Fortunately, several charges failed to detonate. About 20 Vietnamese infiltrated the flight line at Chu Lai and threw satchel charges into the tail pipes of the parked Skyhawks destroying two and damaging six more of VMA-311’s aircraft.
Following this attack on Da Nang, the base’s Marine Corps commander adopted a more aggressive airfield defence posture and pushed offensive patrols far out from the base.Ī-4C Skyhawk 148550, 148595 VMA-311, MAG-12, USMC, Chu Laiĭuring the night of 27/28 October VC sappers attacked the Marine bases at Chu Lai and Marble Mountain. This was the second major VC attack on a US airfield and was even more successful than their first attempt at Bien Hoa on 1 November 1964. A C-130A 56-0475 from the 817th TCS of the 6315th OG was also badly damaged but later repaired and flew with the Air Force Reserve until it was retired to become a battle damage training airframe. Two VNAF C-47s were also destroyed in the attack on Da Nang and three more F-102s, three C-123s, and 18 VNAF C-47s were damaged. The flareships, which had only recently arrived at Da Nang, flew missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail at night dropping flares for accompanying strike aircraft, usually B-57s at this stage of the war.
The F-102s were sitting on alert status and the enemy sappers simply threw hand grenades into the open cockpits and fired machine guns into the tailpipes. Two C-130A flareships from Naha’s 6315th Operations Group were destroyed along with three of Da Nang’s F-102 interceptors from the 509th FIS detachment. They then placed satchel charges and hand grenades among several aircraft. In the early hours of 1 July a mortar attack at one end of Da Nang airfield provided a diversion for a group of VC sappers who killed a USAF guard, SSgt T K Jensen, and gained entry to the flight line. The Marines also took over responsibility for the security of the airfield in March 1965. On 8 March 1,600 US Marines had landed at the base and from then on Da Nang developed to become the main base for Marine Corps activity during the war. Defensive perimeters were pushed out further and further (in some cases several miles) but it was a costly task in that it tied down considerable numbers of combat troops and the very nature of the enemy made them difficult to stop entirely.Ĭ-130A Hercules 55-0039, 55-0042 817 TCS, 6315 OG, USAF, Da Nang (TDY from Naha)į-102A Delta Dagger 55-3371, 56-1161, 56-1182 Detachment 3, 509 FIS, 405 FW, USAF, Da Nangĭa Nang had grown into the major centre for air operations in the northern provinces of South Vietnam. Air base defence in South Vietnam was a constant problem that was never really solved. This was a devastating and highly embarrassing attack for the American forces and was only the first of many such attacks. Four American soldiers were killed and 72 others wounded.
In addition a HH-43B Huskie rescue helicopter was destroyed and two more damaged and the VNAF had three A-1s destroyed, three more damaged and two C-47s damaged. Twenty B-57Bs of the 7th and 13th TBSs were parked in four neat rows in the centre of the base and five were destroyed with 13 others damaged to some degree.
The Viet Cong had set up six 81mm mortars less than a quarter of a mile from the northern perimeter of the base and fired 83 rounds before withdrawing without loss to themselves. B-57B Canberra 52-1555, 53-3892, 53-3894, 53-3914, 53-3924 8/13 TBS, 405 FW, USAF, Bien HoaĪt 25 minutes past midnight as October became November Bien Hoa air base was rocked by the explosion of mortar rounds.
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