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Perimeter Security
Tower can be seen, grimly silhouetted by bombs cooking off in the ammo
dump. |
Đà Nàng Air
Base, as viewed from Monkey Mountain.
Photo by Frank Lewicki
This daylight photo will help orientate you to the following night
photos. Note the location of the China Beach coast line on the left, and in each of
the following
photos.
Stand
Off Rocket Attack begins, 0020 hours, July 15, 1967.
83 Rounds of 122mm Rockets, 140mm Rockets, and
mortars were received.
USA: 10 Aircraft Destroyed, 49 Aircraft Damaged, 8 KIA, 175 WIA.
RVN: 00 Aircraft Destroyed, 01 Aircraft Damaged, 0 KIA, 0 WIA.
Photographer:
Unknown
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From: Ralph
Manganiello
July 15, 1967 Rocket Attack
It is so creepy to have come upon the Đà Nàng AB WebSite. Forty-one
years ago I pulled a 90 day TDY at Monkey Mountain following several
mortar attacks at Đà Nàng in March, 1967. I was looking for some
action as a buck Sgt with the 366th Security Police Sq. Then I came
back to Đà Nàng AB only to have Charlie throw a 45 minute attack
at us with 122 MM soviet made rockets. They blew the hell out of
the base that Saturday night. It's been a tough time for me trying
to adjust after the war. Years later a couple punks made the mistake
of trying to rob a liquor store that I was in and I shot one of
them dead with one shot from a 357 Ruger. Afterwards the FBI agent
working on a gang task force on violence asked where I learned to
shoot so well. "Đà Nàng", I said. "Yeah, that makes
sense", he said. In 1996 I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma
(MM) from exposure to Agent Orange while there. For those unfamiliar
with MM, it's bone marrow cancer. I've already had one stem-cell
transplant in an attempt to stay alive. Having this cancer from
the Agent Orange makes me feel like I'm still fighting in Nam. After
combat you never really ever go home again.
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| At 0040
hours, the second volley of rounds hit a stack of 250 lb. bombs in the ammo dump which went off like the Fourth of July. Bomb frags
everywhere. A brilliant flash turned night to day as if a nuke had
exploded. A shock wave swept the base with heat and blast as the
bomb dump exploded hurtling fire and debris thousands of feet into
the air. Shrapnel rained for several minutes. |
Photographer:
Unknown
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From:
Jerry Sanger
To: Ralph
Manganiello
July 15, 1967 Rocket Attack
Thank
you very much, Ralph, you definitely made my day!! I remember a guy
that was the lunatic who always used to keep us laughing our asses
off telling Dave Gardner Jokes. The pics were sent to me from
a man I made contact with and have since lost his name and address.
But I do remember him saying they were of the July rocket attack,
they were taken from Freedom Hill 327. I ran across another Fellow in the
guest book who was there at the same time and remembers me and
has a photo of me, I am anxiously waiting for his photos. His name
is Richard Davis we knew him as Gary, He spent most of the time on
the mountain at water point.
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| Aircraft Hangers, barracks, revetments, and
countless structures were damaged with
gaping holes in walls and ceilings or peppered with shrapnel. The
shrill whistling of incoming whining rockets impacted Đà Nàng's dual
runways and taxiways. Security sirens wailed. Rockets continued to
pound and crater the runways. |
Photographer:
Unknown
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Author: Frank
Tanner
Subject: Re: July 15, 1967 Rocket Attack
I was on the flight line that night. I was riding SAT with Doc Holiday.
Take care and keep the faith.
The following
morning, the devastation from the previous night's attack was evident
throughout Đà Nàng Air Base. The wing headquarters concrete buildings were heavily damaged with
the tile roofs nearly void of tile. The hangars were all a tilt at
30 degrees or more. The new Air Force barracks were blown off foundations
and ruined. All living and working buildings were heavily damaged
by the intense shelling. 59 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Of
the twelve aircraft destroyed two were C-130 Hercules aircraft, 8
were F4-C Phantoms and two were F-8 Crusaders. A dump was created
north of the runways where the smoking hulks were dragged and abandoned.
Some were burning or smoldering days later. 83 mortar and rocket rounds
were fired in the July 15 raid on Đà Nàng. Eight American military
men were killed and 175 were wounded. |
Photographer:
Unknown |
| Đà Nàng's twin runways and taxiways were closed for 12 hours. The Stand Off Rocket attack of July 15, 1967 was the deadliest attack
of the war at Đà Nàng Air Base. |
Photographer: Unknown
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| Đà Nàng Air Base, AKA: Rocket City, often had
more than six Silk-Moons of false dawn orbiting the base. Freedom
Hill 327 can be seen beneath the left flare, with convoy lights winding
up the perimeter road. |
Đà Nàng Air Base, flight line, rocket crater and debris.
Đà Nàng Air Base, flight line, debris.
Đà Nàng Air Base, Gunfighter Village hut takes a rocket.
Đà Nàng Air Base, Gunfighter Village hut rebuilding from a 122mm rocket.
Đà Nàng Air Base, SP Post damaged from a 122mm rocket.
Đà Nàng Air Base, SP Post damaged from a 122mm rocket.
Đà Nàng Air Base, SP Post damaged from a 122mm rocket.
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Two months earlier the Navy had pulled back
the fence of the ammo dump to make room for our new barracks. About
20 minutes after the initial rocket impacts, that sudden extremely bright
flash allowed us to see the shock wave as it flattened our new barracks.
The sandbags that had up until then provided my security were tossed
up in the air allowing me to see out for an instant before they collapsed
on their self seemingly untouched by the explosion. Every bomb and rocket
in that dump which was right next to us went up in a colossal explosion
with what seemed to be fire and brimstone rising up from hell. Red-hot
shrapnel rained for several minutes after the blast. There was no roof
on the bunker then, so we all were burned or wounded by the fragments.
I was treated later that night at a Marine chow hall where we spent
the night until bomb disposal cleared our area next morning.
Bill Tokarsky (Turk)
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