9781422279007

The U.S. Ground War in Vietnam 1965–1973

and other vital bases by U.S. combat troops, and it was the arrival of these troops which effectively signaled the start of the USA’s involvement, on an escalating basis, in the ground war in South Vietnam. The USA had already begun to strengthen the defense of Da Nang early in February, when a US Marine Corps air-defense battalion arrived with its complement of HAWK surface-to-air missiles, launchers, and associated equipment. Late in the same month, Westmoreland’s deputy, Lieutenant General John Throckmorton, visited Da Nang and soon reported the tactical situation to be so dangerous that a complete Marine expeditionary brigade (three infantry battalions with artillery and logistical support) was required as a matter of urgency. Westmoreland trimmed the recommendation from three to two battalions, and recommended such a deployment.

Vietnamese force, which was low in morale and unwilling to undertake all but the most limited patrol work. Da Nang was a base from which many of the Rolling Thunder attacks were launched, and could thus only be a magnet for Communist attack. The only realistic solution, if many millions of dollars-worth of aircraft and other matériel were not to be lost, was the replacement of the South Vietnamese troops around Da Nang OPPOSITE: Sfc. Willie C. Smith, 1st Special Forces Group, Nui Ba Den, is shown teaching grenade practice to Vietnamese volunteers. ABOVE: Three North American T-28s escort a Lockheed Hercules transporting munitions over Vietnam. RIGHT: A Viet Cong prisoner, recently taken captive.

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