The enemy troops responsible for the attacks and ambushes at and near the racetrack were from the 5th and 6th Local Force VC Battalions, numbering close to 700 men. In addition to seizing the racetrack, the local force units were responsible for attacks on the dock area, the Chi Hoa Prison, and the Tran Nham and Tran Hoang and Quan areas of Cholon.
The Cholon section of Saigon was home to the majority of its ethnic Chinese population. The district is situated in the southwest quadrant of the city west of the twisting Saigon River. A number of major avenues crossed the through the district, and a grid of narrow streets and unpaved alleyways ran between the main streets and avenues. In 1968, Cholon was easily distinguishable from the rest of the city. Its teeming narrow streets were lined with numerous shops and businesses, each identified by a sign in Chinese characters. Dingy two- and three-story masonry apartment buildings and ramshackle houses were interspersed among the many shops and businesses. Many of the structures had columnades built out over the pavements providing shaded areas where foodstuffs, hardware, silk and other commodities were sold. There were also numerous restaurants, bars, gambling parlors, whorehouses, and opium dens scattered throughout the district. It was a crowded, vibrant area during both day and night. In early 1968, there were an estimated 100,000 draft-age Chinese living in Cholon, who avoided military service through payments of bribes to local police officials. The presence of a couple of thousand young strangers in the district prior to the Tet holiday went unnoticed and unreported.
The Phu Tho Racetrack was located in the heart of Cholon. It was built by the French colonialists during the early 1930s and continued in operation for the next four decades. In fact, horse races were held at the track a few days prior to the Tet Holiday. It was rumored that the horses were often drugged on race day, but this did not deter the fans or the betting. The Vietnamese, particularly the ethnic Chinese living in Cholon, enjoyed betting on the horses. Some of the owners stabled their horses at the racetrack, and there was always some activity on the grounds. Most residents of Saigon and Cholon had attended races at the Phu Tho track, or had at least passed by the facility, since it sat between two major boulevards. It was a well known landmark in the otherwise crowded urban landscape of Cholon.
Thus the Phu Tho racetrack was a convenient rallying point and staging area for enemy troops who had infiltrated into the Cholon area over a period of several weeks. After the offensive, cached weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies were found hidden on the racetrack grounds and in a nearby cemetery. VC commanders also realized that the infield of the racetrack was the only area in Cholon where US forces could land troops by helicopter. The Communists were determined to hold the Phu Tho Racetrack at all costs. It was their key strongpoint in Cholon.
Fire Base Zinderneuf, 3/7th Infantry CP, Binh Chanh—0830 Hours
Alpha Company of the Cottonbaler battalion prepared to move out. Their destination was the Phu Tho Racetrack. Lieutenant Richard Harper’s 2nd Platoon, D/17th Cav was attached to Alpha Company for the operation. Captain Tony Smaldone, the Alpha Company CO, gave his men a crash course on urban warfare over the preceding two days. The Captain was a hard taskmaster, and an exceptional infantry officer. Alpha Company’s officers and NCOs had to crack the Army Field Manuals (FM) to refresh themselves and their men on combat in cities. The Cottonbalers were about to enter a completely different environment from the jungles, rice paddies, and swamps where the battalion had operated for months. Cholon, with its narrow streets and alleyways, multi-story buildings, and crowded slums, was just as dangerous.
Although, the 3/7th Infantry had never before engaged in urban combat in Vietnam, the 7th Infantry Regiment had a long and storied history that included its share of city street fighting. In fact, the 7th US Infantry Regiment has served in more campaigns than any other infantry regiment in the United States Army. Its history pre-dates the War of 1812, and includes service in every major war fought by the United States to the present day. The Cottonbalers earned their nickname during the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, when they defended that city from breastworks made of cotton bales. During the Mexican War, the Cottonbalers fought at the battles of Monterrey, Cerro Gordo, and Vera Cruz, and during the Civil War a battalion of the 7th Infantry fought their way through the streets of Fredericksburg, and assaulted the stone wall at the base of Marye’s Heights. During the Spanish American War the Cottonbalers fought to capture the town of El Caney, and during World Wars II, they fought their way through the rubble strewn cities in Italy, France, and Germany. Urban combat in Cholon was no less challenging and bloody.
At 0905 hours, Smaldone’s column began to roll toward Cholon. The moist heat was stifling even at that hour. Two ACAVs from Lieutenant Harper’s platoon led the way, followed by several 2-1/2-ton trucks carrying Smaldone’s sweat-drenched infantrymen. The remaining ACAV were interspersed in the column with four tracks in the middle and two bringing up the rear of the column. Smaldone’s column barreled northeast on Highway 4 through Binh Chanh headed toward Cholon. As the convoy proceeded up the highway crossing some small bridges, the grunts noticed that the PF outposts guarding the bridges were deserted. It was an ominous sign.
Major Jim MacGill, the Cottonbaler Operations Officer, and the battalion’s artillery liaison officer, Captain Tom White, flew overhead of the column in an OH-23 Light Observation Helicopter. MacGill, a graduate of the USMA Class of 1957, had served a previous Vietnam tour in MACV, and he knew the Cholon area well. In addition to guiding Smalldone’s convoy, MacGill was coordinating the movement of the battalion’s Bravo and Charlie Companies. LTC Gibler, the Cottonbaler CO, wanted both companies to march to an LZ where they could be airlifted into the racetrack after it was secured by Captain Smaldone’s Alpha Company. Captain Pietsch’s Bravo Company was directed to move by RAG boats to the Binh Dien Bridge, where they would disembark and march overland to an LZ, while Captain Wald’s Charlie Company was instructed to march directly to Fire Base Zinderneuf where the company would standby for the airmobile assault.
Cholon—Mid-Morning, 31 January
The mid-morning sun flooded the streets with a dazzling yellow light as the lead ACAV in Captain Smaldone’s convoy reached the outskirts of Cholon. It was shortly after 1000 hours. The grunts and cavalrymen began to notice the evidence of the previous night’s fighting. There were Vietnamese bodies lying beside smashed vehicles and motorcycles along the road. Dogs were gnawing on some of the dead bodies. The scene became even grimmer when the convoy reached an overturned US jeep. The bullet riddled bodies of two US soldiers lay beside the jeep. The Captain radioed in the location of the bodies, and the convoy pressed on for the racetrack.
The convoy passed a few anguished civilians rushing to flee the area, but most of Cholon’s residents had vanished from sight. They sat behind shuttered windows and in basements listening to their radios, eating their rice and Tet sweets, while hoping that the war would pass them by. Unsure which side would prevail, the badly frightened but stoic Chinese prepared themselves for the worst.
About six blocks from the racetrack, the Cottonbalers and cavalrymen began to draw automatic weapons fire from the rooftops and houses along the street on which they were moving. Reacting immediately, Captain Smaldone ordered his infantry off the trucks. The grunts ran through the hail of incoming fire to take up firing positions in the surrounding buildings and doorways. Firefights raged from one side of the street to the other. The cavalrymen returned the fire with bursts from their .50 caliber machine guns, and the 106mm recoilless rifle track blasted one of the buildings, temporarily silencing the enemy fire. Smaldone’s men moved out on foot, clearing buildings as they went.
Specialist Four Doug McCabe was with one of Alpha Company’s lead squads moving up the street. Born in Scotland, McCabe had emigrated to the US from Canada, and served a four-year hitch in the US Air Force before becoming a naturalized citizen in 1964. While attending California Polytechnical University, McCabe, in his own words, “got so angry with the draft
dodger professors that I just couldn’t take it anymore…so I enlisted.”
McCabe described what happened as Alpha Company pushed further into Cholon. “My squad took the left side with another squad on the right side. Within a block or so we came under heavy automatic weapons fire with rounds smacking off the walls and ricochets everywhere. We took cover by getting into the buildings and started to clear them one by one as we moved up the street.”
McCabe’s squad made better progress than the other Alpha Company elements. From their advanced position at the end of the street, they could look across a wider street at the outer wall of the racetrack. They were ordered to pull back as Smaldone realigned his platoons for a final push to seize the racetrack.
From his C&C ship, Major MacGill saw a disturbing sight. Hovering over a street near the racetrack, he saw a pair of wrecked US jeeps. Sprawled beside the disabled vehicles were the bodies of several US officers in khaki uniforms. MacGill thought that the officers had been ambushed as they attempted to drive from their BOQ in Cholon to their duty station, probably MACV headquarters at Tan Son Nhut. It was a grisly sight not easily forgotten.
Captain Smaldone reassembled his platoons, and issued orders for the final push to seize the racetrack. Lieutenant Harper’s Cav platoon was to support the attack with its .50 caliber machine guns moving slightly behind the infantry. The attack began moments later.
Jim MacGill recalled that Lieutenant Harper’s platoon of ACAVs “got in front of Smaldone’s company, and reached an intersection on the southeast corner of the racetrack before the dismounted infantry arrived.” When the lead ACAV reached the intersection, it was hit with a hail of small arms, machine-gun, and rocket fire. Lieutenant Harper was riding in the lead track as the driver attempted to cross the intersection. A well-aimed RPG slammed into Harper’s vehicle. The damaged ACAV continued to rumble forward before it was hit with a second B40 round. The second blast killed the 27-year-old officer and immobilized the track. The remainder of the platoon’s ACAVs stopped short of the intersection and provided covering fire for the disabled vehicle.
Sergeant Mike Holiday, the track commander, ordered his men off the disabled vehicle, removing the lieutenant’s body along with the wounded. Specialist Denny Jackson continued to fire one of the ACAV’s M60 machine guns to cover the evacuation. Spotting a ditch beside the road, Sergeant Holiday led his wounded men toward it. Before reaching its relative safety Holiday was hit, but he managed to get all the casualties into the ditch.
Just as the party reached the ditch, the badly damaged ACAV was hit a third time, forcing Specialist Jackson to abandon the vehicle. Grabbing his M16 rifle, he leapt off the track and sprinted toward the ditch. He never made it. The 20-year-old native of Santa Paula, California was mortally wounded after courageously providing covering fire that allowed five of his wounded buddies to reach cover. Sergeant Holiday continued to place suppressive fire on the enemy from the ditch until he too was mortally wounded. The remaining tracks began to pull back to better firing positions. Enemy fire seemed to come from everywhere.
Orbiting overhead, Major MacGill observed the fighting and tried to find an alternate route for Smaldone’s men to reach the racetrack. MacGill expected the ground force to link up with a platoon of MPs, but he had no radio frequencies for the MP force. In fact, the MP platoon was scattered all around the streets and buildings near the racetrack.
When MacGill spotted two MPs on a rooftop four blocks south of the track, he ordered his pilot to land on the rooftop. After instructing his pilot to find a refueling pad, MacGill and his artillery LNO jumped off the helicopter to coordinate with the MPs on the rooftop. Before the OH-23 lifted off, the officers grabbed a belt of ammo for the MPs’ M60 machine gun. When the MPs were ambushed, they had removed the M60 from their gun jeep before taking up a position on the rooftop. Along with the MPs there were two Saigon policemen, “white mice,” defending the building. The policemen guarded the stairwell leading to the lower floors, while the MPs fired their M60 at VC positions in the surrounding buildings. Major MacGill was shocked to learn that the VC also held the lower floors of the building on which he had landed. The Major and Captain joined the MPs in firing at the surrounding VC.
As Captain Smaldone’s grunts fought their way up the street, Major MacGill radioed the Alpha Company CO, pinpointing the enemy strongpoints. The major also radioed for gunship support, but was told by the US advisors at the Capital Military District (CMD) headquarters that none were available. At that time, Major MacGill was unclear about who the Cottonbalers were working for. It was very unusual for a US infantry battalion to be under the operational control (OPCON) of a Vietnamese Headquarters. Fortunately, that situation was about to change for the better.
CMD Headquarters, Saigon—1000–1100 Hours
General Fred Weyand, the II Field Force Commander, had already made the decision to send his Deputy, Major General Keith Lincoln Ware, and a select group of officers to Saigon to form a US Task Force to assume operational control of all US forces fighting in the city. He could not have chosen better men.
General Ware, a WWII Medal of Honor recipient, was a calm and unassuming general officer who knew just what to do in a crisis. Ware had hand-picked a lieutenant colonel from the II Field Force G3 section to be his Task Force operations officer. That choice was LTC Bill Schroeder. Schroeder was reassigned to II Field Force Headquarters after completing his command tour with the Warrior battalion. General Ware and LTC Schroeder helicoptered in to the CMD compound in Saigon, on the morning of 31 January, and “Task Force Ware” became operational at 1055 hours.
Bill Schroeder recalled that he and Major General Ware were met at the CMD helipad by a jeep driven by a US Air Force sergeant. The helipad, which was adjacent to the CMD compound, was under sniper fire from the surrounding buildings when Ware’s C&C ship landed. It was obvious that the USAF sergeant driving the jeep was anxious to make the pick-up and get back to the relative safety of the compound. Schroeder recalled that the General stepped out of the Huey and walked calmly to the jeep, unperturbed by the rounds striking the ground around him. As soon as the General, his aide, and LTC Schroeder were in the jeep, the sergeant popped the clutch and drove at breakneck speed to get himself and the three officers out of harm’s way. The jeep swerved around the dirt-filled 55-gallon drums that were positioned in front of the compound’s gate and nearly rolled over. From that point on, the US forces battling for control of Saigon had a two-star general on the ground to direct their efforts.
Cholon, Near the Phu Tho Racetrack—1000 Hours
While Task Force Ware was setting up shop at the CMD compound, Captain Smaldone’s grunts continued to fight their way through the throbbing late-morning heat of Cholon toward the racetrack. The Alpha Company platoons moved out filing down both sides of the street, checking out each building for enemy snipers.
Twenty-five-year-old Specialist Fletcher Lewis from Danville, Virginia led his squad up the street searching for VC. Suddenly, his squad was taken under fire by three enemy snipers. Lewis spotted the trio and killed two. The third ran into a building. Noticing that one of his own men was wounded and lying in the street, Lewis rushed to his side, applied first aid, and then carried the injured soldier to safety. As he returned to his squad to search for the third sniper, Specialist Lewis was shot in the head.
Moving a few feet behind Lewis, Specialist McCabe saw him go down. McCabe later wrote, “When we tried to reach him we came under fire from down the alley somewhere.” McCabe’s squad then took cover behind the corner of a building. McCabe continued: “We just put our rifles around the corner without looking and blazed away to keep their heads down so we could pull Lewis back under cover.” A grunt crawled forward and dragged Lewis back around the corner of the building, but the head wound was fatal.
Specialist Dennis Cave spotted one of the snipers and moved forward into an exposed position where he was repeatedly fired on by the VC. Trading shots with the sniper, Cave finally found h
is mark and killed the enemy sharpshooter. The fighting continued doorway to doorway, and block to block.
Specialist McCabe’s platoon sergeant ordered him to take another man and work down an alley to flush out another sniper nest. McCabe wrote, “These guys were well trained and damn good shots because after three steps they fired at us and one round grazed the top of my helmet and another hit the machine-gun ammo I was carrying on my back.” McCabe and his buddy worked their way down the alley, busting through houses until they reached one with walls too thick to break through. Peering around the corner of a porch on the front of the house, the grunts spotted an enemy position within hand grenade range. McCabe’s partner hurled a grenade, but it bounced off a wall and landed a few feet in front of the grunts. McCabe recalled, “I never knew we could move so fast but the walls saved us anyway.”
The distinctive chattering sound of AK-47 assault rifles continued to echo off the bullet-pocked buildings that lined the streets, and spent rounds ricocheted off the pavement around the grunts. Instinctively the Cottonbalers ran in a low crouch, making the short rushes between buildings while their buddies provided covering fire from doorways along the street. Smoke grenades were popped to screen their moves. Broken glass from shattered shop windows along with bricks and masonry from B40 rocket explosions littered the streets and sidewalks.
Days of Valor Page 19
