Kontum Airfield

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Kontum Airfield
Flag of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.svg   Military service mark of the United States Army.svg
Kon Tum, Central Highlands in Vietnam
NARA 111-CCV-20-80856 Aerial view of Kontum airfield 1967.jpg
An aerial view of Kontum Airfield in December 1967
Vietnam location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Kontum Airfield
Shown within Vietnam
Coordinates 14°21′21″N108°00′54″E / 14.35583°N 108.01500°E / 14.35583; 108.01500 Coordinates: 14°21′21″N108°00′54″E / 14.35583°N 108.01500°E / 14.35583; 108.01500
Site information
Operator Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
United States Army (US Army)
ConditionAbandoned
Site history
Built1965 (1965)
Built byCompany A, 299th Engineer Battalion
In use1965-1975 (1975)
Battles/wars Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg
Vietnam War
Tet Offensive
Battle of Kontum
Airfield information
Identifiers IATA: KON
Elevation1,804 feet (550 m) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
09/273,600 feet (1,097 m)  Asphalt

Kontum Airfield is a former U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) base located in Kon Tum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. [1]

Contents

History

Kontum Airfield was a major tactical airlift hub in the Central Highlands used extensively in the buildup on US forces in the area in 1965-6. [2] : 284 

On 28 April 1966, an Air America Curtiss C-46D Commando crashed on takeoff. There were no fatalities, but the plane was written off. [3]

In early 1967 Company A, 299th Engineer Battalion began improving the airfield building taxiways, ramps, roads and bivouac areas. [4]

On 10 January 1968 Viet Cong (VC) sappers penetrated the airfield perimeter and destroyed several helicopters with Satchel charges, killing 7 Americans and wounding 25. An estimated 16 VC were killed in the attack. [5]

Aircraft revetments, 19 July 1968 Kontum Airfield aircraft revetments, July 1968.png
Aircraft revetments, 19 July 1968

At the time of the Tet Offensive in late January 1968 units based at the airfield were the 57th Assault Helicopter Company (57th AHC), Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment (2/1 Cavalry), Company B, 299th Engineer Battalion and a company of Montagnard irregulars. [6] : 302  At 02:12 on 30 January, a company from the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 406th Sapper Battalion and a company from the VC 304th Local Force Battalion attacked the airfield. As the PAVN/VC penetrated the airfield defenses they were engaged by sentries and gunships from the 57th AHC stopping the PAVN attack 50 meters from the runway. The PAVN K6 Battalion of the 24th Regiment reinforced the attack and launched a new assault which was countered by two M48 tanks and four M113 armored personnel carriers from Troop A, 2/1 Cavalry, which attacked the right flank of the PAVN forcing them to retreat. The PAVN soon regrouped and attacked the armor with rocket-propelled grenades forcing them to retreat. [6] : 303  At 09:30 Task Force Delta, comprising two helicopter borne rifle platoons and Company D, 7th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, landed at the airfield and moved north to attack the PAVN/VC in the city. [6] : 303–4  That evening the PAVN/VC attacked the airfield again but failed to penetrate the defenses. [6] : 305  On 31 January Company D, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment was landed at the airfield. [6] : 305  The PAVN hit the airfield with 122-mm. rockets on 1 February but made no further ground attacks. [6] : 306  On the evening of 1 February two companies from the 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment were flown into the airfield securing its northern perimeter. [6] : 306–  By 4 February the city had been secured and normal operations resumed at the airfield. [2] : 323 

The airfield was the scene of heavy fighting in April-May 1972 during the Battle of Kontum, part of the PAVN's Easter Offensive. [7] On 21 April PAVN artillery fire damaged an Air Vietnam plane, killing a flight attendant. [8] : 378  On 24 April PAVN artillery fire damaged a USAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules and destroyed a Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) Fairchild C-123 Provider, the repaired C-130 flew out on 1 May. [8] On 15 May 1972 a PAVN artillery attack on the airfield destroyed a C-130 as it took off killing all but 1 crewman and damaged 2 other C-130s and 2 C-123s. [8] : 379  Another rocket/artillery attack on 23 May destroyed another C-130. [9] By 25 May the airfield was closed to traffic and did not reopen until 8 June when the PAVN, defeated in their attack on Kontum, withdrew from the city. [8] : 379– 

On 26 October 1972 a PAVN rocket attack on the base killed an American officer of Troop H, 17th Cavalry Regiment which was staging through the base. First Lieutenant Carlos Pedrosa was the last wartime casualty his unit would experience in the Vietnam War.[ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

The lead-up to the Battle of Kontum began in mid-1971, when North Vietnam decided that its victory in Operation Lam Son 719 indicated that the time had come for large-scale conventional offensives that could end the war quickly. The resulting offensive, planned for the spring of 1972, would be known as the Easter Offensive in the South and the Nguyen Hue Offensive in the North, Nguyen Hue being a hero of Vietnamese resistance against the Chinese in 1789. The Easter Offensive would make use of fourteen divisions and would be the largest in the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnamese Rangers</span> Rangers of the former Army of the Republic of Vietnam

The Vietnamese Rangers, commonly known as the ARVN Rangers, were the light infantry of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in search and destroy missions. Initially trained as a counter-insurgency light infantry force by removing the fourth company each of the existing infantry battalions, they later expanded into a swing force capable of conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations, and were relied on to retake captured regions. Later during Vietnamization the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was transferred from MACV and integrated as Border Battalions responsible for manning remote outposts in the Central Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Offensive</span> Second phase of the 1968 Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War

Phase Two of the Tet Offensive of 1968 was launched by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) against targets throughout South Vietnam, including Saigon from 29 April to 30 May 1968. The May Offensive was considered much bloodier than the initial phase of the Tet Offensive. U.S. casualties across South Vietnam were 2,169 killed for the entire month of May, making it the deadliest month of the entire Vietnam War for U.S. forces, while South Vietnamese losses were 2,054 killed. PAVN/VC losses exceeded 24,000 killed and over 2,000 captured. The May Offensive was a costly defeat for the PAVN/VC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">23rd Division (South Vietnam)</span> Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam

The 23rd Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the II Corps that oversaw the Central Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">22nd Division (South Vietnam)</span> Military unit

The 22nd Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was part of the II Corps that oversaw the region of the Central Highlands north of the capital Saigon. The 22nd Division was based in Ba Gi near the south central coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Division (South Vietnam)</span> Division of the South Vietnamese army

The 1st Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)—the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division</span> Military unit

The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces. The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organized in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam. After the partition of Vietnam, it became a part of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. This division had its distinct origins in French-trained paratrooper battalions, with predecessor battalions participating in major battles including Dien Bien Phu and retained distinct uniforms and regalia. With the formation of an independent republic, the colonial paratroopers were dissolved, however regalia and aesthetics alongside the nickname "Bawouans" would be retained.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Toan Thang I</span>

Operation Toan Thang I was a U.S. Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), 1st Australian Task Force and Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment operation conducted between 8 April and 31 May 1968 in the Vietnam War. The operation was part of a reaction to the Tet Offensive designed to put pressure on Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces in III Corps.

The Battle for Quang Tri occurred in and around Quảng Trị City, the northernmost provincial capital of South Vietnam during the Tet Offensive when the Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attacked Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and American forces across major cities and towns in South Vietnam in an attempt to force the Saigon government to collapse. This included several attacks across northern I Corps, most importantly at Huế, Da Nang and Quảng Trị City. After being put on the defensive in the city of Quảng Trị, the Allied forces regrouped and forced the PAVN/VC out of the town after a day of fighting.

Phase III of the Tet offensive of 1968 was launched by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) from 17 August to 27 September 1968. The offensive was divided into two waves of attacks from 17 to 31 August 1968 and from 11 to 27 September of that same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base</span> Battle in Vietnam involving the United States in early 1968

The attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base, headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) 7th Air Force, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968. Tan Son Nhut Air Base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within South Vietnam and for the support of United States Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) ground operations. The attack by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces was one of several major attacks on Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive. The attack was repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses; only superficial damage was done to the base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive attacks on Bien Hoa and Long Binh</span>

The attacks on Biên Hòa, Bien Hoa Air Base and Long Binh Post, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968 and continued until 2 February 1968. The attacks by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive. The attacks were repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses, having inflicted minimal damage on the bases.

Operation Sheridan Sabre was a security operation during the Vietnam War in Bình Long Province to prevent People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) infiltration from Cambodia, that took place from 7 November 1968 to 4 April 1969.

Operation Nevada Eagle was a security operation during the Vietnam War in Thừa Thiên Province, that took place from 17 May 1968 to 28 February 1969.

Operation Iron Mountain was a security operation during the Vietnam War in Quảng Ngãi Province, that took place from 28 February 1969 to 28 February 1971.

Operation Frederick Hill was a security operation during the Vietnam War in Quang Tin Province, that took place from 18 March 1969 to 28 February 1971.

Operation Caroline Hill was a security operation during the Vietnam War conducted by the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, 23rd Infantry Division in Quảng Nam Province from 29 April to 1 July 1971. It was the 23rd Division’s last named operation of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Tam Kỳ</span>

The Battle of Tam Kỳ took place during the Vietnam War from 3–6 March 1968. After a night-time rocket attack on their base camp by the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 3rd Regiment, 3rd Division. The 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment and Company A, 3rd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment engaged the PAVN killing 436.

Operation Randolph Glen was a joint U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) military operation during the Vietnam War designed to keep pressure on the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units in Thừa Thiên Province and prevent them from mounting any attacks on the populated coastal regions.

Operation MacArthur was a United States Army military operation in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam from 12 October 1967 to 31 January 1969. The early phases of the operation encompassed the Battle of Dak To from 3 to 23 November 1967.

References

  1. ↑ Kelley, Michael (2002). Where we were in Vietnam. Hellgate Press. p. 5–282. ISBN   978-1555716257.
  2. 1 2 Bowers, Ray (1983). The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: Tactical Airlift (PDF). U.S. Air Force Historical Studies Office. ISBN   9781782664208.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. ↑ "Curtiss C-46D-20-CU Commando CA-1 Kon Tum Airfield". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  4. ↑ Trass, Adrian (2011). Engineers at War. Government Printing Office. p. 209.
  5. ↑ "Vietcong Press Drive From Highlands to Delta; Base and Towns Shelled -Civilian Deaths Reported". The New York Times. 11 January 1968. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Villard, Erik (2017). United States Army in Vietnam Combat Operations Staying the Course October 1967 to September 1968. Center of Military History United States Army. ISBN   9780160942808.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  7. ↑ "U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, Command History 1972, Annex K. Kontum, 1973. MACV" (PDF). p. K-22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2018.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  8. 1 2 3 4 Nalty, Bernard (2000). The United States Air Force in Southeast Asia: The War in South Vietnam Air War over South Vietnam 1968–1975 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. ISBN   9781478118640.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  9. ↑ Vick, Alan (1995). Snakes in the Eagle's nest: A history of ground attacks on air bases (PDF). Rand Corporation. p. 151. ISBN   9780833016294.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
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