Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord
partof=the Vietnam War
date=July 1, 1970 - July 23, 1970
place=coord|16|26|45.5|N|107|11|28|E|name=FSB Ripcord|display=inline,title|type:landmark
A Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam - UTM Grid YD 343-194cite book| last =Kelley| first =Michael P.| title =Where We Were In Vietnam| publisher =Hellgate Press| date =2002| pages = p. 5-442 | id = ISBN 1-55571-625-3 ]
result=North Vietnamese tactical victory
combatant1=

combatant2=

commander1=Vo Nguyen Giap
Chu Phong Doi
commander2=Andre LucasKIA
Ben Harrison
strength1=9 battalions
strength2=1 battalion
casualties1=Confirmed 422 killed and 6 captured (according to the U.S. after-action report)
casualties2=75 KIA and 463 wounded,
8 aircraft destroyed and 36 damaged|

The Battle of Fire Support Base Ripcord was a 23 day battle between the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and the North Vietnamese Army from July 1, 1970 until July 23, 1970. It was the last major confrontation between United States ground forces and North Vietnam of the Vietnam War. Little was known about the battle until 1985, when the [http://www.ripcordassociation.com/ FSB Ripcord Association] was founded. Three Medals of Honor and five Distinguished Service Crosses were earned during the operations.

Background

President Nixon secretly began the withdrawal of troops from Vietnam early in 1969. As the only full-strength division remaining in Vietnam in early 1970, the 101st Airborne Division was ordered to conduct the planned offensive Operation Texas Star near the A Shau Valley, Warehouse Area.

On March 12, 1970, the 3rd Brigade, 101st began rebuilding abandoned Fire Support Base Ripcord which relied, as with most remote bases at the time, on a helicopter lifeline to get supplies in and the personnel out. The firebase was to be used for a planned offensive by the 101st to destroy NVA supply bases in the mountains overlooking the valley. Located on the eastern edge of the valley, and taking place at the same time as the Cambodian Incursion, the operation was considered covert.

Battle

As the 101st Airborne Division planned the attack on the NVA supply bases, the North Vietnamese Army was secretly observing their activities. After weeks of reconnaissance by the NVA, on the morning of July 1, 1970 the North Vietnamese Army launched a surprise mortar attack on the firebase. During the 23-day battle, 75 U.S. servicemen were killed in action, including Colonel Andre Lucas, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and First Lt. Bob Kalsu, the only recently active pro athlete to be killed during the war.Fact|date=January 2008

Fighting from four hilltops, surrounded, and outnumbered nearly ten to one, U.S. forces causes heavy losses on eight enemy battalions before an aerial withdrawal under heavy mortar, anti-aircraft, and small arms fire. After the U.S. Army withdrew from the firebase, USAF B-52 heavy bombers were sent in to carpet bomb the area.cite news | title =Bombers Hit N. Viet Camps Near Ripcord| pages =A12| publisher =Washington Post| date =1970-07-25| url =http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/145096682.html?dids=145096682:145096682&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=JUL+25%2C+1970&author=From+News+Dispatches&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Bombers+Hit+N.+Viet+Camps+Near+Ripcord&pqatl=google| accessdate = 2007-04-04 ] NVA losses at Ripcord delayed the Easter Offensive by a full year.cite book| last =Harrison| first =Benjamin| title =Hell on a Hilltop| publisher =iUniverse Press| date =2004| pages =p. 216| id = ]

Units involved

United States

* 2nd Battalion (Currahees), 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). The main US infantry unit involved.
* 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
* 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
* 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
* Battery A, 1st Battalion 39th Artillery, self-propelled 8in Howitzers, and 175mm Self-Propelled Guns.
* Battery A, 2nd Battalion 94th Artillery, XXIVth Corps, self-propelled 8in Howitzers, and 175mm Self-Propelled Guns.
* 2nd Battalion, 319th Artillery. 105mm Howitzers.
* 2nd Battalion, 11th Artillery. 155mm Howitzers.
* 4th Battalion, 77th Artillery. Aerial Rocket Artillery.
* 2/17th Cavalry.
* 158th Aviation Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Assault and Gunship companies.
* 159th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion. Medium Lift companies (CH-47) and Heavy Lift company (CH-54)
* 58th Scout Dog Platoon, 101st Airborne Division.
* G Battery, 65th Artillery Quad 50
* Elements of the 326th Engineering Battalion
* 2nd and 3rd platoons of the 220th Reconnaissance Airplane Company "Catkillers" flying O-1G Bird Dogs
* 287th Ordnance Detachment (Explosive Ordnance Disposal).

North Vietnam

* 324B Division. The main PAVN division involved.
* 304B Division. Supporting role.
* Four artillery battalions.
* Four 120mm mortar companies.
* One anti-aircraft battalion.
* One sapper battalion (reinforced)

References

Notes

Books

*"Ripcord: Screaming Eagles Under Siege, Vietnam 1970" by Keith W. Nolan, Presidio Press, 2000, ISBN 0-89141-642-0
*"Hell On A Hill Top: America's Last Major Battle In Vietnam" by Major General Benjamin L. Harrison, iUniverse Press (available from [http://www.ripcordassociation.com/ Ripcord Association] )
*"The Price of Exit", by Tom Marshall, Ballentine Books, 1998. ISBN 0-8041-1715-2

Articles

* [http://www.screamingeagle.org/ripcord.html Rescue From FSB Ripcord] , by Tom Marshall

Video

*"Siege at Firebase Ripcord", War Stories with Oliver North, Fox News Productions, product # FOX25004600

External links

* at Wikisource.
* [http://www.screamingeaglesthroughtime.com/id207.html Firebase RIPCORD]
* [http://www.ripcordassociation.com/ FSB Ripcord Association] - Archived quarterly publication "The Ripcord Report"