OT-Interesting articles on Vietnam

Unfortunately

Oop, I guess I just got my head handed to be THERE. >SNICKER<

What a maroon. What a canard! What a nincowpoop...

And you know, I really do think you guys have no clue just exactly how stupid you "sound."

Dan

All this fron Dan, the Dumbass wannabe scientist.

Strider

Yup..there were Chicoms working in the South. That I know for a fact. Id'd. Also Russians flying the occasional Mig up North. Ive seen photos of a cauc in the cockpit of a Mig, seconds before the 20mms ruined the paint job.

Most..not all...but most Nung mercs worked for the Christians in Action or on B teams or in Mike forces. I dont recall ever seeing a recognizable deader on the other team. Shrug.

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

Hi Gunner. How are the new parts working out?

Strider

So far, so good. Given the title of another thread..Gunner Unplugged! (which is most apropos ) its going well. Most of the morphine fog has lifted at the time of this writing..though I still get these flash exhaustion moments. It will pass.

But thanks kindly for asking

Gunner

That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there. - George Orwell

Wasn't referring to Nungs working on the other team. Knew of some who worked for the Christians In Action. But also knew some who worked for the ARVN. In Recon and Recondo outfits. Had a couple occassions when we assisted some ARVN units, accompanied by some MACV guys as advisors. They had some Nungs along. Good fighters as I understand it. Not adverse to volunteering for the hotter missions. Mercenaries, but both tough and loyal.

I was recalling a time when we helped do a hot extraction. An ARVN Recondo patrol (recon/commando group) got into trouble. IIRC, a 10 or

We were in the vicinity. MACV guy got hold of us and asked if we'd give it a try. Recondos thought they MIGHT be able to make it to a nearby river. But it was real iffy. We took MACV fella aboard. Which was against orders. He wasn't supposed to go anywhere without at least a battalion in force. He was just an advisor. But he felt responsible for those guys. And he wasn't gonna let orders from some paper pusher get in the way.

Anyway, we got to the right pickup point, and they made it there themselves. Carrying their casualties. We got em out of there.

Got a tinsy-little bit hairy there for a while. Seemed like Charlie had a whole friggin regiment on that patrol's tail. Charlie was pissed and determined they weren't gonna get away. Or us, after they spotted us. So they and we debated the matter. Charlie lost the debate.

We'd been out and about playing a routine game when the MACV guy contacted us. We'd been playing .... Bait. Yah know the game. We went strolling and patrolling, playing dumb as rocks. Waiting for Charlie to take the bait and jump us. We had a Wolf pack on hot standby. And squardron leader had a hotline to a carrier. They were running strikes to our north. But didn't have any real good targets. So we were to let em know if we found anything interesting. And, if so, they'd divert some aircraft our way.

One of those when things actually worked as hoped.

For whatever reasons, other attack craft weren't being brought in to help that recon unit. I never got a straight skinny on the story. Some kinda ill feelings between this colonel or general and that one. (Talking South Vietnamese guys) An ARVN general who coulda made it happen, called in some American aircraft, wouldn't. I heard something to the effect that he didn't like the commander of the main ARVN unit to which those recon guys belonged. So kinda regularly left that unit, or parts of it, hanging with their asses on the line. Wouldn't send help, on some pretext or other, until last moment ... or later than that. Was something about the general felt that the major in charge of the unit did better than the general in combat, made general look bad. So general would, from time to time, let that unit, or an element of it, get whacked real good.

We didn't have that problem. Soon as we closed in enough to clearly hear the gunfire and see smoke rising from explosions. Charlie was bringing mortars to bear on that patrol. Our leader called in and said we were taking incoming. Could we have some assistance, please? Then he kept talking to the air support, holding them back and out of sight and hearing til we were actually engaged, and took patrol aboard.

Was not nice for a little while there. Like I said, Charlie was pissed and determined. But got suddenly taken back a little, took a bit to regroup, when they ran into our cover fire. Infantry troops often like to rethink the matter when they first run into multiple twin 50 cal mounts pouring it on fast as they can. Then they were busy as hell trying to hustle every weapon they could to bear down on us.

I durned near shot a couple guys on that patrol when I first saw em. Black pajamas, Ho Chi Minh sandals, and AK's. Then MACV guy was shouting they were good guys. Yelled that the guys wearing these scarves along with the pajamas were his people.

Anyway, we got em aboard and backed away hard, spun and ran for it, while our fellow boats covered.

That's when squadron leader unleashed the air guys. Telling em anyone on the west side of the river were bad guys, hit em and hit em hard.

Good day. Sat Cong. Sat Beaucoup Cong.

Anyway, later MACV guy explained those recon guys, and this group was all Nung working for ARVN. often wore Cong outfits. As they spent much time in Cong territory. Made it easier for em to go unspotted as what they were.

No idea how many such types operated in the field. Not being a ground pounder. Nor being one who worked with those guys with any regularity. Couple times. Only when they were operating in our area and they needed some help.

Bob