Direct Artillery Fire at An Khe, Vietnam

[bilgewater79]

Thank you and Welcome Home GI.

[cvframer]

Today's miscreant or yesterday's. Thank you for killing them.

[WimGrundy]

REDLEGS RULE! 1-181 FA Bn, TNARNG, Chattanooga, TN: Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, 1990-'91

[pinz2022]

I must also respectfully ask what you guys had for range-finding equipment before all those laser doohickeys were invented?

[HistoryPackRat]

Usually just estimated distances by eyeball, and would sometimes fire with the estimated elevation and fuze setting to confirm, depending on how close it was to friendlies or civilians, but our survey section could survey points in if it was really critical. We did eventually get an early version of a GPS, but it was usually too bulky and time-consuming to set up and use.

[pinz2022]

I have to admit those orange blossoms are compelling--worthy of a Vietnamese poet's bad verses--but were you guys actually taking fire from that quarter--or was it a slow day?

[HistoryPackRat]

While our primary mission was to provide fire support for Highway 19 from An Khe Pass to Mang Yang Pass and for the infantry from the 1st Cav (later 173 Abn Bde, 1/50 Mech Inf, and 1/69 Armor)) operating in area, we also helped conduct an "introduct to Vietnam course" for 1st Cav Troopers just arriving in RVN and a a forward observer school for First Field Force (IFFV). This was for one of those -- I can't recall which, probably for the 1st Cav.

[wyldstallion906]

what month was this in1968?

[HistoryPackRat]

Afraid I can't recall exactly, but it is probably February or March, possibly the first part of Apri (I have some stills with a printing date of April. I am afraid I can't date it any more accurately than that.

[buprang]

I served with C Battery gun section # I Ban Me Thout also as Battery Clerk during Buprang and Duclap offense 1969-1970 Great to see this short video.

Hector

[HistoryPackRat]

Thnks for the kind words. Have you gone to the 17th Artillery Regiment web page?

[pinz2022]

Was this a 105 using those shells that could be fuzed to detonate a certain distance from the muzzle by adjusting a metered plastic ring around the nose?

I read that they were meant as a last-ditch defense for firebases that were being overrun by the enemy--that they could be set to blow mere yards from the muzzle--unleashing a beehive?

[HistoryPackRat]

We didn't have any fuze with plastic except the VT fuze (M513/4) but they weren't good in direct fire. We used mechanical time fuzes M520 (aluminum & bronze - WWII & Korean war era) or M548 (aluminum--new in Vietnam) in this video. There is a Beehive or flechette round (M548) fired at 1:24 which used a M571 time fuze which could go off as soon as it left the muzzle.

Sorry, probably told you more than you wanted to know.