101st Airbourn - The Firearms Forum

wilhelmina slim · 11-29-2010, 11:34 AM

Anyone on here stationed at Phan Theit with the 101 Airbourn in 1968--1969

rooter · 11-29-2010, 04:30 PM

Same Army, different unit...I have never heard anyone, other than myself, speak of having been involved with OPERATION PEGASUS during TET and Khe Sanh....My Seabee battalion, NMCB FIVE, headquartered at Dong Ha was there providing landing strips for the choppers in and out....Chief

Operation Pegasus

Operation Pegasus was launched by the 1st Air Cavalry Division to relieve the marines at Khe Sanh.

On 31 March, the 1st Cavalry Division took control of the 26th Marine Regiment, signaling the start of Pegasus, a fifteen-day air assault operation that ended the battle of Khe Sanh. The 1st Cavalry Division, along with the 1st Marine Regiment ad South Vietnamese 3 Airborne Task Force, began a push form Ca Lu, located east of Khe Sanh, to reopen Route 9 and relieve the pressure on Khe Sanh. The siege, in effect, was over.

The base plan of Operation Pegasus called for the 1st Marine Regiment, with two battalions to attack west toward Khe Sanh while the 1st Cavalry Division air assaulted onto the high ground on either side of Route 9 and moved constantly west toward the base.

On D plus 1 and D plus 2, all elements would continue to attack west toward Khe Sanh. Then on the following day the 2d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division would land three battalions southwest of Khe Sanh and attack northwest. The 26th Marine Regiment, holding Khe Sanh would attack south to secure Hill 471. The linkup was planned for the end of the seventh day.

Fire support involved a multitude of units, requiring detailed planning and coordination for the two phases of the operation - reconnaissance and attack. The objective of the reconnaissance phase was the destruction of the enemy antiaircraft resources between Ca Lu and Khe Sanh and the selection of the landing zones for use by the advancing airmobile assault forces.

The 1st squadron, 9th Air Cavalry, assumed this mission and was supported by an abundance and artillery. Additional artillery was moved onto the area during the reconnaissance phase and automatically came under the control of a forward division artillery fire direction center located at Landing Zone Stud and manned by personnel of the 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery.

The additional artillery included one Marine 4.2 inch mortar battery at Ca Lu and two 105mm batteries (one Marine and one Army) at the Rockpile. On 25 March an 8 inch battery and a 105 battery moved from Quang Tri to Ca Lu and Stud respectively. This move brought the total to 15 firing batteries available to support the 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cavalry, in its reconnaissance. All batteries in the area began answering calls for fire form the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, on D minus 6 and commenced attacking planned targets that night.

Prior coordination between the 3rd Marine Division: the 108th Artillery Group (included the 175’s of the 2/94th at Carroll and the Rockpile); and the 1st Battalion, 13th Marines (Artillery), insured that all available target information would be in the hands of the forward fire direction center and lateral communication would be established. Throughout this phase, air and artillery fire destroyed enemy automatic weapon, mortars, and troop positions.

wilhelmina slim · 11-29-2010, 06:06 PM

rooter how do you remember all the details after all the years. I was in the infantry and the Air Cav supply the choppers for us.

rooter · 11-29-2010, 06:32 PM

Hell Slim, I remember so well those many years ago, but have trouble with what happened around here yesterday....an hour ago!!!! I still have those dreams and they are all mixed up...some real as life and others like they happened to someone else....Where are you at Slim....we're having a hard freeze in Phoenix tonight and I've got all the plants and flowers covered...So soon though it will be warm again...Keep the stories flowing Slim...we need to tell these stories lest they be forgotten..then it will be all Hollywoods idea of what happened...Chief

wilhelmina slim · 11-30-2010, 09:38 AM

I live in Southeast Missouri it has been raining for 2 days and has gotten colder now. Thats ok with me now I can start duck hunting. Stories of the war can never be told by anyone whos was not there. Hollywood can do as they please but they have not done a good job with the movies they have produced so far. The 101 area of operation was mostly around Phan Thiet area although we did wonder around a few times when needed. That was a long time ago but some of it is as real as today.

11-29-2010, 11:34 AM	#1
wilhelmina slim Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 6	101st Airbourn Anyone on here stationed at Phan Theit with the 101 Airbourn in 1968--1969 -->

11-29-2010, 04:30 PM	#2
rooter VMBB Senior Chief Of Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Marty Robbins old hometown, Glendale Arizona--a suburb of Phoenix. Contributor Posts: 9,267	Re: 101st Airbourn Same Army, different unit...I have never heard anyone, other than myself, speak of having been involved with OPERATION PEGASUS during TET and Khe Sanh....My Seabee battalion, NMCB FIVE, headquartered at Dong Ha was there providing landing strips for the choppers in and out....Chief Operation Pegasus Operation Pegasus was launched by the 1st Air Cavalry Division to relieve the marines at Khe Sanh. On 31 March, the 1st Cavalry Division took control of the 26th Marine Regiment, signaling the start of Pegasus, a fifteen-day air assault operation that ended the battle of Khe Sanh. The 1st Cavalry Division, along with the 1st Marine Regiment ad South Vietnamese 3 Airborne Task Force, began a push form Ca Lu, located east of Khe Sanh, to reopen Route 9 and relieve the pressure on Khe Sanh. The siege, in effect, was over. The base plan of Operation Pegasus called for the 1st Marine Regiment, with two battalions to attack west toward Khe Sanh while the 1st Cavalry Division air assaulted onto the high ground on either side of Route 9 and moved constantly west toward the base. On D plus 1 and D plus 2, all elements would continue to attack west toward Khe Sanh. Then on the following day the 2d Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division would land three battalions southwest of Khe Sanh and attack northwest. The 26th Marine Regiment, holding Khe Sanh would attack south to secure Hill 471. The linkup was planned for the end of the seventh day. Fire support involved a multitude of units, requiring detailed planning and coordination for the two phases of the operation - reconnaissance and attack. The objective of the reconnaissance phase was the destruction of the enemy antiaircraft resources between Ca Lu and Khe Sanh and the selection of the landing zones for use by the advancing airmobile assault forces. The 1st squadron, 9th Air Cavalry, assumed this mission and was supported by an abundance and artillery. Additional artillery was moved onto the area during the reconnaissance phase and automatically came under the control of a forward division artillery fire direction center located at Landing Zone Stud and manned by personnel of the 1st Battalion, 30th Artillery. The additional artillery included one Marine 4.2 inch mortar battery at Ca Lu and two 105mm batteries (one Marine and one Army) at the Rockpile. On 25 March an 8 inch battery and a 105 battery moved from Quang Tri to Ca Lu and Stud respectively. This move brought the total to 15 firing batteries available to support the 1st Squadron, 9th Air Cavalry, in its reconnaissance. All batteries in the area began answering calls for fire form the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, on D minus 6 and commenced attacking planned targets that night. Prior coordination between the 3rd Marine Division: the 108th Artillery Group (included the 175’s of the 2/94th at Carroll and the Rockpile); and the 1st Battalion, 13th Marines (Artillery), insured that all available target information would be in the hands of the forward fire direction center and lateral communication would be established. Throughout this phase, air and artillery fire destroyed enemy automatic weapon, mortars, and troop positions. __________________

11-29-2010, 06:06 PM	#3
wilhelmina slim Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 6	Re: 101st Airbourn rooter how do you remember all the details after all the years. I was in the infantry and the Air Cav supply the choppers for us.

11-29-2010, 06:32 PM	#4
rooter VMBB Senior Chief Of Staff Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Marty Robbins old hometown, Glendale Arizona--a suburb of Phoenix. Contributor Posts: 9,267	Re: 101st Airbourn Hell Slim, I remember so well those many years ago, but have trouble with what happened around here yesterday....an hour ago!!!! I still have those dreams and they are all mixed up...some real as life and others like they happened to someone else....Where are you at Slim....we're having a hard freeze in Phoenix tonight and I've got all the plants and flowers covered...So soon though it will be warm again...Keep the stories flowing Slim...we need to tell these stories lest they be forgotten..then it will be all Hollywoods idea of what happened...Chief __________________

11-30-2010, 09:38 AM	#5
wilhelmina slim Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 6	Re: 101st Airbourn I live in Southeast Missouri it has been raining for 2 days and has gotten colder now. Thats ok with me now I can start duck hunting. Stories of the war can never be told by anyone whos was not there. Hollywood can do as they please but they have not done a good job with the movies they have produced so far. The 101 area of operation was mostly around Phan Thiet area although we did wonder around a few times when needed. That was a long time ago but some of it is as real as today.