Viet Cong attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base (1966) A Viet Cong (VC) attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base occurred during the early hours of 4 December 1966, during the Vietnam War. 

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 VC sappers, supported by mortar fire, was repulsed by the United States Air Force (USAF) base security forces by 04:00, though VC stragglers continued to be engaged in and around the base until 5 December. After receiving intelligence that over 5,000 American troops and tons of weapon would land at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in order to prepare for Operation Cedar Falls, elements of the Viet Cong Special Forces Unit F100 led by Lê Minh Xuân left its camp at Bình Chánh, suburb of Saigon. The VC special forces also had support from others VC troops outside the base for logistic and preventing reinforcement of ARVN and the USAF base security forces.[2] 

The VC force led by Nguyễn Văn Kịp (Đồng Đen) penetrated the base perimeter fence at approximately 01:00 on 4 December. The penetration was detected by a USAF sentry dog team at guardpost Alpha K-19 (10.828°N 106.658°E) north of the 07/25 runway and he raised the alarm. A USAF security patrol was deployed to guardpost and the VC began their attack shortly after this. An 8–9 man group of VC was Prelude Battle [3] engaged by guardpost 15 near Taxiway W-7. Another group of VC crossed the 07/25 runway and attempted to attack the aircraft parking area but were stopped by machine gun fire from bunker Delta 11 which killed 13 VC. Another group of VC entered the C-47 and helicopter parking area. The VC fired and threw hand grenades into the aircraft parking area before withdrawing at 01:40. A power unit next to an aircraft revetment exploded after being hit by a grenade and the resulting fire damaged an RF-101C aircraft. [3]: 10 VC mortar fire from outside the base was detected by counter-mortar radar and the mortar site was targeted by ARVN 105mm artillery, Vietnam Air Force A-1s and helicopters from the US Army 120th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Elements of the ARVN 53rd Regional Force Battalion were ambushed as they approached the mortar site, suffering two killed but they overran the mortar position by 02:15 suffering a further one killed. [3]: 10 As some VC withdrew at approximately 01:40, the USAF security police moved to block their escape. At 02:10 the retreating VC engaged the USAF line in a firefight that lasted until 02:35. Two USAF security police were killed in this engagement and two wounded, while three VC were killed. At 02:30 a VC [3]: 11–12 satchel charge exploded in the old bomb dump area in the north-central area of the base, detonating a store of US Navy 5 inch shells. [3]: 14 At 03:05 a USAF guard at post Alpha K-20 reported that the VC were attacking his position. At 03:50 a sentry dog unit at Alpha K-21 pursued retreating VC and at 04:15 Alpha K-20 was secured but the USAF security policemen at that post had been killed. [3]: 13 At 04:00 the base security forces were put on hold and at 04:45 a full search of the based was conducted. [3]: 14 At 06:25 as the sun rose, VC were spotted on the road outside the base perimeter near the penetration point and were engaged by USAF security police, the VC returned fire and two VC were killed, one USAF wounded and two VC captured. A further two VC were captured near the west of runway 07/25. At 08:10 US forces mounted a search and destroy operation on the west perimeter of the air base until 09:20. [3]: 15 The air base resumed normal flight operations at 08:49. [3]: 14 At 20:21 Alpha Post K-34 detected VC and a quick reaction team was despatched to the scene. At 21:00 a search operation commenced and at 21:45 two VC were killed in the area, a further two VC were killed later. At 22:45 to the south of the position another VC was located and killed. At 00:29 on 5 December a sentry dog team from A-34 detected VC and was soon engaged by three VC, the dog handler was shot and wounded, a quick reaction team arrived and the VC were killed with grenades. [3]: 16–7 It was later determined that the VC were part of the original attack force who had been attempting to escape through the original entry point. [3]: 17 [3]: 18 At 11:53 on 5 December, a VC was observed in the old bomb dump area and he was engaged and killed. Aftermath The Viet Cong claim that they withdrew having destroyed 260 airplanes, a depot of bombs and shells, 13 military vehicles and having killed or wounded over 600 US and ARVN soldiers. [2] The US suffered three USAF personnel killed and 15 wounded while the ARVN suffered three killed and four wounded. The US/ARVN killed 28 Viet Cong and captured four. [1] [3]: 20–1 [3]: 20 17 aircraft suffered minor to moderate damage, three aircraft suffered major damage and three USAF vehicles were destroyed. [4]: 16–7 [4] The US considered the engagement as a victory as they had repulsed the attack with minimal losses. 

 References 1. Fox, Roger (1979). Air Base Defense in the Republic of Vietnam 1961–1973 (https://web.arc hive.org/web/20161123144536/http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-10092 1-023.pdf) (PDF). Office of Air Force History. p. 173. ISBN 978-1410222565. Archived from the original (http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-100921-023.pdf) (PDF) on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016. 2. "Có một trận đánh "trả thù cho Hà Nội" " (http://antg.cand.com.vn/Tu-lieu-antg/Co-mot-tran danh-tra-thu-cho-Ha-Noi-381282/). cand.com.vn. Retrieved 22 September 2016. 3. "Combat Operations After Actions Report, Tan Son Nhut AB, RVN, 4 December 1966" (htt p://377sps.org/johnson/1966/Dec%204,%201966%20After%20Action%20Report.pdf) (PDF). Department of the Air Force. 8 December 1966. Retrieved 21 September 2016. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. 4. Nolan, Keith (1996). The Battle for Saigon Tet 1968. Presidio press. p. 16. ISBN 0891417699. External links 377th Air Police Squadron veterans site map of the attack (http://377sps.org/map/index.htm l) Video of USAF Security Police searching the base perimeter after the attack (https://www.yo utube.com/watch?v=riiar0YcXgM) Video of press briefing, dead VC and captured weaponry (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v =8kmlQ1mYdoo) Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Viet_Cong_attack_on_Tan_Son_Nhut_Air_Base_(1966)&oldid=1274653902

 

Ruff Puffs,’ Vietnamese Militia, Hunt Enemy by Night

By Gloria Emerson Special to The New York Times

• Aug. 16, 1970

Credit...

GIABINH, South Vietnam, Aug. 8 — At night, the “Ruff Puffs” of this village in Trang bang district move out on pa trol, garbed, like the Vietcong, in black pajama‐like clothing or in shorts, but armed with American M‐16 rifles.

“Ruff Puffs” is the Ameri can nickname for the men who serve in the Popular Forces, the trained, armed defenders of the hamlets and villages where they live. These militia men know the earth, every face, every normal sound. There are 215,000 of them in South Vietnam. They are poor ly paid.

“The Vietcong don't fear the army,” said 33‐year‐old Tran Van To, a former farmer. “They just avoid a big army opera tion.

“But the VC hate the Popu lar Forces very much, and they know that when they come to the village there is a good chance of being ambushed by us.”

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Wonder at Insecurity

The nickname Ruff Puffs al so includes a larger body, called the Regional Forces, who are concerned with province securi ty and are under the control of the province chief. The two groups — R. F. and P. F. —have an estimated total of 486, 000 men. There are 466,000 men in the regular armed forces of South Vietnam.

“I wonder why it is not more secure in Vietnam in general, even after the Vietcong sanc tuaries in Cambodia have been wiped out,” Tran Van To said.

Haunghia Province, in which this village is situated, borders on Cambodia's Parrot's Beak region where allied forces re cently cleared out enemy sanc tuaries. Haunghia also borders on Tayninh Province in South Vietnam, long considered a strategic region by Vietnamese Communists.

“Instead of living in the bor der areas the VC have now been driven deep into the territory,” Tran Van To said. “That's bad.”

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As most Vietnamese do, he uses the word VC to include both the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese forces.

There are six hamlets in the village of Giabinh, which is on Route 1, a main highway.

Their names are Phuochau, Phuochiep, Apchanh, and Binh nguyen I, II and III.

The Hamlet Evaluation Sys tem, which uses computerized ratings to measure progress, in dicated that 88.6 per cent of the population of Haunghia Prov ince in June lived in hamlets under Government control. But Tran Van To has his own ideas.

“Phuochau and Phuochiep hamlets are not secure,” Tran Van To said, speaking of two of the hamlets in Giabinh vill age. The Vietcong are there at night—still.

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“But even in the daytime they are in Thanhphuoc village of Hieuthien district in Tayninh Province,” he said. “It is a ‘liberated’ village. Five soldiers dare not go to that village in the daytime.”

Nguyen Hoang Khach, a 28‐year‐old platoon leader, said it had been quiet in Apchanh hamlet.

“Only recent trouble was a month ago when the Vietcong came to the edge of this hamlet to collect taxes—one family who owns a truck had to pay a lot, others less,” he said. “But the people who paid are not in trouble with us. What could they do? And who are they? They are relatives—mine or another P.F.'s.”

‘Gutsy Little Fellows’

There are four Popular Forc es plotoons in Giabinh village —or about 140 men at full strength. Ambushes after dark by the Vietcong on Route 1, and occasional mines, are routine problems for them.

An American advisory team for Trangbang district is head ed by Maj. Maurice Moore, who describes the P.F. forces here as “gutsy little fellows.” He feels that acts of terrorism by the Vietcong are “a primary indicator that the enemy is weak because if the enemy was strong enough it wouldn't be necessary.”

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Roman Catholic communities, or those of Cao Daiists—a Viet namese religious sect—are usually the least bothered by the Vietcong in Trangbang dis trict, Major Moore said.

“These communities are the best organized,” he said. “That is the secret of this damn war —organization. Organization of the people”

The Popular Forces platoons of Giabinh do not know the secret of the war. They are anti‐Communist but not men who much like such a long war.

They talk mostly about money: the pay for a private is less than $20 a month at the official rate of exchange, with a small allowance for depend ents. They do not want to leave the village, and they fear having to leave their families to fend for themselves.

 The VC force led by Nguyễn Văn Kịp (Đồng Đen) penetrated the base perimeter fence at approximately 01:00 on 4 December. The penetration was detected by a USAF sentry dog team at guardpost Alpha K-19 ( 10.828°N 106.658°E) north of the 07/25 runway and he raised the alarm. A USAF security patrol was deployed to guardpost and the VC began their attack shortly after this. An 8–9 man group of VC was engaged by guardpost 15 near Taxiway W-7. Another group of VC crossed the 07/25 runway and attempted to attack the aircraft parking area but were stopped by machine gun fire from bunker Delta 11 which killed 13 VC. ^[3]

Another group of VC entered the C-47 and helicopter parking area. The VC fired and threw hand grenades into the aircraft parking area before withdrawing at 01:40. A power unit next to an aircraft revetment exploded after being hit by a grenade and the resulting fire damaged an RF-101C aircraft. ^[3]: 10

VC mortar fire from outside the base was detected by counter-mortar radar and the mortar site was targeted by ARVN 105mm artillery, Vietnam Air Force A-1s and helicopters from the US Army 120th Assault Helicopter Battalion. Elements of the ARVN 53rd Regional Force Battalion were ambushed as they approached the mortar site, suffering two killed but they overran the mortar position by 02:15 suffering a further one killed. ^[3]: 10

As some VC withdrew at approximately 01:40, the USAF security police moved to block their escape. At 02:10 the retreating VC engaged the USAF line in a firefight that lasted until 02:35. Two USAF security police were killed in this engagement and two wounded, while three VC were killed. ^{[3]: 11–12}

At 02:30 a VC satchel charge exploded in the old bomb dump area in the north-central area of the base, detonating a store of US Navy 5 inch shells. ^[3]: 14

At 03:05 a USAF guard at post Alpha K-20 reported that the VC were attacking his position. At 03:50 a sentry dog unit at Alpha K-21 pursued retreating VC and at 04:15 Alpha K-20 was secured but the USAF security policemen at that post had been killed. ^[3]: 13

At 04:00 the base security forces were put on hold and at 04:45 a full search of the based was conducted. ^[3]: 14 At 06:25 as the sun rose, VC were spotted on the road outside the base perimeter near the penetration point and were engaged by USAF security police, the VC returned fire and two VC were killed, one USAF wounded and two VC captured. A further two VC were captured near the west of runway 07/25. At 08:10 US forces mounted a search and destroy operation on the west perimeter of the air base until 09:20. ^[3]: 15

The air base resumed normal flight operations at 08:49. ^[3]: 14

At 20:21 Alpha Post K-34 detected VC and a quick reaction team was despatched to the scene. At 21:00 a search operation commenced and at 21:45 two VC were killed in the area, a further two VC were killed later. At 22:45 to the south of the position another VC was located and killed. At 00:29 on 5 December a sentry dog team from A-34 detected VC and was soon engaged by three VC, the dog handler was shot and wounded, a quick reaction team arrived and the VC were killed with grenades. ^{[3]: 16–7} It was later determined that the VC were part of the original attack force who had been attempting to escape through the original entry point. ^[3]: 17

At 11:53 on 5 December, a VC was observed in the old bomb dump area and he was engaged and killed. ^[3]: 18

Aftermath

The Viet Cong claim that they withdrew having destroyed 260 airplanes, a depot of bombs and shells, 13 military vehicles and having killed or wounded over 600 US and ARVN soldiers. ^[2]

The US suffered three USAF personnel killed and 15 wounded while the ARVN suffered three killed and four wounded. The US/ARVN killed 28 Viet Cong and captured four. ^{[1] [3]: 20} 17 aircraft suffered minor to moderate damage, three aircraft suffered major damage and three USAF vehicles were destroyed. ^{[3]: 20–1  [4]} The US considered the engagement as a victory as they had repulsed the attack with minimal losses. ^{[4]: 16–7}

References