NDQSAAir Defense Artillery service during the Vietnam War
NDQSABruce Geiger, 1LT A/1/44 and Joseph Belardo SGT C/1/44
Battle Information source is wikipedia
The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base (KSCB) were two regiments of the United States Marine Corps supported by elements from the United States Army, the United States Air Force (USAF) and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), as well as a small number of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops. These were pitted against two to three divisional-size elements of the North Vietnamese People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
On 21 January 1968, the PAVN surrounded and besieged the Marine base. In the ensuing five months, KSCB and the hilltop outposts around it were subjected to daily PAVN artillery, mortar, and rocket attacks, and several infantry assaults. More than 274 U.S. troops were killed and more than 2,500 wounded.
To support the Marine base, the USAF undertook Operation Niagara, a massive aerial bombardment campaign. In the first three months, over 114,810 tons of bombs were dropped by US and allied[21] aircraft and over 158,900 artillery rounds were fired in defense of the base. US forces lost one KC-130, three C-123 and 35 helicopters, while another 23 aircraft and 123 helicopters were damaged.
In March 1968, a combined Marine–Army/ARVN task force launched an overland relief expedition (Operation Pegasus) that eventually broke through to the Marines at Khe Sanh.
On 19 June 1968, the evacuation and destruction of KSCB began. Amid heavy shelling, the Marines attempted to salvage what they could before destroying what remained as they were evacuated. Minor attacks continued before the base was officially closed on 5 July.
Duster and Quad operations
1LT Bruce Geiger A/1/44 was the platoon leader with two Dusters and two Quad 50s from Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 44th Artillery during the 75 day siege. SGT Joe Belardo C/1/44 was the squad leader of Duster C131 and acting section chief over C132 when Charlie Battery relieved Alpha Battery and LT Geiger’s platoon as part of Operation Pegasus. Joe stayed to the end providing security and assisting with the dismantling of KSCB, so that nothing of military value would be left to the enemy. Both have written extensively about Khe Sahn and their stories are on the NDQSA Heritage page.
Your NDQSA webmasters
Your webmasters asked them to mark the Duster and Quad locations on a drawn map of Khe Sahn. They went far beyond this request and provided photos and additional information that clarifies the Duster and Quad role in the defense of Khe Sahn. The webmasters are also including a link to a 2005 article on the Warfare History Network website titled “The Marines and North Vietnamese at Khe Sahn” and an archived copy in case the Warfare History Newtwork website is discontinued. Warfare History Network The Marines and North Vietnamese at Khe Sanh
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Warren Lo Cascio Delta Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery 66-67 Sp4
This brings to mind an experience that happened in 1967 ( sometime around April). I was on D41’s crew at Dau Tieng and it was time for an ammo replenishment run to Bearcat. There were two tracks D40 and D41 (5/2). It was D40’s turn to pull the ammo trailer. We (D41) led the way! It was probably an hour drive from Dau Tieng to the port to pick up the ammo and it was early in morning. Pretty much routine. When we arrived, D40 disconnected the trailer and it was brought over to be filled with 40mm ammo. When it came time to re-couple, it would not connect? They tried numerous times to no avail! Our track finally came over and hooked up and we were on our way back, D40 now leading the way! There was an open stretch of the road coming up and I noticed some of the locals on their bicycles off to the side of the road. I made a mental note of them, they looked suspicious, with their eyes looking to the ground, not making eye contact, the road empty ahead? We passed them and continued, D40 picking up speed, engine screaming! We fell back, slower because of the trailer.
That’s when D40 hit the mine! It disappeared in a cloud of smoke and the 24 ton track was thrown off the road, into the brush by the massive explosion!
We immediately stopped and I manned the guns while my crew went over to help the other crew. The only casualty was the Track Commander (TC) of D40, who had been sitting outside the right hatch (one leg inside and one outside). The mine had detonated under the right road wheel, taking a 5 gal. water can stowed just to the rear of the Sergeant, into the air! He was hit in the face with pieces of metal from the can! Also, the driver had suffered a concussion from the hatch breaking loose and hitting him on the head! Luckily, he was wearing his helmet! They radioed for a dustoff chopper. In the meantime, I realized, when trying to unlock the turret, that the pin was jammed (this had been a problem before, but we didn’t have time to have it fixed). The turret was jammed in the forward position! Making my main guns useless! I yelled to my gun crew member to come up and help me, but the two of us trying, were not able to free the pin! I manned the m60 machine gun instead, waiting for the follow up enemy attack which was a normal scenario. Nothing else happened? The chopper came and gave the TC first aid, then took him away! There was a quiet moment. The locals that where by the side of the road, rode past us on their bicycles, still not making eye contact. That’s when I realized that they must have known the road was mined ahead!
When we finally got to check the road, judging from the crater, we believed it was from a 120mm mortar round, probably “Remotely” Detonated! We radioed for a truck to pick up the ammo trailer. Then we attached a tow cable to D40 and proceeded to tow it back to camp. It took hours to do this because of the damage! We arrived at Dau Tieng just before dark!
The TC was evacuated to Japan, requiring extensive facial surgery with hundreds of stitches. He did return to duty after a few months. He aged significantly from his injuries!
Everyone lived that day!
God was looking over all of us!
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Photo was shared on a Vietnam History based Facebook page. Time period was 1968.
Patrick L Johnson 4/60’s original Battalion HQ was a short distance from Qui Nhon. Not sure if they kept any dusters there for security. C/4/60 HQ was originally up the main highway at LZ Two Bits and later moving to LZ English. C battery tracks were disbursed all over the 1st Cav AO. I recall that a track was moved to the beach at Qui Nhon during the initial stages of Tet ‘68 but have no idea how long it stayed there.
Bryan Entwistle….I wonder if the “Dusters” were used for in-depth perimeter support around the fuel farms outside Qui Nhơn on QL 19 on the way to Pleiku, as well as convoy support.
Keith we continued to send troops home, numerous gun trucks were assigned to Qui Nhon Support Command in 1972. Maybe the M42 Duster was given to QNSC for base protection. As you mentioned, 4/60th Artillery was the Duster unit from Pleiku to Qui Nhon.
Richard Burmood Baffles me. Definitely not the markings of any of the air defense units in Vietnam. Your logic that it was impressed into some sort of provisional ground defense element committed to the defense of Quin Nhon makes some sense. Looks like a maintenance area in the picture, so suspect the men are mechanics in a motor pool rather than combat troops. The “Angel of Death” logo is not familiar. We had Hawk missiles and searchlights at Quin Nhon and the 4/60 had Dusters on firebases around there, like Bryan Entwistle suggested, so there might have been some Duster that got waylaid on its journey back to the States for depot repair.
Allen Lance Prov GD means Provisonal Guard, usually a rifle company assigned as security guards at crucial sites such as the Phu Tai ABD (Ammunition Base Depot).
Allen Lance There was one or two of them (sic M42 Dusters) at the PHU Tai ABD along QL1 in Phu Tai in the greater Qui Nhon AO. They were part of the ABD security which consisted also of a platoon plus size unit of Infantry that was part of the 93rd MP BN. The Infantry platoon also had a couple of 4.2 inch mortars in two pits at their cantonment area opposite the ABD. They routinely worked out the Twin BOFORS on the mountain side that the ABD backed up to.
Allen Lance In early 1969 I was assigned to HHD 93rd MP BN. The Provisional Rifle Company and the Dusters were at the same compound at the south end of Phu Tai as the PhuTai ABD. Around Tet 1969 there was an assault by sappers at the ABD, as well as probing all through the Qui Nhon City and environs. I had reason to respond there with the 93rd MP BN Commander as part of the reaction response. There were a couple of Security Guards missing and believe it or not the BN Commander and I went out with the crew on one of the Dusters into the ABD which was still burning and found the two SG hunkered down in a drainage ditch waiting to be rescued. It was quite a night after we ran through an ambush in Phu Tai along with part of the reaction force of Military Police.
Bill Sturgeon Alpha Battery, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery 68-69 SGT 16F40
(Bill Sturgeon) The Vulcans showed up at A 5/2 in January 1969. I was the track commander on A-112. On the convoy out of Phu Loi the big boy (tank) in the lead was hit but the Vulcans opened fire and quickly broke up the ambush. The 20mm had to call for resupply after this first encounter. Lessons learned. I took a few photos.
(editor) The Vulcan Air Defense system (XM-163) mounted the Vulcan M16A1 six barreled 20mm gatling gun on a converted M113A1 chassis. The gun system was capable of firing at 3,000 rounds per minute in short bursts of 10, 30, 60, or 100 rounds, or it could fire in continuous fire mode at a rate of 1,000 rounds per minute. A linkless feed system was used that required swiveling the mount sidewise into an out of battery position to reload the fixed magazine drum. The feed drum held 1,200 rounds ready to fire, with 800 rounds stowed in reserve on the wall of the APC. The 28 person test unit was attached to the 5/2nd Artillery operating out of Long Binh and was supplemented by soldiers from the 5/2nd Artillery. In Vietnam they were used mainly in a convoy escort role to test the Vulcan’s suitability for the ground combat role.
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D/4/60 60-71 SP4 2nd Platoon LZ Schueller
B/5/2 Jan-Apr 1971 1LT 2nd Platoon FSB Katum
“I Often wondered about the crews I served with after I left B/5th/2nd in April 1971.”
This social media comment led to a mystery that took unexpected twists and turns on its road to discovery.
Joe Belardo put together this theme photo album focused on Khe Gio Bridge Outpost from his personal photographs and those shared with him by NDQSA members and other Veterans. He has included photo descriptions.
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