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The Take-off By the end of the first quarter in 1969, the effectiveness of combat operations had peaked, preempting Communist efforts. The brave soldiers of the division displayed extraordinary heroism in conducting more than one hundred offensive operations daily, half of which were at night, in the extremely difficult and treacherous booby-trapped terrain; this resulted in over thirty contacts per day, eliminating thousands of Viet Cong. Almost all of the contacts were minor skirmishes, keeping a constant pressure on the evading enemy. However, during this exploratory period there were five major battles, which severely punished the Viet Cong and NVA main force units. Although these major contacts contributed less than 10 percent of the enemy losses, they were vital in diminishing the enemy’s command and control apparatus. The review of these battles that follows vividly illustrates the techniques and tactics of the division, including airmobile assault (jitterbugging), seal and pile-on, ambushes, gunship, artillery and Air Force firepower, Night Searches, snipers, Tiger Scouts, RVNAF cooperation, usefulness of POWs and Hoi Chanhs, radar sightings, People Sniffers, and more. When elements of the 3rd Brigade in Long An Province met and defeated the K-6 Battalion, 1st NVA Regiment, on 25–26 January, it initiated a period of unprecedented success brought about by the gallantry of the 9th Infantry Division soldiers. The unrelenting pressure of the division and its South Vietnamese allies crushed the Communist forces in the Upper Delta, inflicting defeat after defeat upon the hapless enemy, such as in the Battle of Phu My. The 3rd Brigade “Go Devils,” on 25 January 1969, encountered fierce enemy resistance in a two-day battle. The contact was initiated by a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol from Company E, 75th Infantry (Ranger). Chapter 7 The Take-off 117 They had been inserted by helicopter into a Landing Zone seven miles west of Tan An at approximately 1145 hrs on the 25th. As the patrol cautiously approached a nearby woodline, an abrupt fusillade of automatic weapons fire raked their position. The volume of fire indicated that an enemy force of at least a company was concealed in the tangled growth of nipa palm. Staff Sergeant Thayer, the patrol leader, aggressively maneuvered his tiny unit in a bold attempt to even the odds. Even after he was wounded, Sergeant Thayer repeatedly braved a hail of bullets to call in supporting fire in his dogged determination to win. Thayer, disregarding his physical pain, remained in control of his team to supervise the safe evacuation of wounded members of his patrol. Another patrol member, Specialist Bellwood, alertly spotted and killed a Viet Cong who had leaped from a spider hole and was firing at the team from point blank range. Disregarding his personal safety, Bellwood then engaged and killed another enemy soldier who was trying to maneuver against the team, only to be fatally wounded by a sniper’s bullet. After the LRRP’s had been extracted from the area, two companies of 5-60 Infantry and three companies from 2-60 Infantry were deployed in reaction to the contact. Supporting fire from D/3-5 Cavalry, Tactical Air, and artillery pounded the area, while the infantry was inserted to seal off and entrap the enemy. Company D, 5-60 Infantry was inserted and became embroiled in savage contact as darkness approached. Three more companies from 2-60 Infantry were airmobiled into the fray, tightening the noose around the now completely encircled enemy. The Air Force’s “Spooky” flareship and helicopter gunships employing spotlights illuminated the battle area to reveal any attempt by the enemy to elude the trap, while artillery saturated the enemy’s positions with its awesome firepower. Air strikes were called in the next morning to further pulverize the beleaguered foe. Close on the heels of the tactical air strikes, the “Old Reliables” of the 3rd Brigade swept the area, encountering numerous enemy dead strewn across the battlefield. After the sweep, airmobile “Jitterbug” operations continued in the areas surrounding the contact in an effort to reestablish contact with the fleeing remnants of the enemy force. Sergeant Prance, Vickers’ RTO, instinctively assumed command of the company and began deploying its elements to meet the changing situation. Prance moved to a forward position to better control the company and enlist the aid of artillery and tactical air strikes. Throughout the battle, Sergeant Prance continued his heroic efforts, directing the fire and maneuver of the platoons and insuring that casualties were evacuated. [3.19.31...

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