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 NVA Base Camps & Bunker Systems (currently 1 views) |
| Jim Armstrong |
| Posted on: January 6th, 2013, 4:56pm |
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Posts: 203
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| The first thing that came to mind when Ken said under "all US bases" was our urinary use at Tay Ninh of artiillery shell tubes buried in the old tapioca fields just below the hard pack. Maybe that was why they never seemed to fill up! |
Jim Armstrong
C, HQ, A 2/1
1965-1967 |
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Reply: 15 - 21 |
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| MartyOdette |
| Posted on: February 12th, 2013, 2:38pm |
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Medium Member D 2/1 july 69-70
Posts: 34
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| Jack Krohn, You're post and attachment was very interesting read for me. The dogs and handlers saved many grunts from injury and death. I think every infantry squad should have one attached even today. Too bad "the higher-ups" didn't, at least, let the handlers know when a dog had been returned to the states! I wonder if his health issues were AO connected? |
Marty Odette D 2/1 11B July 69-70 |
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Reply: 16 - 21 |
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| joemahoney |
| Posted on: February 16th, 2013, 7:04pm |
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Posts: 56
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| Several of you have commented that you did not destroy bunkers or tunnel complexes. We blew up everything we could not burn or “liberate” (B 2/1 had the first brick mess hall with a tin roof in Tay Ninh base camp). We carried at least one 16lb. bag of C4 per squad. I smile every time I look at the 2nd year yearbook, they show a picture of a resupply by air drop during Junction City. What they don’t show is most of the supplies MISSED the LZ and wound up in the trees just above our positions. We spent 5 days getting it down, but we did end up with a lot of camouflage silk and all the parachute cord we could carry. While we were patrolling around this area we found a very deep bunker complex, 3 levels deep. The Officers said it was a hospital? I guess you have to call it something. Anyway I was given (1) one cratering charge, 10 bags of C4 (8-2lb sticks per bag) and 5 boxes of Bangalore Torpedoes to do the job ( I had never seen a Bangalore before). It was tough getting those 5’ long pieces of pipe down into the bottom of the tunnel. It took us 3 days and then at the last minute we got a call that EOD was coming out with the Lieutenant. I told the RTO to tell them I had moved everyone back and had just call “fire in the hole”. Then I blew it. They showed up and the Lt. was having a fit, but the old EOD Master Sargent walked around checked out the area and ask me what munitions I had used. I told him and he started to laugh when I said Bangalore Torpedoes. He ask why Bangalore Torpedoes and I answered that what they sent. He told the Lieutenant we had done a great job and left. |
Joe Mahoney
B 2/1
66/67 |
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Reply: 17 - 21 |
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| Frenchie |
| Posted on: February 16th, 2013, 8:11pm |
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Maximum Member2 LIke to hear from anyone that was Co C 4/31
Posts: 407
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| Around LZ West i never did see tunnels but we did find base camps and burned them each time...after we got the supplies out of there. Am not sure if we blew up bunkers (usually single level). |
Frenchie - Gilbert E Manasselian
C 4/31 Feb 68 to Feb 69
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Reply: 18 - 21 |
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| Jim Armstrong |
| Posted on: February 16th, 2013, 10:28pm |
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Posts: 203
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I wonder if anyone ever actually ordered such things as Bangalore torpedos and cratering charges.
I've always pictured a depot stuck out in the desert someplace where they would say: "Let's send this crap to Vietnam. Then we'll get to order some new crap."
Of course we could destroy VC barbwire fences and crater their airfields.
While we did often blow up bunkers, it was common to find that a squad's C4 allotment had been used up for cooking and coffee. |
Jim Armstrong
C, HQ, A 2/1
1965-1967 |
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Reply: 19 - 21 |
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| joemahoney |
| Posted on: February 18th, 2013, 5:11pm |
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Posts: 56
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| I did all the demo for my platoon and carried the blasting caps (manual and electrical), slow match and a hand trigger and cord from a claymore in a claymore bag. It was a lot lighter than the bags of C4. I always claimed to use more C4 then I actually used. That way we had plenty for cooking. When we moved to Chu Lai it became harder to get C4. |
Joe Mahoney
B 2/1
66/67 |
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Reply: 20 - 21 |
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| Gregory B Peters |
| Posted on: February 21st, 2013, 7:21pm |
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Maximum Member2 B company, 3/21/196th, incountry 07/1966-07/1967
Posts: 173
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I seem to remember we didn't care much for claymores either, didn't work well in the bush without clearing a fire lane that even charlie could see during an ambush. Would dig out the c-4 and burn it, steel balls and all. When we were clearing out land to build TayNinh base we would use both bangalores and c-4 and maybe even dynamite to clear out the termite mounds. didn't know how much to use at first and it would rain dirt, snakes, ants and termites over a football length. for some reason We also had to go out and build an air strip for someone. we would ring the base of trees with c-4, pack sand bags around them and that would snap the tree right at the ground.
Greg |
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Reply: 21 - 21 |
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