Field Artillery 1954-1973

VIETNAM STUDIES

Cover: Field Artillery, 1954-1973

FIELD ARTILLERY, 1954-1973

by
Major General David Ewing Ott

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1975

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Ott, David Ewing
Field artillery, 1954‑73.

(Vietnam studies)
Includes index.
Supt. of Docs.: D 101.74:F45/954‑73
1. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975. 2. United States. Army. Field artillery-History. I. Title. II. Series.

U742.087

959.704´1342

75‑619336

First Printing

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402 ‑ Price $3.10 (paper cover)

Stock Number 008‑020‑00556‑8

CONTENTS

*Chapter*	*Page*
FOREWORD	ii
PREFACE	v
I. THE VIETNAM ENVIRONMENT	3
Geography	3
The Enemy	7
Political-Military Considerations	18
II. THE ADVISORY EFFORT, 1950‑1965	21
Background- Military Assistance Advisory Group,Vietnam, Organized	21
The Field Artillery Adviser	22
The Adviser's Challenge	24
The Adviser Learns, Too	31
III. IN ORDER TO WIN	38
The Impact of Vietnam on Field Artillery Organizations	39
Fire Support Coordination	47
Field Artillery Weapons	49
Field Artillery Mobility	51
The Fire Base	55
Base Camp Defense	73
Riverine Artillery	75
IV. THE BUILDUP (1965-1967)	81
The Buildup Begins and Early Actions Around Saigon	81
New Arrivals	86
The Pleiku (Ia Drang) Campaign	87
The Buildup and Major Combat Operations During 1966	96
The Buildup and Major Combat Operations During 1967	110
Overview: 1965 to Pre-Tet 1968	129
V. THE HOT WAR (1968-OCTOBER 1969)	137
Tet 1968	137
Khe Sanh	148
A Shau	157
Actions at Fire Bases and Lessons Learned	161
Peak Strength and Beginning of Redeployment	167
Artillery Organizations	168
Safety	173
Target Acquisition	179
Artillery Raids	184
Harassing and Interdiction Fires	187
Civic Action	188
VI. VIETNAMIZATION, NOVEMBER 1969-FEBRUARY 1973	190
Field Artillery Assistance Programs	190
Operations Into Cambodia	205
Toward Vietnamese Self-Sufficiency	215
1972 Enemy Offensive	220
Problems During Phase-Down of U.S. Forces	225
VII. AN OVERVIEW	231
Work to be Done	231
The Field Artilleryman’s Performance	236

CHARTS

No.		Page
1.	Characteristic Sapper Organization	16
2.	Field Artillery Task Organization, January 1968	170
3.	Field Artillery Task Organization, July 1969	171

MAPS

No.		Page
1.	Administrative Divisions, South Vietnam	2
2.	Vietnam Topographic Regions	4
3.	Enemy Activity, 1954-1965	36
4.	Ia Drang Valley	88
5.	Area of Operations: MASHER/WHITE WING	99
6.	Landing Zone BIRD	109
7.	Operation JUNCTION CITY, 22 February-14 May 1967	114
8.	Battle of Suoi Cut, FSB BURT	119
9.	Fire Support Base CUDGEL	126
10.	The Tet Offensive, 1968	139
11.	The Battle of Hue: Enemy Attack, 30-31 January 1968	140
12.	The Battle of Hue: Friendly Situation, 24-25 February 1968	141
13.	III Corps Tactical Zone	144
14.	North Quang Tri Province	149
15.	Khe Sanh Valley	150
16.	I Corps Tactical Zone	158
17.	Fire Support Base MAURY I	162
18.	Fire Support Base Pike-VI	164
19.	FSB CROOK: Enemy Situation, Friendly Fires, 6-7 June 1969	183
20.	Enemy Base Areas	208
21.	III ARVN Corps Operations	210
22.	1st Cavalry Division Operations, May-June 1970	211

DIAGRAMS

No.		Page
1.	M101 105-mm. Artillery Field Positions	63
2.	M102 105-mm. Emplacement	64
3.	Semipermanent 105-mm. Self-Propelled Howitzer Emplacement	65
4.	Towed 155-mm. Howitzer Emplacement	66
5.	Self-Propelled 155-mm. Howitzer Emplacement	67
6.	Heavy (8-inch or 175-mm.) Artillery Emplacement	68
7.	Battery A, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 320th Field Artillery, Fire Base	121
8.	Artillery Box	152

ILLUSTRATIONS

ARVN Outpost	26
ARVN Gun Section	28
155-mm. Howitzer in Tuy An District Headquarters	33
Early Movement of Artillery by Air	34
CH-47 with M102 Howitzer	51
CH-54 Lifting 155-mm. Howitzer	52
Fire Support Base J.J. CARROLL	53
Star Formation	54
Building Parapets	56
1st Battalion, 40th Field Artillery, in Position Along Demilitarized Zone	57
Typical Towed 155-mm. Position	57
Battery C, 2d Battalion, 138th Field Artillery, on Hill 88	58
Battery D, 3d Battalion, 13th Field Artillery, at Fire Support Base STUART	59
155-mm. Howitzer Position Using Speedjack and Collimator	60
6,400-Mil Chart	62
Artillery Hill at Pleiku	69
AN/MPQ-4 Countermortar Radar	71
TPS-25 Ground Surveillance Radar	72
30-Inch Xenon Searchlight	74
CH-47 Emplacing Airmobile Firing Platform	76
Riverine Field Artillery Battalion Command Post	77
Riverine Battery Position	78
Riverine Platoon Moored to Canal Bank	79
Riverine Gun Section in Traveling Configuration	80
105-mm. Battery Firing Fron Hasty Position	82
Aerial Rocket Artillery UH-1B with XM3 Weapons System	85
Field Force Artillery	97
175-mm. Gun	98
CH-54 Emplacing a 155-mm. Howitzer	102
M102 Firing High Angle	103
Battery A, 2d Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, in Position on Operation WHEELER	123
Aerial Field Artillery Cobra in Flight	131
Aerial Field Artillery Cobra and Light Observation Helicopter	132
Major General David E. Ott Demonstrates FADAC	135
1st Battalion, 8th Field Artillery, Fire Direction Center	176
FADAC Computer	177
Ammunition Resupply by CH-54	187
Formal Fire Direction Center Class for ARVN Field Artillerymen	203
ARVN 155-mm. Howitzer Static Position	206
ARVN 1034 Field Artillery Battalion in Training	207

Illustrations on front and back covers of softback edition are the work of Specialist 6 Jim Gardner.

page created 13 March 2003

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