Submitted by Crusader, Mike Rasbury
VIET CONG MORTERS BLAST 500 TONS OF AMMUNITION ON US BASE
By George Esper
SAIGON (AP) - Enemy mortars struck a major U.S. base south of Saigon early today, blowing up 500 tons of ammunition, wrecking scores of buildings, destroying three helicopters, killing a number of Americans and wounding more than 60 others.
The shelling of the headquarters base of the 9th Infantry Division at Dong Tam, 40 miles south of Saigon, was one of 30 rocket and mortar attacks by the Viet Cong on the thirty-second night of their spring offensive.
North Vietnamese troops followed up one of the attacks with an infantry charge that carried them into the barbed wire perimeter of another American base 45 miles northwest of Saigon.
Before they were driven, off eight American air cavalrymen were killed, seventeen were wounded and only two enemy bodies were found on the barbed wire.
Col. Ira Hunt of McLean, VA. chief of staff of the 9th Division, estimated that as much as 500 tons of ammunition, mostly small arms, went off in the attack on the Dong Tam Base.
EXPECTED ATTACK
"We were expecting it because
we had information from a prisoner," Hunt told AP photographer
Max Nash.Hunt said about 13 rounds of 120mm mortars, the biggest in the enemy Arsenal, slammed into the base an hour and a half before midnight but caused very little damage.
"We thought that was it," said Hunt. "Many men had left their bunkers after the first attack."
Then came another barrage about at midnight. One of the first shells hit an ammunition pad, triggering a series of explosions in at least half a dozen more pads. After that the Americans couldn't distinguish the incoming rounds from their own exploding ammunition.
Two crews got their helicopters off the ground but were knocked down by the exploding shells. A third helicopter was destroyed on the ground.
Rasbury notes:
This incident was a chapter in the history of the Seawolves. The 3 ships and crews that were mentioned were from the Seawolves. Besides the flight crews the Seawolves had their entire company area blown away. As just one of the pilots scrambled that night, I can say that it wasn't a pretty site. That was where I lived.
Mike Rasbury, Crusader 30, D Troop 3/5 CAV
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CE, Don Armstrong recalls that night.
They walked the 80 duces up the field twice that night and dropped the 120s next to the hanger bunker. We decided to let the rest of the maintenance work slide until the morning.
All of us that worked at night on the field lived on the second floor of the barracks building.
We just got back and I could hear the sirens in the distance. I just said "More Incoming" and we went out to get to the bunker which was next to the pilots bunker/hooch/bar.
Just as I hit the ground running the main primary blast occurred. Afterwards we were told that it was about 16 to 20 tons in that initial blast.
All of us that were running towards the bunker landed about 10 feet back from where we had started from. The sky was brighter than any normal day.
We were located a good 1/2 mile across the base from the ammo dump that was next to the Mobile Riverine and the Seawolves.
After about 45 mins. the intensity of the explosions lessened and being good normal GI's who lacked a new form of entertainment we all got our beach chairs and beers and sat there watching the palettes of ammo go off.
The fanciest blasts were the Wilily Pete going off.
Charles had timed it well because we had just received a shipment of 8 inch shells in so the dump was full.
I have a bunch of the pictures on CD ROM from that night and the next day. All the Navy buildings were collapsed from the end facing the blast.
The main roof spars on all the buildings just bent downward at the middle. If I remember rightly it was guard position number 3 that was next to the dump.
They never found the people or the post because it just disappeared from the face of this earth.
Don Armstrong (DUCK) an Original "Scavenger," Pleiku 604th trans 52nd CAB April 5 68 to July 68
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Clipping submitted by Ace Cozzalio
(Updated 1 March, 2018)
1969 Time Line
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