-sided exchange, one Marine was killed and 19
wounded; the =66th Regiment= left 122 dead on the slopes. This fight
was one of the major highlights of Operation PEGASUS.[72](208)
The surge of Allied units into the previously uncontested domain of
the =304th NVA Division= continued for the next few days.[73] On
the afternoon of the 5th, the last element of the 1st ACD--the 1st
Brigade--departed Ca Lu aboard droves of helicopters and swooped into
LZ Snapper, 7,500 meters south of the base. The following morning,
the 2d Battalion, 12th Cavalry (2d Brigade) moved northeast from LZ
Wharton and relieved Lieutenant Colonel Cahill's battalion on Hill 471.
After relief was effected, 1/9 initiated a drive toward Hill 689 some
4,500 meters to the northwest. On the opposite side of the KSCB, the
5th Battalion, 7th Cavalry (1st Brigade) conducted a landing just 500
meters north of the Blue Sector wire. The 2d and 3d Battalions, 26th
Marines fanned out to the north and northwest of their hill outposts.
Company G, 2/26 bumped into an NVA company that afternoon and killed 48
of the enemy.
The initial relief of the combat base occurred at 1350 on 6 April when
the lead company of the 3d ARVN Airborne Task Force was airlifted to
Khe Sanh and linked up with the 37th Rangers. This move was primarily
intended as a morale booster for the 37th. Two days later, after 2/7
CavSqd had completed the sweep along Route 9 and linked up with the
26th Marines, the official relief took place. At 0800 on 8 April, the
3d Brigade airlifted its CP to the base and became the new landlord.
Relieved of its duties along the perimeter, Lieutenant Colonel McEwan's
1/26 saddled up and attacked to the west that day but made little
contact.(209)
Traditionally, the lifting of a siege has been the occasion for great
emotional outbursts, bands, and stirring oration; in this regard, the
relief of Khe Sanh was somewhat of a disappointment. General Tolson
intended for the link-up to be "as business like as possible with a
minimum of fanfare" so that he could get the Marines on the offensive
again. A few newsmen at the base snapped pictures of Marines shaking
hands with the Cavalrymen but the men usually shrugged indifferently
afterwards and went about their business. The defenders generally
looked on the proceedings with sort of a "ho-hum" attitude, perhaps
they felt that they had not been rescued from anything. In fact, they
were right; the enemy threat had been squelched weeks before PEGASUS
had gotten off the ground. "I've been at Khe Sanh for nine months," the
regimental commander stated, "and if they keep me supplied, I could
stay here another nine months." No doubt most men were glad they did
not have to remain because the stand at Khe Sanh had not been "all
peaches and cream," but, as far as the defenders being snatched out of
the jaws of destruction--it just did not happen that way.(210)
With the arrival of the 3d ARVN Airborne Task Force, all maneuver
elements involved in PEGASUS were on the Khe Sanh Plateau. On the 8th,
the three South Vietnamese battalions (minus one company) leapfrogged
from Quang Tri to LZ Stud and then conducted a helicopter assault into
LZ Snake about 2,000 meters southwest of the base. In effect, the
encirclement was complete; only, this time, pressure was being applied
in the opposite direction. As the Allied oil slick spread over the
valley, the Americans and South Vietnamese uncovered ghastly evidence
of how badly the NVA had been beaten. The various units found hundreds
of North Vietnamese in shallow graves; hundreds more lay where they
fell. A total of 557 individual weapons, 207 crew-served weapons, and
2 antiaircraft pieces were either captured or destroyed. In addition,
17 vehicles, ranging from PT-76 tanks to motor scooters, and tons of
ammunition, food, radios, and individual equipment were discovered. The
mountains of captured or abandoned enemy stores indicated that either
Operation PEGASUS had caught the NVA completely flat-footed or the
remnants of the two enemy divisions were in no shape to cart off their
equipment and supplies.(211)
Even though the rest of the operation centered around completing
work on Route 9 and sifting through the debris of battle, there were
several contacts with the retreating enemy. On 8 April, the ARVN forces
turned back an NVA counterattack west of the base and killed 78 in the
process. The same day, the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, assaulted and
seized Hill 689 with no opposition but discovered 37 NVA killed during
a fight the previous night. Air and artillery also hammered away at the
NVA; on one occasion, a U. S. Army airborne observer spotted 100 North
Vietnamese in the open and called in artillery fire which accounted for
30 of the enemy. While the NVA pulled away to the west, the engineer
task force crept toward the base from the opposite direction, and at
1600 on 11 April, Route 9 was officially declared open. The engineers
had repaired 14 kilometers of road, replaced 9 vital bridges, and
constructed 17 bypasses; General Westmoreland applauded their feat as
"herculean."(212) (See Maps 8 and 9).
[Illustration:
MAP 8 K.W. WHITE
OPERATION PEGASUS]
[Illustration:
MAP 9 K.W. WHITE
OPERATION PEGASUS]
The day before the road was completed, General Tolson received a visit
from the PCV commander, General Rosson, which resulted in an alteration
of Operation PEGASUS. General Rosson directed his division commander to
begin extracting units to Quang Tri and Camp Evans in preparation for
an assault into the A Shau Valley (Operation DELAWARE). General Tolson
anticipated that the operation would last much longer and had initially
planned to expand his sweeps far to the south, north, and northwest.
In addition, the 1st Marines was slated for air assaults into a valley
west of the Rockpile. The A Shau Valley, however, was a major enemy
base area and logistics complex which supported his operations in Thua
Thien and Quang Nam provinces. To launch a mobile strike into this
region and destroy the enemy's base had been a major MACV objective of
long standing. Support of this operation had been one of the reasons
for the troop and logistical buildup in the northern area which had
begun the previous December. The weather in the A Shau Valley was now
ideal for airmobile operations and General Westmoreland was anxious
to get DELAWARE underway before the end of April. The following day,
the 11th, all air assaults were cancelled and General Tolson began to
withdraw elements from Khe Sanh. The 1st Brigade, less one battalion,
was airlifted to Quang Tri City and the 37th ARVN Ranger Battalion,
which had fought so valiantly, was pulled out and sent to Da Nang. Two
days later, the division command post and elements of the 3d Brigade
departed for Camp Evans.(213)
Another noteworthy departure was that of Colonel Lownds. The colonel,
who did his job well enough to earn the nation's second highest
award--the Navy Cross--turned over the reins of the 26th Marines to
Colonel Bruce F. Meyers on 12 April. The new commander wasted no time;
he planned and executed the attack which in effect, ended the Battle
for Khe Sanh. It was scheduled for 14 April--Easter Sunday.
Ironically, the last engagement took place between Hills 881S and
881N precisely where, on 20 January, the whole affair had begun. The
3d Battalion, 26th Marines which had started the fight was also on
hand to finish it. Ever since the 4th, Lieutenant Colonel John C.
Studt's battalion (relieved Lieutenant Colonel Alderman on 15 March)
had been sweeping to the north and northwest of Hill 881S and, on
several occasions, had taken fire from 881N. The enemy troops still
clung tenaciously to that piece of real estate from which they had
directed rocket fire against Khe Sanh and antiaircraft fire against the
helicopters resupplying the Marines on 881S. Lieutenant Colonel Studt's
mission was to secure the terrain between the two hills, then attack
and seize 881N.(214)
Since the enemy gunners had zeroed in on the slopes of 881S with their
mortars, Lieutenant Colonel Studt moved his attacking elements into
position the night of the 13th. The assault companies of 3/26 slipped
out of the defensive wire under the cover of darkness and moved down
the forward slope of the hill along routes which were protected by
security patrols. As he watched the Marines file by, the battalion's
operations officer, Major Caulfield, could not help but be concerned
about them. Most of the men had spent the past two and a half months in
a foxhole or trench; they had received minimum rations and a maximum
of enemy shelling. All were tired and dirty; some suffered from large
body sores because the water received by these men had gone into their
bodies and not on them. Even though they were Marines, the major
wondered how they would perform the next morning. At 0800, he received
his answer.(215)
The attack, which the troops referred to as their "Easter Egg Hunt,"
was preceded by a deluge of supporting fire. Colonel Meyers, who flew
to 881S by helicopter, observed the attack and personally ensured
that sufficient supporting arms were employed. In addition to the
artillery of 1/13 at Khe Sanh and the 175mm bases, 155mm and 8-inch
batteries of the 1st ACD at LZ Stud were called on to help cave in
the enemy bunkers. Strike aircraft worked over the hill with bombs,
rockets, and napalm. The Marines who remained on 881S also provided
heavy support. Besides the 60mm and 81mm mortars, these men had pooled
all eight of the battalion's 106 recoilless rifles, the two remaining
105mm howitzers, and six .50 caliber machine guns which had been
salvaged from downed helicopters or stripped off of trucks at the base.
As the assault troops advanced, the weapons on 881S provided direct
overhead fire which sometimes preceded the front ranks by no more than
50 meters. As usual, the recoilless rifles were extremely effective.
One observer later remarked that when the lead elements approached a
treeline, no chances were taken; the 106 gunners fired a broadside and
the treeline was simply blown away.(216)
Because of the weight and speed of the attack, the enemy was never able
to recover. Moving behind a wall of steel, the battalion clawed its way
through the defenses between the two hills and prepared for the final
push. Major Caulfield, who had worried about the Marines' weakened
condition the night before, soon found the opposite was true--he was
having trouble holding them back. At one point, a group of NVA soldiers
who had been hammered senseless by the prep fires, broke from their
positions and fled into the open. An airborne spotter directed the
companies to hold up while he called in air and artillery. Scanning the
front lines, Major Caulfield noticed that a handful of Marines with
fixed bayonets were in hot pursuit of the enemy. The major contacted
the company commander by radio and told him to collar his troops. The
reply was, "Sir, I can't stop them...." Neither could the enemy.(217)
The men of 3/26 stormed the hill, swarmed over the crest, and killed
anyone who stood in their way. At 1428, the objective was secured and
the men signaled their victory in traditional Marine Corps fashion, as
Colonel Meyers later described:
On Sunday, 14 April (Easter), I helicoptered to 881S and with
Captain Bill Dabney, Company Commander of I/3/26, personally
watched the U. S. Colors (which had been fortuitously carried in a
squad leader's pack) hoisted again over 881N. This was the signal
(visual) that Lieutenant Colonel John Studt's assault had been
completed. I watched the jungle utility-clad Marine "shinny-up" a
shrapnel torn tree whose limbs had been sheared from the intensive
prep fires, and affix the Stars and Stripes.(218)
With the enemy either dead or gone, the hill again lost its value.
Terrain wasn't so important in the fluid Vietnam war, but people were
and, in that respect, Lieutenant Colonel Studt's men had completed a
very successful operation--106 North Vietnamese were dead. In addition
to the enemy dead on the objective, air strikes and artillery fire had
completely blanketed three large groups of NVA fleeing from the hill
but because of the dense vegetation and the approaching darkness, no
bodies were recovered. Two slightly shot-up North Vietnamese, one of
them an officer, were captured and flown back to Khe Sanh in Colonel
Meyers' helicopter. Considering the strength of the enemy defenses,
Marine casualties were surprisingly light--6 killed and 19 medevaced.
Lieutenant Colonel Studt stated: "... stand off plastering with
supporting arms ... prior to each assault was the key factor here."(219)
That night the battalion commander and his operations officer stood at
the gate on 881S and slapped the men on the back as they trooped back
into the perimeter. One Marine, a tall, lanky, slow-talking Kentuckian,
held out a captured rifle for Lieutenant Colonel Studt's inspection--it
was filthy. During the attack, the Marine had come face to face with
the owner; both men raised their rifles simultaneously and pulled the
trigger but only the M-16 barked out--the enemy's rifle jammed. The
survivor's explanation was simply, "I cleaned my weapon last night, he
didn't."(220)
The next morning at 0800, PCV terminated PEGASUS. The operation was
very successful and all objectives were achieved; Route 9 was open,
the enemy had been routed, and the base itself was relieved. The North
Vietnamese had lost another 1,304 killed and 21 captured, while 41 U.
S. Army troops, 51 Marines, and 33 South Vietnamese died. Air support
again had played an important role. There were 45 B-52 Arc Light
strikes and 1,625 tactical sorties conducted during PEGASUS. Of the
latter number, 650 sorties were flown by Marines, 463 by the U. S. Air
Force, 436 by carrier-based Task Force 77, and 77 by the U. S. Army
and VNAF. From 31 March to 8 April, U. S. Air Force C-130 and C-123
aircraft delivered 843 tons of supplies to Khe Sanh by paradrop and the
low altitude extraction system. On 9 April, the strip was reopened to
C-130s and the supply level at the KSCB began to grow large enough so
that the 1st ACD could draw from the 26th Marines stockpile.(221)
With the termination of PEGASUS, the 3d Marine Division again assumed
responsibility of the Khe Sanh area. Task Force GLICK, comprised of the
26th Marines, the 1st Marines, and the 2d Brigade(-), 1st ACD, launched
Operation SCOTLAND II at 0801, 15 April. The 26th Marines, however,
did not remain in the operation very long. Three days later, the new
commanding officer and two of his battalions were transferred to Quang
Tri Base and, for the men who had taken 77 days of the best the NVA
could offer, the defense of Khe Sanh was over.[74](222)
FOOTNOTES:
[70] It was around this time that PCV was formed and General Abrams
departed I Corps. General Rosson then became a key figure in the
planning of the operation.
[71] Although the rifle companies encountered only slight resistance
during the assault, the Company A command group, while advancing toward
the objective, took a direct hit from an enemy mortar. The Air Officer,
Captain Walter C. Jones, III was killed as was one radio operator; the
battalion Operations Officer, Major Ted R. Henderson, was seriously
wounded and evacuated. The Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel
Cahill and his Artillery Officer, First Lieutenant John K. LeBlond, Jr.
were also wounded at that time but were able to continue.
[72] In addition to the Marine killed during the attack, nine were
killed by enemy shelling the night before. A total of 57 Marines were
medevaced.
[73] The =325C NVA Division= had long since departed the area and left
the =304th= to continue pressure on the 26th Marines. Some elements of
the =304th= swung to the north of the base and replaced units of the
=325C=.
[74] The 2d Battalion, 26th Marines did not return to Quang Tri with
the regiment but was transferred to the operational control of the
4th Marines at Camp Carroll. General Tompkins saw to it that each man
who returned from Khe Sanh immediately received a hot shower, a clean
uniform, and a big steak dinner. As an added touch, the 3d Marine
Division band was on hand, and greeted each arrival with a stirring
rendition of the "Marines Hymn."