Pacific Stars and Stripes Newspaper, dated Jul 2, 1965, pages 1 and 24
VC Attack Đà Nàng
ĐÂ NÂNG, Republic of Vietnam (UPD— A small communist suicide squad raced into Đà Nàng AB early Thursday and used hand grenades to destroy three American planes.
Under cover of a mortar barrage, the Viet Cong killed one air policeman and damaged several other planes. Five other Americans were wounded slightly during the attack.
The air policeman, standing guard near the south end of the field, was killed when the squad sprayed his post with small arms fire. The attackers destroyed two U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules transport planes and one F-102 jet fighter. One other Hercules transport and two other F-102s were damaged.
American authorities at first believed the planes had been destroyed by the mortar fire. But investigation proved the Viet Cong squad penetrated the defenses of the base to pitch their grenades.
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1:30 a.m. From a position between the base and the southern limits of the defense perimeter, the guerrillas poured about 30 rounds of 81mm shells onto the edge of the runway. The suicide squad fled when American crewmen scrambled from their tents and trailers surrounding the aircraft.
Reports of shooting around the flight line t tallied with reports of shadowy' figures running away from the plane park.
A Marine spokesman said Vietnamese troops were responsible for the sector of the perimeter in which the Viet Cong set up their mortars.
American airmen risked their lives to race in among the blazing aircraft. They hauled a number of Delta Daggers to safety with two tractors.
The base, 385 miles north of Saigon, is used by the U.S. Air Force for many of the bombing raids against communist north Vietnam and for support attacks against Viet Cong ground raids in the area. The base and the nearby city of Đà Nàng have been protected since March by the 3d U.S. Marine Amphibian Force, which numbers about 1,000 men.
Marine mortars answered the communist mortar fire soon after it began. Spotter planes flew overhead, dropping flares in an attempt to locate the enemy. Marine patrols hurried out beyond the perimeter. All roads in and around the town were closed and police and troops patrolled the streets.
All personnel were evacuated from the southern end of the runway as soon as the planes were hauled to safety. None were permitted back into the area because it was feared bombs aboard the damaged aircraft might explode.
Two of the American wounded were members of A Det., 509th Fighter Interceptor Sq. They were cut by flying glass when explosions blew out the windows of the trailers in which they were sleeping. The three other wounded were marines.
At 6 a.m. following the attack, three jet fighters roared into the battered base to replace the three Delta Daggers that were damaged or destroyed.
The trio left Clark AB in the Philippines almost immediately after the Red shells began falling on Đà Nàng. They were on the ground only 4 1/2 hours after the attack |
