Vietnam 2.0 part two

This is the continuation of Vietnam 2.0 this is where i left off


August 1st 1965 President Johnson and Sec Defense McNamara along with Sec of state David Dean Rusk sit down with the South Korean president to talk over tea on how the south Korean government can help their old friends. To the surprise of Sec Def McNamara south Korea is willing to send at the most seventy thousand troops on a rotation of twenty thousand a year for six years. In his Texas drawl LBJ says it’s a deal and they go over the details of the timeframe for South Korea to start sending troops and equipment.








November 10th 1965 US Army 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment work their way from Da Nang up the coast towards Hue in the Quang Nam province while the 4th armored division protects it flanks inland. Leaving Hue the 3rd starts to see heavier resistance as they near Quang Tri province and the 17th parallel. Close air support is provided by F-105’s and AC-147s from Air Force Tactical command while artillery support is given by 319th and 377th artillery. MACV is in the planning phase of a late winter offensive known as Buster Slash. The main goal is to set up supply depots throughout the Quang Tri province with plans for a fortified fence running 45 miles from the coast ending at the border with Laos and as the years go by a fence line similar to Hadrian's Wall which ran across England forming major fortifications. Similarly a fortification would run south along the Laos/Cambodian border with Major fortifications billeting upwards of one division to be placed every forty miles while in between the major forts will be small bases of operations which will hold two battalions of border guards mixed with regular SVA forces. General Giap of the NVA is leading two divisions north of the 17th parallel readying for attacks on the city of Hue and having the goal of pushing through towards Sank and eventually close the city of Danang off and set siege to it. This would be a great plan if Giap had the element of surprise however that is lost when elements of the 4th armored division capture scouts of the 308th and 312th Divisions. SIGINT ships off the coast have intercepted chatter from NVA field headquarters for the past five months leading the brass to believe a major offensive is in the works. Proof has now been found in the capture of NVA personnel miles past the 17th parallel.
November 11th- 14th 1965 0230 hours Elements of the 82nd airborne along with forces from the 707th Special mission battalion (1st and 3rd Special Forces brigade (South Korea) air drop into the Quang Tri providence. Their mission is to commit spoiling raids and to free up the 4th armored division to work towards the 17th parallel and begin to gradually shore it up with the help of SVA troops from the 5th and 7th infantry division.
November 14th 1965 General Giap finds it more difficult to send supplies toward the Quang Tri province as his supply lines are now intercepted by the 4th armored division and is harassed day and night from the air with SAC providing B-52 and B-47 coverage while at night elements of 9th and 11th special forces brigade (south Korea) work using long range patrols north of the 17th parallel to ambush elements of Giaps supply lines. As time is approaching the end of 1965 LBJ is feeling confident that things are turning his way towards some type of conclusion in Vietnam and maybe before he finally leaves office. RAND is giving cautious warnings stating that Ho chi Min could still win the war with insurgent tactics and a dissatisfied population in the South still angry at the methods used by Ngo Dinh Diem.
December 9th 1965 Elements of the South Korean Army Training & Doctrine Command begin to slowly but surely train South Vietnamese regular infantry troops in border protection. With experience on the 38th parallel in Korea it is believed that the same outcome can be achieved in Vietnam. Step one is to begin training 1000 SVA regular infantry troops into training battalions eventually having a training staff of ten thousand trainers turning out twenty thousand border guards per six month rotation.
January 1st 1966 the New Year sees many changes. The US navy begins to send out surveying teams along the Laos/Cambodian border with the intent of placing markers along the four hundred plus mile border running south-south west towards the Gulf of Thailand. The line running south will be protected by the newly formed 777th or triple seven SVA border guards. Light fortifications will be placed all along the border running with Laos and Cambodia while major fortifications will be placed every seventy-five miles. As these emplacements spring up new villages will appear along the way supplying these forts with food and cheap labor plus housing for the family of the border guards.
February 1966 General Giap has a consultation meeting with the general staff in Hanoi. General Giap along with Ho chi Min have concerns about the gains being made along the 17th parallel and elsewhere in South Vietnam. General Giap and Ho have a tense argument on what should be done to stem the flow of new SVA troops. Giap believes it is more important to win the hearts of South Vietnam and turn them against the American led forces while Ho is more traditional and thinks that there should be a decisive victory that pushes the Americans out of Vietnam once and for all. The NVA general staff believe in Uncle Ho and begins the preparations for an all out assault across the 17th Parallel along the coast and down route 9 hoping to capture the junction at route 14 leading into Da Nang.
February 20th 1966 the 316th and the 320th NVA regiments move toward staging areas preparing for a massive move into South Vietnam. Lieutenant General Ngô Quang Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng takes command of the 316th while Brigadier Gen. Le Van Hung controls the 320th Regiment. During a lull in fighting the two commanders using the cover of darkness infiltrate both divisions by mixing with local traffic going to and from the north and place arms caches throughout the Quang Tri province. The socialist holiday of International Woman’s day is celebrated throughout North Vietnam so it is thought that the chance of a major offensive is low at best. Many regiments are put at a low state of readiness while support regiments continue building up the 17th parallel into a strong DMZ.
March 5th 1966 many villages in the north are putting up artwork and planning celebrations commemorating International Woman’s day. US and SVA intelligence take this as a lull in fighting and look forward to being able to start sending the first SVA border troops in the field to get a taste of what they will see in fighting NVA soldiers. So far nine thousand plus border guards are trained for work along the new DMZ with more awaiting graduation to be deployed along the Laos border. The US navy has deployed a Division of Seabees along the 17th parallel to speed up work of what will be two fifteen foot reinforced chain link fence with a two hundred yard no man’s land in-between the two fences. Both fences will be electrified with twenty thousand volts of electricity and anti personnel mines will be places in strategic and tactical areas in the no man’s land. A generation plant has been constructed to electrify the fence which has been places in a bunker fifty feet below ground to prevent it from being targeted by NVA sappers and regular forces. The plan is simple B-52s will use incendiary bombs to run a line forty miles to the west towards Laos to start fires in the jungles. Areas that do not burn will have chemical exfoliate sprayed and Seabees will grade the rest.
March 7th 1966 a lieutenant in MACV is told that nothing is going on yet his sources in the bush say different. Many villagers loyal to the south tell of seeing many men moving on foot, animal and bicycle heavy equipment and crates. On top of this those that see this are few as those caught by the strangers usually disappear.
March 8th 1966 0530 Headquarters 4th armored Division. Most of the men are asleep with the exception of the usual sentries, and maintenance crews. Suddenly the familiar whistle of mortar rounds breaks the pre dawn silence along with light and heavy artillery. Those who are awake scramble to get APC’s started as the beat of feet become a cadence. Meanwhile US Army 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment along with their south Korean counterparts are surprised by sappers infiltrated near their lines of defense as well as a battalion size group of NVA troops from the 320th NVA regiment. Caught off guard it looks that they may be overrun. It will take hours to bring in close air support; however they are holding the line with light artillery, and small arms
0730 its daylight and many heavy battles all behind the 17th parallel have broken out. It is not known how many enemy combatants there are but its known that the situation is grave.
Gen. Striker is awakened by a staffer being told of the situation. Immediately he gets dressed and runs towards the communications center while giving orders that all divisions be put on highest alert possible. F-101’s and 105s are now in route along with AC-130 gunships to support the US Army 3rd Battalion along with the 4th armored Division.
0900 General Giap has returned to command the 312th and has placed the 308th under the command of regional command. All along the 17th parallel the NVA attempts to break through and protect the flanks of the 320th and the 316th NVA regiments. They are slowed by the rough terrain and 3rd battalion along with ROK regiments in the area. Air support keeps them pinned down and they are making meager gains as their numbers are whittled down.
01100 Brigadier Gen. Le Van Hung is in a critical situation. He has been slowed by the ill planned offensive and is concerned that his flank may be exposed if Lieutenant General Ngô Quang Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng and the 316th cannot gain ground and move in sync with his division. Arial surveillance has spotted the two divisions and b-52s are carpet bombing the area along with heavy artillery being tasked to keep the two groups from linking up and forming a solid group.
1450 Lieutenant General Ngô Quang Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng orders the 316th to fall back towards the 17th parallel thinking that if they can give General Giap some breathing room that they may be able to roll over any resistance and take Hue in less than four days, however by the time he reached the 17th parallel it is now apparent that General Giap will have to regroup and pull back so that he has some reminisce of his group left to fight another day
The 4th armored Division is now at full strength and aware of the presence of the 316th NVA. They take measures to hit the now exposed flank of the 316th while using overwhelming air support to block the rear while the 707th Special mission battalion of the ROK moves to hit the group from the front and force it towards the 4th Division to be finished off.
1800 Night has already fallen and the 316th is now in disarray as they are being picked clean in their rear areas by the 4th armored division while the command structure is dealing with a very lethal and determined battalion of ROK Special Forces. It is inevitable that the 316th will be decimated and many of the 316th begin surrendering in mass and melting back into the jungle.
2100 The US Army 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment are making gains to fight off groups separated from the 316th trying to fight their way back to staging grounds above the 17th parallel. The sound of AC-130 gunships can be heard randomly striking at pockets of resistance and the 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment sends out night patrols to mop up and weak resistance.
March 9th 1966 The 3rd Marine Division is airlifted in support of the 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment, bringing them supplies and needed manpower. The 3rd Marine division takes up defensive positions allowing the 3rd to pull back to rear areas to refit and take care of their casualties and refit in case flare ups occur.
01030 General Striker arrives in Hue and take stock of what has happened. Group commanders as well as regimental commanders give reports as to what can be done to shore up the line along with recommendations on how forces on the ground can be used. It’s now apparent that the 3rd and the 1st Marine divisions will be needed to go north and take care of Gen Gaps’ forces and shore up the northern part of the 17th parallel while the 3rd Battalion, 6th infantry Regiment, and the 4th armored division will be tasked into what will become V-Corps. V-corps is tasked with defending the buildup of the 17th parallel as the Marines go in and route out Gen Giap and his forces to the north.
Operation clean slate is a total marine mission with the goal of outflanking Giap and his forces if possible the capture of Giap himself. Tasked to the 1st and 3rd are TAC units of the Air Force while airmobile units transport the marines into the area.
Gen Giap is licking his wounds while trying to bring more forces into the area with the idea of starting a late summer offensive trying to destabilize the 17th parallel and break through to work towards taking as much of the 17th as possible bringing the fighting to a stalemate. Lieutenant General Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng is looking for revenge in the loss of his division and wants more than a stalemate he wants to push one hundred miles behind the 17th parallel bringing hue under control and making it possible to push further south towards Saigon. The two sit and talk of the order of battle to see what forces in the north can be brought down to supplant the weakened divisions and what supplies can be shipped down, how long it will take and how many men it will take to commit to support.
General Kohl is an old school marine a retread from WWII and Korea. The command of the 1st has been given to him and he is more than ready to fight and kick some commie butt. His plan is simple catch Giap and Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng in between the 1st and the 3rd in a classic pincer maneuver closing around the 316th, 320th and any remnants of the NVA forces and defeat them all the while shoring up the northern part of the 17th parallel.
June 1966 Most of Giaps’ forces are refitting and readying for a massive battle to take on the marines now on their southern front. He is concerned however he feels certain that he will be able to take on the marines.
June 3rd 1966 Gen Kohl is now in a forward position with the 1st and has placed battalions on full alert. He will move out with the two marine divisions at 0130 and try to catch NVA before daylight.
LT Gen Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng is in his tent writing what will be his final letter to his wife and children at home. He talks of the spoils of war and how he feels that a lot has been wasted in vain. He also talks of how he will soon return home to tend to his farm and thinks of having a son one day hoping that he does not have to fight in a future war like this. As he is signing off artillery fire is heard in the distance. He walks out of his tent asking if everything is ok. He is told it’s the marines and that they are hitting the 320th regiment. He Knows what is happening and runs to his staff car to call Giap to warn him however the artillery starts raining down on his group as well.
The 1st and the 3rd Marines begin to move out and probe the southern edge of the NVA lines. Massive fighting erupts and the Marines begin to move to the east and west working towards the flank of the 320th and the 316th.
0800 The NVA although still under force are fighting tooth and nail to prevent being surrounded by an overwhelming force of Marines ready to defeat them
0800 Gen Giap is astounded at what is happening. He did not think that the Americans would begin an offensive this far north of the 17th but reality has set in and he is sending out messages that all forces are to muster and ready to defend till the last man.
Gen Kohl’s forces are making steady headway under air coverage given they are within 24 hours of being in position of out flanking Giap and his forces. They just need to keep the momentum up and use of precise artillery will help him along the way
1000 Lt Gen Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng has trouble getting his forces in position to repel the 3rd Marine division. He has fresh troops but is far from what he needs to defend his positions. He calls in light artillery and pushes the 316th towards the approaching 3rd division. As he gets closer the air cover of the Americans becomes heavier and he must take care to avoid open roads as attack from attack fighters is a real danger.
1100 Gen Giap and his men are now face to face with the 1st and the fighting in some places is mere meters away. He is now realizing that his forces under these circumstances cannot last more than 24 to 48 hours unless he pulls back if not he will be surrounded and annihilated. His plan is simple bring the Americans closer that they cannot use their air support and fight man to man and hope that he can use artillery to decimate the 1st marine division.
1540 Gen Kohl is now in position on the west flank of Lt Gen Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng and is beginning to push the 316th towards the 320th. His plans are different close up and personal fighting with heavy mortar and light artillery he can force them to collapse or surrender, but he wants to destroy them.
1540 the 4th is now unable to use close air support but the fighting is going their way. Giap is now in a bad position. He is now hours away from being surrounded by the marines along with the 316th. By nightfall both Giap and Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng will be surrounded and it will be a matter of time before both regiments of the NVA regiments will collapse and be no more.
1800 The Marines close the pincer and have the 316th and the 320th surrounded and now are working at squeezing the life from them. Gen Kohl now has the upper hand and is in the process of hitting the NVA from all sides.
1845 Gen Giap runs towards a communications truck when a 101mm round lands to the right of his staff car. He is seriously injured by shrapnel and most of the men in the comm. Truck are killed. Lt Gen Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng is now moving towards the northern section of the pocket and sees what he thinks is a clear way out. Three platoons are on patrol and spot the group of NVA officers and staff making a bee line to freedom and begin dropping 80mm mortars to cut them off. The last thought that Lt Gen Tr[FONT=&quot]ưở[/FONT]ng has as a bright flash appears before him is “The harvest would have been a bountiful one this year”
2300 hours the 1st Marine division begins to sweep the area and finish off the leftovers of the 316th and the 320th. A mass of vehicles are located two miles from the 3rd division’s lines and what they find is startling indeed. Forty five dead NVA soldiers along with several officers and a soldier in Vietnamese generals dress uniform half bloodied and unconscious. Its Gen Giap and he is close to death. A marine medic is brought forward and the General is taken to the rear area and placed on a secure medivac chopper towards Hue where a team of doctors and MACV Intel officers are awaiting his arrival.
Hanoi June 4th 1966 Ho chi Mihn is sitting with his wife discussing how things could have gone so wrong when air raid sirens sound. A package of B-52s are approaching from the east while low level A-6s are moving towards air fields around the Hanoi area. This is the first of many rolling thunder missions into the heart of North Vietnam and Haiphong harbor is being hit as well.
The 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions are now securing supply lines to the 17th parallel while navy Seabees continue to seal off the 17th parallel and begin the long fortification process. The ROK pull back allowing the 777th to take their positions along the 17th parallel, while new border troops take positions along the Laos and Cambodian border.
August 1966 LBJ makes a surprise journey to Saigon to meet with General Striker to congratulate him on success in battling the NVA and to consult with commanders on how security in South Vietnam can be kept and when if possible a drawdown of forces to allow the South to contain and defend itself from the communist North
August 2nd 1966 Gen Striker sits down with the president and explains that at least four to six more years of a US presence will be necessary to guarantee the South Vietnamese government three things
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]One Training must be completed in a way that border forces will hold their own including the ability to make cross border incursions into Laos and Cambodia if necessary to keep the NVA from shipping arms and guerillas into the south
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Two there will have to be a lend lease contract with the South Vietnamese government to allow them to build up a proper military force i.e. Army(armor, light infantry forces, Special Forces ect) Brown water naval forces, and a substantial strike capable Air Force.
·[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]Three Intelligence Organs will have to work with Military intelligence to train and organize a strong presence in South Vietnam and covert capability is necessary in the North as well.
While in Saigon LBJ contacts the Sec of State to arrange a meeting with SEATO and garner support for contingents of troops to be sent periodically to support the SVA and the government with joint training and operations. First on his list are Taiwan, then South Korea, and Japan. He lets it be known that there is still a communist menace in the form of China, North Korea and the Soviet Union and that they should look to South Vietnam as a shining example of what can happen when SEATO nations cooperate and work together.

October 1966 the 777th Border Guards are in full training and deployment mode with fifty thousand guards with an additional forty eight thousand conscripts from the SVA to work their way down the Laos/Cambodian border while the South Vietnamese government creates thousands of labor jobs to build encampments along the Laos/Cambodian border to billet the arriving troops and border guards.

South Vietnam is still unstable but upcoming elections show signs that a new progressive government will relax some of the harsh treatment seen and may even bring the people back towards a semi democratic government. Will this work in the end? The North is still intact and capable of open warfare, with a stronger South Vietnamese government it is likely they will survive.

Some of the facts used are actual. Over the ten years of the Vietnam war South Korea rotated over one hundred and ten thousand troops into Vietnam making them the second largest presence of foreign troops outside of the United States
 
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