is familiar to Westerners, less is known about the tens of thousands of teenage girls and young women (ages 13 to 22) sent south: the young women warriors Hanoi sent to fight and die along the Ho Ch Minh Trail struggled daily not only with American bombs but also with hunger, disease, sexual abuse, and death. but it was written in the 1970s to cover the use of napalm in Vietnam, which is not how these weapons . [12] The Trail was a complex web of roads, tracks, bypasses, waterways, depots, and marshaling areas, some 12,000 miles (19,000km) in total. The Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) used well-organized logistics methods to supply and equip their fighting forces. Guided by two men, the specially modified bikes could move 300400 pounds, several times that of a single porter. Captured 122mm Tripod Launcher. As noted above, supplies, equipment and material was pre-stocked along roads, and near various choke points like ferry crossings so that repairs could be made quickly. Ten thousand trucks could move at a time, and improvements were made continuously by the 559th Transport Group. [4][5][6], Communist units also employed mortars frequently, with the Soviet 82mm and its Chinese variants being the most common alongside 60mm Chinese Type 31 and Type 63, American M2 mortar, French Brandt Mle 1935 and 81mm Brandt Mle 27/31. Thesis (2004). Supply routes using multiple sources, (waterways, black-market transactions, cross-border sanctuaries, etc.) More dangerous enemies included malaria, foot infections and a variety of other maladies. [20] Food was always had locally, taxed away from peasants, purchased or even grown by VC units. Ronald Oakes collection. by Merle Pribbenow, Lawerence KS: University of Kansas Press, 2002, p. 78-211, The BDM Corporation, "A Study of Strategic Lessons learned in Vietnam", (The BDM Corporation: 1979) p. 5-1, NLF and PAVN strategy, organization and structure, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, "K vt gn lin lch s Cng an Vit Nam", "Sng tiu lin K61 ca anh hng c cng L B c", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NLF_and_PAVN_logistics_and_equipment&oldid=1150291885. Medical supplies used on the battlefield came from several sources, including Soviet bloc and Chinese shipments and humanitarian donations earmarked for civilian use from neutral countries, including Scandinavian nations. The 11,000 artillery rounds and several thousand rockets fired that day were a clear demonstration that the North Vietnamese Army had improved and expanded its artillery arm. Large gangs of civilian laborers were drafted to keep the network functioning. They were area rather than precision weapons and not very accurate. [34], Concealment and evasion. [18] However, with only about 100 tons a day required, PAVN could keep its troops supplied indefinitely. Both of these artillery guns were used in the counter-attack against Vietnam. Collection. Sakr-18 [Egyptian] 122-mm Multiple Rocket Launcher. Two days later however the traffic was moving again, despite huge landslides caused by the bombing, and the use of numerous delayed action munitions. If they came close you heard a screaming rocket engine just before the explosion. One example of this was seen in Operation Igloo White, which used air-dropped acoustic and seismic sensors in Laos, linked to processing computers in Thailand. One Central Intelligence Agency study in 1966 found that the bulk of supplies needed were generated within South Vietnam. VC fighters in some areas ironically treasured the American M16 Rifle despite its sometimes quirky performance, for the wide availability of both the weapon and its ammunition on the black market or through purchase from corrupt ARVN soldiers, or through the careless handling and loss of magazines by US troops. The warhead is painted light or dark gray, and the rocket motor is painted light or silver gray. Duplication also produced a wider range of alternative sources for supplies, and made the whole structure more resilient. Physical description. A "dead drop" system for couriers was also extensively used for intelligence communications. share. In 1968 with the Tet Offensive and other major operations, these numbers surged but still weighed in at a modest daily 120 tons. One of the first is the sound a rocket makes coming off the launcher. 2005. Mines and booby traps applied significant psychological pressure on US/ARVN forces and slowed and disrupted both military operations and civilian life. Movement was at night to avoid American air attacks. The National Liberation Front (NLF) was a united front designed to encourage non-communists to support the insurgency in the south. One of the most used ground based Rocket (and System), The 122mm Rocket was used by both North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) Armies. p. 497-498, Mark Clodfelter. From there they marched south and southwest, towards the DMZ or Laos, using a variety of routes. The siren would sound again to indicate the attack had ended and all was clear to exit from your bunker. February 23, 1969. Yarmuk 122mm rockets are meant to be used with our Ghazab launchers while Ukrainians are using Show more. "[33], The North Vietnamese however kept fighting. [3][4], Weapons used by the VC were originally a varied mixture of both French weapons from the days of French Indochina, captured enemy weapons and Soviet and Chinese support, including both newly produced weapons, old stockpiles and captured enemy stockpiles from World War II. When I first arrived in Phuoc Vinh mortar attacks were quite frequent. [41], Road and bridge repair methods. [9] China provided an estimated $150 million to $200 million annually, along with such in-kind aid as the deployment of thousands of troops in road and railway construction in the border provinces. [38] American bombers caused substantial damage to Northern road and rail infrastructure, including bridges, culverts, depots, ports and docks. The gap was filled primarily by China and Russia. Continue browsing in r/shittytechnicals. The 122mm Rocket was 75-inches in length and weighted 102-pounds. Ukrainian artillery uses Czech BM-21MT 122mm multiple rocket launchers on the front line https://mil.in.ua/en/news/the-armed-forces-of-ukraine-is-armed-with-bm-21mt . The Binh Trams were responsible for numerous functions in the sector of the Trail it controlled- including subordinate camps and way-stations, the care and feeding of troops, road repair, anti-aircraft defenses, vehicle repair and maintenance, and medical care. Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Linebacker caused more damage to Northern lines of communication, than the previous 3 years of Rolling Thunder, particularly as the Easter Offensive brought PAVN forces out into the open. Of the Sihanouk Trail and Cambodia, one American military history says:[16]. GRADUAL FAILURE: THE AIR WAR OVER NORTH VIETNAM 19651966. Repairs were often done at night when the enemy aircraft would be less active. . That was a close one to say the least! [Source: Washington Post] . There is also a few pics of a 122mm rocket attack that punched a hole in the roof of the units hanger on 23 Feb 1969. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver a devastating amount of explosives to a target area more quickly than conventional . After the reunion, Wright contacted the Army and got the wheels turning to give Hendrickson the proper recognition for his actions that day in Chu Lai, Vietnam, 48 years earlier. PAVN units deemed ready for infiltration were transported from the training centers by train or truck to the coast, at places like Dong Hoi, where they received additional rations. [7] Total requirements to run the insurgency in the south were relatively small compared to the needs of US opponents, well below port and rail capacity. [50], A daily march cycle might begin at 4:00am with a pause around noon, and continuation until dusk-6:00pm. Not enough time to do anything except die a little inside. As stated the speed in which a Crew could fire and move to another position (''Shoot and Scoot''), was very effective. A Romanian LAROM multiple rocket launcher which can fire 122mm rockets, as seen here, or 160mm types., DoloresRKT via Wikimedia Any of the dozens of existing 122mm rocket launcher operators could . Thirty rounds of 122-mm. The shorter pack carried the warhead and fuze in the detachable triangular pouch snapped on. Many suggested that this failure was because there were too many restrictions. Two technicals MLR GRAD 122MM, 52 km range. It controlled civilian labor recruitment, and military recruitment including drafting men into the VC, among other things. Another history notes that while female home front activity in war (clearing rubble, manning factories, nursing the sick etc.) In addition to the American machines of the 60-70, the A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet and Bell AH-1W . Viet Cong 122 mm DKZ-B Rocket Launcher and Stand. Population was also dispersed with massive movement of civilians out of major cities like Hanoi, into the countryside. Tet Offensive '68 - the 122mm rocket. Sick soldiers were left to recuperate at various way-stations. Big search and destroy operations seized hundreds of tons of rice and other material in remoter base areas, but these could be regenerated and restocked again when roving US troops invariably moved on to their next sweep. Other versions used a more safer method of closed block (firing pin). The 603rd Transport Battalion handled sea infiltration and supply movement. Vietnam war, 1972 [916x608] 709. [51], Anti-sensor techniques. Trucks arriving at a station were unloaded, and the cargo shifted to new trucks, which carried out the next segment of the journey. North Vietnam had relatively little industrial base. galleries are progressively closed from 4 pm. Bridges were also built underwater to escape detection. Bomb tonnages dropped on the Trail in Laos offer some indication of the scale of the American campaign: 1969 433,000 tons, 1970 394,000 tons (74,147 sorties), 1971 402,000 tons (69,000 sorties). Such variation and diversity lessened and standardized as the war went on. Sub-sections of these operated at different levels, from Interzone to village. By 1969 the Ho Chi Minh Trail was a sophisticated logistical web with paved roads, truck parks, maintenance and supply depots, and well organized and defended terminuses and bases, moving thousands of men per month into the battle zone. We would see the rockets coming up out of the valley between us and the main ammo dump. She is fluent in German and is a member of the U.K. Military Historical Society. Thousands of Chinese troops (the PLA's 1st and 2nd Divisions) made important contributions to Hanoi's war effort- building or repairing hundreds of miles of track and numerous other facilities such as bridges, tunnels, stations and marshaling yards. U.S. Government Printing Office, Ray Bonds, ed., "The Vietnam War, (Salamander Books: 1979), pp. Most material movement in bulk was not by gangs of sweating laborers, but modern Soviet-supplied trucks. [24], Communist forces also made extensive use of Vietnam's large network of rivers and waterways, drawing heavily on the Cambodian port of Sihanoukville, which was also off-limits to American attack. [47] Recruits were generally given an optimistic picture of conditions in the south, with claims that victory was close at hand and that they would be welcomed as liberators by their oppressed southern brethren. South Vietnamese units trying to move came under fire as nightfall and cloud coverage limited the use of air power. Late war PAVN special units, such as c Cng sappers, even made use of some modern SA vz. Within SVN, the PAVN/VC military HQ, COVSN, had responsibility for overall logistical coordination. This network was considered an integral part of the overall supply system incorporating Laos and North Vietnam and centered around the Cambodian port of Kompong Somor Sihanoukville. Number of rockets fired: Six confirmed, possibly more. Laos was still a wide-open corridor, and U.S. forces were withdrawing. [1], Overall, the supplies and equipment of communist units were adequate, and their infantry small-arms were a match for those of their opponents. Over 150,000 Northern soldiers however remained in the South after the 1972 Offensive, expanding the conquered zone, building up logistics capacity (including the construction and extension of pipelines) and biding their time, until the final Ho Chi Minh Campaign in 1975. [25], Some port areas of North Vietnam were also vital to the logistical effort, as were ships by socialist nations that fed the continual stream of war material. Throughout most of the conflict the US generally enjoyed air superiority, although this was often challenged in the north by MiG fighters and especially modern Soviet surface-to-air missiles. Prima. [21], Civilian labor was crucial to VC/PAVN success, and was deployed in building fortifications, transporting supplies and equipment, prepositioning material in readiness for an operation, and general construction such as road repair. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for New 1:72 China PLA PHZ89 122MM Multi Barrel Self-propelled Rocket Launcher Model at the best online prices at eBay! It is used primarily by the Indonesian . The NVA employed the gun as the long-range component of independent artillery regiments assigned to advancing forces. Nevertheless, an enormous effort kept transportation networks open. [31] The largest repair organization was the Youth Shock Brigades Against the Americans for National Salvation. Staff Sgt Dave Roger. By the time of the aerial offensives, most US forces (over 500,000 troops) were already out of the Vietnam theater. 1968. . One of the most used ground based Rocket (and System), The 122mm Rocket was used by both North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and Viet Cong (VC) Armies. An incoming round exploding is a noise forever embedded in your brain and for years to . Image. The rockets vary . nose, main body, tail An example of the Russian made 122mm rockets that were fired by the North Vietnamese army into Saigon during the two years that Air Cmdre. Night movement was almost constant, with drivers being guided on the roads by white poles painted by the Youth Shock Brigades, or personnel dressed in white. This is some very rare canvas. Other types used by the less standardized VC included the Soviet PPS-43, captured or Chinese produced M1 Thompson and M3 Grease Guns, and ex-German MP 40. They were fielded in 1966 and would remain dominant until the end of The War in 1975. In early 1965 for example, the Johnson Administration refused to hit SA-2 missile sites before they became operational against US aircraft, despite the urging of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the price of postponement would be paid for in pilot lives and aircraft losses. Truck lights were dimmed or mounted under vehicles, and at regular intervals on some routes, spaces were cut into the jungle trees, forming small cups into which kerosene or some other flammable liquid was poured. Swiney was there. [36], The successful and severely damaging American Linebacker efforts however were not sustained. The phrase was also used in Vietnam to describe similar underground sniping holes used by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, according to the US army Military History Institute. Viet Cong 122 mm DKZ-B Rocket Launcher and Stand. 27 Apr 2023 08:27:47 The 500th Transport Group handled movement of troops and supplies in the North in preparation for the journey south. She received an award from the National Federation of Press Women in 2022 for her editing work on Vietnam Magazine. [8] These Base Areas also served as sanctuaries for PAVN/NLF troops, who simply crossed the border from South Vietnam, rested, reinforced, and refitted for their next campaign in safety. The whole network was segmented, so that one part did not know the other branches. The Turkish T-300 Kasirga is perhaps the only NATO rocket artillery system that could truly be considered a "heavy" system like the Russian/Soviet BM-30 Smerch. (1989). The most active Zuni 127mm unguided air-to-surface rockets were used by the United States Navy and Marine Corps aviation in military campaigns of the 1960s-1970s, in particular in Vietnam. It is similar to the BM-13 "Katyusha" and was partly replaced in service by the 122 mm BM-21 Grad. Soviet bloc and Chinese shipments easily met ordinary communist force requirements. Designated personnel were tasked with dismantling them, or watchmen kept them under observation- signaling all within blast distance to disperse when the bombs showed signs of detonating. Binh Trams stations at intervals on the Trail, hosted the stream of men, weapons and supplies flowing to the battle zone. Having plenty of both time and manpower, this "relay" method economized on wear and tear upon the valuable trucks, and maximized hiding opportunities from prowling US aircraft. American rules of engagement forbid strikes against this network for fear of provoking Chinese intervention. Ravines were bridged with crude bamboo suspension bridges. Napalm, widely used during the Vietnam War, is the most well-known incendiary . Traffic was regulated by numerous civilian helpers, often young girls. [3], Northern leader Le Duan chose to defy US airpower, arguing that though Hanoi, Haiphong or other cities were destroyed, the Vietnamese people would not be intimidated, and called for a massive war mobilization of reserves. Chinese Type 24, Soviet Maxim, SG-43 and DShK, as well as captured Browning M1919 were used in these roles. A 122mm rocket is an unguided surface-to-surface artillery rocket delivered by a multiple rocket launcher (MRL). save. 10 am to 5 pm daily (except Christmas Day). Civilians undertook various pledges as directed by the regime (the "three readies", the "three responsibilities" among others,) as part of a high mobilization of the population for total war in the North and areas controlled by the VC/PAVN in the South. Chinese troops also built bunkers and other fortifications, and manned dozens of anti-aircraft batteries. [31] However, Communist forces had several important advantages that translated into successful tactics to survive American bombing:[32], From 1965 to 1968, North Vietnam was bombed on a scale heavier than that of the entire Pacific theater during World War II, and absorbed about 20% of US bombing efforts in Southeast Asia.
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