Endnotes for Chapter
VIII
1 Tread marks discovered by scout helicopters of Troop F, 4th Cavalry,
indicated that a number of tracked vehicles had moved out of a rubber
planatation northwest of Krek, Cambodia, and apparently staged a practice
assault against an abandoned fire support base.
2 To increase Vietnamese combat power and to fill the gaps left by
redeploying U.S. units, portions of the South Vietnamese 1st and 2d
Infantry Divisions and local units of the Regional and Popular Forces were
combined to create the 3d Infantry Division. The 11th Armored Cavalry,
drawn from the 1st Armor Brigade, became the division's organic cavalry
regiment.
3 At 0800 on 2 April, after successfully defending the camp against
three major enemy assaults. the 56th Regiment inexplicably gave way. The
loss of Camp Carroll made the position at Mai Loc untenable, and the
Marine units at that location were withdrawn over the next three days.
4 Two M113 command vehicles, approaching the bridge and unable to stop
in time, ran up the sagging, inclined span and hurtled through the air for
nearly a full vehicle length, landing safely in the part of the bridge
that was still intact. Seconds later the span collapsed.
5 The only hindrance was demonstrators in Japan who lay down in the
streets to prevent the tanks from moving from the depot to the port.
Eventually an operation, much like a combat one, was mounted to move the
tanks in the dead of night. It included an open telephone line to the
Pentagon and was greeted with cheers in Washington, D.C., when it
succeeded.
page created 17 January 2002
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