Due to the confusion with name and dates, I have made mybest effort at extracting what commanders wrote in their own reports about the173rd’s operations. [283] The following dates, operation names, anddetails have been verified from non-classified and declassified commanderreports. All description information has also been taken directly from thesesame reports.
February1, 1969 – April 31, 1969. Operations report for the 173d Airborne Brigade(Sky Soldiers).
In an operational report of 173d Airborne Brigade (SkySoldiers) from February 1, 1969 – April 31, 1969, the following comments anddetails were noted: Since arriving in Vietnam in May 1965, as the AmericanArmy's first ground combat unit, the 173d, better known as the Sky Soldiers,have remained alert to quickly and forcefully respond to any enemy threat andmeet any assigned mission. To accomplish this mission, the 173d AirborneBrigade conducts a total of 10 combat operations throughout 4ts area ofresponsibility. Operations took place took place in the following three AO's.AO Dan Cuong/Lee (Bong Son-Uplift), AO Suc Manh (An Khe), and AO DanPhu/Waineright (Tuy Hoa). In mid-April the Brigade terminated its major combatoperations and bean and began conducting pacification operations in Binh Dinh Province. For a short time the Brigadealso conducted operations around the port of Qui Nhon in southern Binh DinhProvince. Among the responsibilities of the Brigade are:Reconnaissance-in-force operations throughout its geographical area; securityof Highway 10 from An Khe to Mangang Pass (the main logistical link between thecoastal port of Qui Nhom and the Central Highlands); security of Highway 4 fromQui Nhon to I Corps (South Vietnam’s only north-south highway), and protectionof the villages and rice harvests in the heavily populated agricultural regionsalong the coast. [283] The 173dAirborne Brigade continued to be under the leadership of Brigadier General JohnW. Barnes, who assumed command on 15 December 1968. Presently under thecontrol of IFFV, the bridage is conducting operation east of the centralhighlands, north to I Corps, and south to Tuy Hoa and west to An Khe. There arefour airborne infantry battalions of the 503rd Infantry, the 3dBattalion, 319th Artillery, E Troop, 17th Cavalry, the 1stBattalion (Mech) 50th Infantry, D Company, 16th Armor,and 173d Engineer Company. [283]
OperationDarby March I.February 1, 1969 – February 8, 1969.
In AO Dan Phu/Wainwright the 4th Battalion (Abn)503d Infantry conducted hunter-killer/reconnaissance in Force operation aroundTuy Hoa. [283] The operation was also conducted in conjunction with the 26thROK Regiment and the Rhu Yen Province Pacification Program. D/16tharmor continued security operation at An Nghiep Hamlet and provided security atthe Tuy Hoa North Airfield and acted as a Rapid Reaction Force. [283]
OperationDarby March II. February 8, 1969 – March 6, 1969.
173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Battalion in AO DanPhu/Wainwright, and the 503rd Airborne Infantry clear and search operation inPhú Yên Province. [283] Operation dates have also been reported as being fromMarch 16, 1969 – Apr 15, 1969. [35] [283] AO Dan Cuong/Lee is the Brigade'smost densely populated area of operation, containing nearly 350,000 people. Ofthis number, an estimated 215,000 are considered as bring under Viet Conginfluence or as living in contested areas. Most of the population lives alongthe coast of the South China Sea in the rich, rice producing lowlands and areengaged in either rice production (three to four crops each year) or commercialfishing, for the most part on an individual basis. The entire Binh Dinh areahas long been identified as a Viet Cong stronghold, dating back to the days ofFrench occupation. [283] In addition, Route QL 1, Vietnam’s coastal highway andthe country's primary highway that runs the length of the country), runsthrough Binh Dinh’s center. Because of its importance, QL 1 has now been almostcompletely surfaced with asphalt in Binh Dinh Province. The Vietnam NationalRailroad, which runs parallel to QL 1, is heavily damaged, and has not been inuse in AO Dan Cuong/Lee since late 1964. However, the Vietnam National Railroadnow operates between Qui Nhon and Phu Cat Air Force Base, hauling heavyequipment and building materials. [283]
OperationDarby Crest I. February 1, 1969 –March 3, 1969.
In AO Dan Cuong/Lee the 1st Battalion (Abn) 503dInfantry conducted operations generally to the north of LZ Uplift for theprimary purpose of conducting Hunter-Killer/Search operations. The 1/503dreceived support from C(-)/1-69 Armor and 3/E-17. [283] Also, operations werecon ducted 40th ARVH Regiment in the Crescent Plains area. Theoperation was targeted against the D22 Hoai An District Co., local forceguerrillas and elements of the 18th NVA Regiment conducting foodcollection efforts in the Crescent area. Cumulative results after operationtermination were as follows: US KIA 1, CIDG losses were none, ARVN losses were1 KIA and 1 WIA. US inflicted enemy losses as follows: 48KIA, 1 CIA, 18 SA, 6HG’s, 1 CS, 267 det., misc. documents, 5 RS, 60,000 plasters, 1 civilian radioand misc. equipment. Author’s comments:Of all the after action reports I have read, the one for Darby Crest I is oneof the strangest.
OperationDarby Crest II. March 4, 1969 –March 25, 1969.
In AO Dan Cuong/Lee the 1st Battalion (Abn) 503dInfantry conducted operations generally to the north of LZ Uplift for theprimary purpose of conducting Hunter-Killer/Search operations of selectedvillages along QL 1 in support of Rural Development Teams and overallpacification projects. The 1/503d received support from C(-)/1-69 Armor and3/E-17. [283] To a large extent this was a continuation of Operation DarbyCrest I.
OperationDarby Crest III. March 25, 1969–April 15, 1969.
In AO Dan Cuong/Lee the 1st Battalion (Abn) 503dInfantry conducted operations generally to the north of LZ Uplift for theprimary purpose of conducting Hunter-Killer/Search operations. The 1/503dreceived support from C(-)/1-69 Armor and 3/E-17. [283] This was largely acontinuation of the two previous Darby Crest operations which utilized Hawk/RFoperations. Cumulative results for the operation were as follows: US losses 3WIA, CIDG none, and ARVN none. US inflicted enemy losses were 5 VC.NVA killed,1 SA, 1 HG, 145 detachment, 1.5 tones rice, misc. equipment and documents.
OperationStingray I. March 6, 1969 – March 10, 1969.
The 4/503 moved to AO Suc Manh/Marshall where it conductedoperations as a hunter-killer/reconnaissance in Force. [283] The 1stBattalion (Mech) 50th Infantry also assisted with security and minesweeps and perimeter defense of Camp Radcliff until April 15, 1969 whey wererelieved by elements of the 4th Infantry Division. [283]
OperationStingray II. March 11, 1969.
173rd Airborne Brigade clear and search operation in Bình ĐịnhProvince. [35] Early on the morning of 8 March, an estimated North VietnameseArmy battalion attacked the night defensive positions of an element of the 1stBrigade, U.S. 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), 6 km(4 miles) northeast of Phu Khuong. The enemy attack was preceded by anunreported number and caliber of rocket rounds. The enemy employed small arms,automatic weapons and RPG rocket-grenade fire while the troopers returned firewith organic weapons supported by artillery and helicopter gunships. Actioncontinued until about 0800 hours when contact was lost as the enemy withdrew. In a sweep of thebattle area in and around the perimeter, elements of the brigade found thebodies of 154 NVA soldiers killed in the abortive night attack. In addition, eightcrew-served (including two flamethrowers) and 23 individual weapons werecaptured. The following items were left scattered in the area and werecaptured: 10,000 AK-47 small arms rounds, 73 CHICOM hand grenades, 45 RPG-2rocket grenades, 4 Bangalore torpedoes, and 250 one-half pound satchel charges.U.S. casualties were 11 killed and 30 wounded.
OperationDarby Punch I. February 8, 1969 – March 6, 1969.
173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Battalion [283]
OperationDarby Punch II. February 8, 1969 – March 6, 1969.
173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Battalion in AO An. [283] March10-May 24, 1970 The 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted its 50th operation,Operation Darby Punch II, in and around the city of An Khe. (This sentence inthis field command report is confusing…)
OperationDarby Punch III. March 10, 1969 – March 24, 1969.
173rd Airborne Brigade, 4th Battalion in AO An Khe conductedoperations as a hunter-killer/reconnaissance in force operation. [283]
OperationDarby Trail I.February 1, 1969 – February 7, 1969.
In AO Dan Cuong/Lee the 2nd Battalion (Abn) 503dInfantry conducted operation surrounding LZ English for the primary purpose ofhunter-killer/reconnaissance in Force operations. [283] The 2/503d Infantryreceived support from 2/C-1-69 Armor at North English; 1/E-17 Calvary providedsecurity at the Bong Son Bridge. [283] US forces were combined with the 40thARVN Regiment and 2/14th APC Troop om the Bong Son Plains area. Theoperation was also targeted against the supply and transportation elements ofthe 3d NVD Division, Base Area 225 and the possible location of the 2d NVARegiment. US and allied force losses during this operation was minimal with noKIAs and only 1 WIA. Enemy losses were 4 KIA.
OperationDarby Trail II.February 8, 1969 – April 15, 1969.
In AO Dan Cuong/Lee the 2nd Battalion (Abn) 503dInfantry as well as the 4/503d conducted operation surrounding LZ English forthe primary purpose of hunter-killer/reconnaissance in Force (Hawk/RF)operations. [283] The 2/503d Infantry received support from 2/C-1-69 Armor atNorth English; 1/E-17 Calvary provided security at the Bong Son Bridge. [283]US forces were combined with the 40th ARVN Regiment and 2/14thAPC Troop in surrounding areas.
OperationDarby Trail III. October 1, 1969 –October 5, 1969.
A 173rd Airborne Brigade operation of the 4th InfantryDivision in the I Corps and II Corps boundary in Binh Dinh Province. TheBrigade’s mission was to conduct reconnaissance operations in the An Lão Valleyand to interdict the movement of the PAVN 2nd Regiment, 3rd Division across theboundary. This was a combined operation involving 2 battalions of the Brigade,elements of the 23rd Infantry Division and ARVN 4th Regiment, 2nd Division andtwo regimental task forces of the ARVN 22nd Division for a total of 9battalions. The results of this operation included 55 PAVN/VC killed and 21small arms captured. [83]
OperationWashington Green (Bình Định Province). April 15, 1969 – January 1, 1971.
173rd Airborne Brigade pacification operation in the An LaoValley, Bình Định Province. [42] [283] 173rd Airborne Brigade pacificationoperation in the An Lao Valley, Bình Định Province. [42] In April 1969 Brigadecommander Brig. Gen. John W. Barnes officially ended the unit's pair-offprogram and replaced it with OperationWashington Green, an intensive area security effort with territorial andparamilitary forces in Bình Định Province. In essence, Washington Green was asecond Operation Fairfax, but withoutthe presence of ARVN regulars. OperationWashington Green proved to be the final American campaign in Bình ĐịnhProvince, and its greatest achievement may have been in training an impressivenumber of territorial and paramilitary forces. However, in the long run theoperation appeared no more successful than Fairfax's efforts to clean up GiaDinh Province around Saigon prior to the Tet Offensive. Bình Định was noteasily pacified by military action alone. American and Vietnamese localintelligence was poor, the area was a traditional VC stronghold, and provinceand district officials were never able to eliminate the local VCinfrastructure. In the "Three Front Concept" to be performedsimultaneously and included the pursuit of province and district pacificationplans, the upgrading of the training, leadership, and combat effectiveness ofall South Vietnamese forces operating in the area of operations, and finallythe conduct of combat operations that would complement, exploit, and furtherstabilize South Vietnamese agencies operating in support of pacification. [83]During the operation each maneuver battalion located its main or forwardtactical operations center with that of the MACV Advisory element and the SouthVietnamese Government officials at district headquarters. This placed thebattalion intelligence officers in close coordination with the DistrictIntelligence Coordination Center. Artillery liaison teams were similarlycollocated with the District Fire Direction Centers. This process ofcollocation was maintained through all lower levels of command, such that USrifle companies collocated with Regional Force (RF) companies and rifleplatoons with Popular Force (PF) platoons. [83] The operation concluded with1,957 PAVN/VC killed.
March20, 1969. Medal of Honor. Cpl. Terry Kawamura.
Cpl. Terry Kawamura from the 173rd Engineer Company becamethe 11th Sky Soldier to earn the Medal of Honor. His citation reads: Forconspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life aboveand beyond the call of duty. Cpl. Kawamura distinguished himself by heroicaction while serving as a member of the 173d Engineer Company. An enemydemolition team infiltrated the unit quarters area and opened fire withautomatic weapons. Disregarding the intense fire, Cpl. Kawamura ran for hisweapon. At that moment, a violent explosion tore a hole in the roof and stunnedthe occupants of the room. Cpl. Kawamura jumped to his feet, secured his weaponand, as he ran toward the door to return the enemy fire, he observed thatanother explosive charge had been thrown through the hole in the roof to thefloor. He immediately realized that 2 stunned fellow soldiers were in greatperil and shouted a warning. Although in a position to escape, Cpl. Kawamuraunhesitatingly, wheeled around and threw himself on the charge. In completelydisregarding' his safety, Cpl. Kawamura prevented serious injury or death toseveral members of his unit. The extraordinary courage and selflessnessdisplayed by Cpl. Kawamura are in the highest traditions of the militaryservice and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Image: Cpl. Medal of Honor. Terry Kawamura
Landing Zone English (aka English Airfield, LZ Dog, LZ English orsimply Bong Son).
This is a former U.S. Army base in Bồng Sơn, Bình ĐịnhProvince, Vietnam. The base was located along Highway 1 approximately82km northwest of Qui Nhơn. LZ Dog was originally established by the 1stCavalry Division in late January 1966 as part of Operation Irving. The baseserved as headquarters (together with Camp Radcliff) for the 1st CavalryDivision from July 1967 to January 1968.
English was the base for the 173rd Airborne Brigade from May 1968 to August 1971. FromAugust–October 1968 combat engineers from the 18th Engineer Brigade upgradedthe existing airstrip into a Lockheed C-130 Hercules capable airfield.
Other units stationed at English included:
7th Battalion, 13th Artillery (1967-October 1969)
1st Battalion, 30th Artillery (April 1967-February 1968)
3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery
3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division (March–April 1968)comprising:
1st Battalion, 14th Infantry1st Battalion, 35th Infantry
2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry
1st Battalion, 50th Infantry
19th Combat Engineer Battalion (August 1968 to February1969)
