| Landing Zone Brace | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 14°20′42″N107°36′18″E / 14.345°N 107.605°E |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | People's Army of Vietnam U.S. Army |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1969 |
| In use | 1969 |
| Battles/wars |  Vietnam War |
| Events | Operation Wayne Grey |
Landing Zone Brace (also known as LZ Brace) is a former U.S. Army landing zone west of Kontum in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
The landing zone was established during Operation Wayne Grey an operation against the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 24th and 66th Regiments in the Plei Trap Valley. [1] [2] and was located approximately 44 km west of Kontum. [3]
On 2 March 1969, A, B & D Companies, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment left their staging area at Polei Kleng Camp and were transported to their insertion point at YA793879 ( 14°20′56″N107°35′20″E / 14.349°N 107.589°E ). The insertion and the subsequent establishment of a perimeter was without incident. A Company swept north-east and established a night position at YA793879. B Company went south and D Company pushed into the centre of the area of operations. [4] [5]
On 3 March, A Company continued reconnaissance and was to establish a night defensive position at YA812884 ( 14°21′11″N107°36′25″E / 14.353°N 107.607°E ). Upon arriving at the location Company A established a perimeter and two men from third platoon were sent to recon a trail heading up the ridgeline. The patrol encountered two PAVN soldiers at what appeared to be an enemy observation post with a cooking pot and a sleeping area prepared in the brush. The PAVN soldiers fled up the hill before the patrol could take action. The patrol then reported back to their platoon leader Lieutenant Williams who was then ordered by the company commander Captain Isom to take 3rd platoon up the trail in pursuit of the PAVN. It was recommended by the company artillery observer Lieutenant Flannigan to prepare the area with artillery before sending in 3rd platoon, but this was rejected by Isom. [6] [5] According to statements by Williams the company was outside of artillery range and the Isom knew this. [6]
Williams led his platoon up the ridge line to a place were a large log had fallen across the path. At this time the company was engaged by an estimated battalion size PAVN force in entrenched bunkers. Taking heavy casualties Williams radioed Isom about the situation and asked for reinforcements. Isom radioed the battalion CP at 16:21 saying that A Company had made contact with the enemy, left one squad from each company at the night position and led the rest of the company up the hill with the headquarters element in the lead to reinforce 3rd platoon. As the company moved up the ridge line they took sniper fire from the northeast on their left flank, even so they were able to reach 3rd platoon’s position at the log. Shortly after reaching 3rd platoon, 2nd platoon leader Lieutenant Griffith was killed. The company was pinned down at their position from machine gun fire to their front and by PAVN soldiers who had begun to climb the trees to their flanks and fire and hurl grenades down on them from above. At 16:35 Isom radioed 3rd Battalion command and reported that he was in contact with a battalion size force and taking heavy casualties. Shortly after the radio operator was hit and Isom was killed going to his aid. [5] [4] [7]
As the only officer left in the fight Williams took command of the remainder of A Company and ordered them to withdraw back to their night position. The company withdrew under heavy fire and was forced to leave their wounded. Two men were killed trying to assist a wounded soldier crawling across a clearing as they retreated. [6] A Company reached their night position at approximately 18:00 and dug in for an expected attack. Artillery and gunships were called in around the contact area, but not upon it for fear of hitting any surviving men left on the hill. A Company was resupplied by helicopter, but only an estimated 20% of the resupply reached them. The rest was dropped off target and captured by the PAVN. The Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Pennel J. Hickey flew overhead in an attempt to direct actions on the ground for a Medical evacuation. [6] The medevac was only able to extract three men due to PAVN fire. The men stayed on alert throughout the night, but no attack materialised, they received sporadic sniper and rocket fire. During the night one of the wounded men left on the ridge line radioed the company requesting help, eight men were sent to retrieve him and they returned with him and another wounded man. After having received word that A Company had come into contact with a large enemy force at LZ Brace, D Company marched through the night to establish themselves at Hill 947 ( 14°20′13″N107°36′14″E / 14.337°N 107.604°E ) a position just over two kilometres south of A Company, to prevent the PAVN from escaping south. [4] [5] [6] [7]
On the morning of 4 March, Williams was ordered to advance back up the ridge line to retrieve the wounded and killed from the day before. Twenty-six men led by Sergeant Jones of 4th platoon were sent up the ridge. The patrol had only just cleared their perimeter line when they were engaged by the PAVN. A Company came under fire from all around their position. The PAVN used weapons and ammunition captured during the battle the day before including M79 grenade launcher and M60 machine gun to assault their position. At 11:25 an attempt was made to insert B Company on a ridge line to the northeast of the hill with the purpose of reinforcing A Company. The initial attempt was thwarted when the lead helicopter reported taking heavy fire at the landing zone. A second insertion was attempted at 13:28, but again took fire and evacuated. Using radios captured from A Company the PAVN intercepted U.S. communications and knew that B Company was attempting to reinforce A Company and PAVN soldiers on the northern side of the perimeter yelled in English not to shoot and that they were B Company. A Company believing the trick left their foxholes to approach what they thought was B Company. The PAVN engaged the A Company men point blank. The ruse broke morale and caused one man to bolt into the forest, after this A Company’s northern perimeter collapsed. Williams gave the order to retreat along a stream bed downhill, where they regrouped under constant fire. They continued along another stream bed that took them to the top of a hill where they stopped and engaged pursuing PAVN troops. The company radioed for extraction and was guided to a landing zone by a Light Observation Helicopter and was extracted at 15:25. At 15:40 B Company was successfully inserted to their LZ on the north east side of the hill after strikes from artillery and gunships. At 16:00 D Company made an attempt to reach A Company’s position to the north, but came into contact with a PAVN force while moving along a trail. After a brief firefight the PAVN retreated and D Company was able to rescue a prisoner from A Company. The prisoner Private first class Guffy indicated that there was a large PAVN force to their north in prepared bunkers. D Company was then ordered back to Hill 947 and ordered to dig in and prevent the PAVN from escaping to the south. During the night the PAVN probed D company’s perimeter, but were repulsed. [4] [5] [7] [8] [6] According to accounts from Lieutenant John Bauer, Guffy reported that after his position had been taken and A Company had retreated the PAVN executed wounded A Company prisoners, he was left alive because the PAVN required a prisoner. [8]
At 07:50 D Company’s position was assaulted from their eastern flank by an estimated 2 companies reinforced with sapper units. The assault was preceded by heavy mortar and B-40 rocket fire. The attack was repulsed with the help of artillery and gunship fire. At 08:15 two PAVN companies were positioning themselves to the east and west of Hill 947 for an assault, but were dislodged when D Company launched a counterattack. The battle continued for the rest of the day with mortar and rocket fire as well as snipers taking shots at the entrenched unit. Captured A Company claymores and tear gas were used in the attack against D Company. Medevac and resupply helicopters took heavy fire during the day and one was forced to make an emergency landing when its fuel tank was hit. While the battle on Hill 947 was raging, B Company continued its attack south towards the hill. C Company 3/8th Infantry joined the fight and attempted to insert into B Company’s landing zone at 10:35, they took fire from the top of the hill and postponed the insertion until the area was prepped with artillery strikes. They successfully landed at 13:20 and linked up with B Company shortly before nightfall. D Company sustained constant contact throughout the night and was supported by an Douglas AC-47 Spooky gunship. [8] [4] [7]
B and C Companies began a joint assault on the hill. B Company was able to get to within 150m of the top of the hill before they made contact. A joint flanking manoeuvre by B and C Companies to the east and western flanks was unsuccessful. Both companies withdrew down the hill after artillery failed to break the PAVN line. Airstrikes were called in and the PAVN position was bombarded by delay fused bombs. At 17:00 C Company attacked and was successful in taking the hill. B Company joined later and helped set up a defensive position.
At 07:00 D Company was attacked by a mortar barrage followed by an attack on their position. D Company was forced to call in artillery strikes on its own position to avoid being overrun. Gunships were called in to eliminate the remaining mortars and by the end of the day the PAVN made no further attacks against Hill 947. Task Force Swift, made up of elements of the 3rd Battalion 12th Infantry Regiment, moved overland to positions southeast of the hill, now named LZ Brace, to cut off and destroy any retreating PAVN soldiers. [4]
On the final day of the battle, Task Force Swift was extracted to LZ Brace and helped B and C Companies secure the rest of the hill. C Company of the 3/12th Infantry was airlifted to Hill 947 and reinforced D Company. Contact on the 7th was light. [4]
The main factor that contributed to the rout of A Company was that LZ Brace had been the headquarters of the PAVN 66th Infantry Regiment. It is estimated that A Company came into contact with a battalion sized force in a prepared position of inter connected bunkers. [4] Other factors include the inability to call in artillery fire directly on the location after the contact, so as to not kill wounded troops left on the hill and the capture of friendly radio equipment that allowed the PAVN to monitor US communications and employ a successful ruse de geurre against an already beleaguered A Company. [5] [6] One soldier during the battle observed a PAVN soldier with a PRC-77 on their back. [7]
The Company commander was also new to South Vietnam with little combat experience. This as well as reports of A company being undermanned due to several seasoned Non-commissioned officers being on leave at the time of deployment, contributed to A Company’s demise. [4] [6]
A Company entered the field with 115 men. [7] Accounts from the surviving men of A Company, suggest 33 to 35 men made it aboard the evacuation helicopters. [6] [9] This is confirmed by the duty officer’s log which states that 36 men made it to the helicopters. [7] These including the 3 wounded evacuated the previous night, [6] 3 Missing in action who later made their way back to friendly territory [5] and PFC. Guffy who was rescued by D Company makes a total of 43 survivors and 72 casualties. Williams, who made an assessment of their number after their original firefight, estimated 35 Killed in action, 5 wounded and 20 missing. [6] [7] Despite this, the official after action report by Colonel Hale H. Knight, states that A Company sustained only 22 killed and 52 wounded. [4] In statements authored by Bauer it is suggested that up to 50 men were killed. [9] For the entire battle the official casualty toll was: 32 killed, 125 wounded and 1 missing for the US and 241 killed for the PAVN. [4]
On 16 March 6th Battalion, 29th Artillery moved to LZ Brace. [1] : 366
The landing zone has reverted to jungle.
The Battle of Ia Drang was the first major battle between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), as part of the Pleiku Campaign conducted early in the Vietnam War, at the eastern foot of the Chu Pong Massif in the central highlands of Vietnam, in 1965. It is notable for being the first large scale helicopter air assault and also the first use of Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers in a tactical support role. Ia Drang set the blueprint for the Vietnam War with the Americans relying on air mobility, artillery fire and close air support, while the PAVN neutralized that firepower by quickly engaging American forces at very close range.
Operation Hastings was an American military operation in the Vietnam War. The operation was a qualified success in that it pushed the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces back across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). As the PAVN clearly did not feel constrained by the "demilitarized" nature of the DMZ, US military leadership ordered a steady build-up of U.S. Marines near the DMZ from 1966 to 1968.
The Battle of Coral–Balmoral was a series of actions fought during the Vietnam War between the 1st Australian Task Force and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 7th Division and Viet Cong (VC) Main Force units, 40 kilometres (25 mi) north-east of Saigon. Following the defeat of the PAVN/VC Tet offensive in January and February, in late April two Australian infantry battalions—the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (RAR)—with supporting arms, were again deployed from their base at Nui Dat in Phước Tuy Province to positions astride infiltration routes leading to Saigon to interdict renewed movement against the capital. Part of the wider allied Operation Toan Thang I, it was launched in response to intelligence reports of another impending PAVN/VC offensive, yet the Australians experienced little fighting during this period. Meanwhile, the PAVN/VC successfully penetrated the capital on 5 May, plunging Saigon into chaos during the May Offensive in an attempt to influence the upcoming Paris peace talks scheduled to begin on the 13th. During three days of intense fighting the attacks were repelled by US and South Vietnamese forces, and although another attack was launched by the PAVN/VC several days later, the offensive was again defeated with significant losses on both sides, causing extensive damage to Saigon and many civilian casualties. By 12 May the fighting was over, and the PAVN/VC were forced to withdraw having suffered heavy casualties. US casualties were also heavy and it proved to be their most costly week of the war.
Con Thien was a military base that started out as a U.S. Army Special Forces camp before transitioning to a United States Marine Corps combat base. It was located near the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) about 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) from North Vietnam in Gio Linh District, Quảng Trị Province. It was the site of fierce fighting from February 1967 through February 1968.
Operation Wheeler/Wallowa was a U.S. offensive operation during the Vietnam War, launched on 11 September 1967 as two separate operations and concluding in November 1968. Initially as Operation Wheeler and Wallowa; this was merged in November 1967 as Wheeler/Wallowa. Initially conducted by the 101st Airborne Division and 1st Cavalry Division, Wheeler/Wallowa it was progressively taken over by 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division.
The Hill Fights was a battle during the Vietnam War between the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 325C Division and United States Marines on several hill masses north of the Khe Sanh Combat Base in northwest Quảng Trị Province.
PHASE II 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. US 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.
The Battle of Ap Gu occurred during 31 March and 1 April 1967 during Operation Junction City, a search and destroy mission by American military forces in Tay Ninh Province of South Vietnam, to the west of the capital Saigon. The battle near the border with Cambodia left 609 Viet Cong (VC) killed according to US sources, with 5 captured, and over 50 weapons of all types recovered, while the Americans lost 17 killed and 102 wounded.
Operation Utah was a US Marine Corps and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) operation that took place northwest of Quảng Ngãi, lasting from 4–7 March 1966, during the Vietnam War.
Operation Sam Houston was a US Army operation that took place in the Plei Trap Valley and around Plei Doc, lasting from 12 February to 5 April 1967.
Operation Paul Revere was a 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division operation that took place west of Pleiku, lasting from 10 May to 1 August 1966.
Operation Lincoln was an operation conducted by the 1st Cavalry Division west of Pleiku, lasting from 25 March to 8 April 1966, with the goal of locating suspected North Vietnamese and Viet Cong bases to disrupt any planned offensives during the monsoon season.
Operation Nathan Hale was an operation conducted by the 1st Cavalry Division west of Phú Yên Province, lasting from 19-30 June 1966.
Operation Francis Marion was a 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade operation that took place in Pleiku, Darlac and the Kon Tum Provinces, South Vietnam, lasting from 6 April to 11 October 1967.
The Battle of An Bao took place from 5-6 May 1968 in Bình Định Province during the Vietnam War when elements of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 3rd Division ambushed a unit of the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment (Mechanized).
Operation Shenandoah II was a security operation conducted during the Vietnam War by the U.S. 1st Infantry Division to secure and repair Highway 13, South Vietnam from 29 September to 19 November 1967.
Operation Idaho Canyon was a United States Marine Corps operation in north-central Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam from 21 July to 25 September 1969.
The Battle of the Slopes was the site of an engagement between elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate), nicknamed "Westmoreland's Fire Brigade" and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units, as part of Operation Greeley.
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 Wayne Grey was an operation carried out by the United States Army, 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and supporting elements, on March 1 to April 14, 1969. Its main objective was to cut off lines of communication and supply to the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 24th and 66th Infantry Regiments as well as preventing them from retreating into Cambodia.