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A Particular Bravery

The 10th, 11th, and 12th of April, 1966, witnessed the young men of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry “Rangers” exhibiting a “particular bravery” during an engagement near the village of Xa Cam My and the Courtenay Rubber Plantation, approximately 42 miles east of Saigon. A battle raged between this unit of the 1st Infantry Division and a Viet Cong battalion, D800. The battlefield crowded into a compact perimeter of jungle terrain enfolded within a dark world of a rainforest’s towering triple canopy. Soldiers of Charlie Company were outnumbered and cut off from support or relief - and in that nightmare world of isolated death and mayhem the United States’ war in Vietnam came of age because of the “particular bravery” of these Americans.

Easter Sunday services (April 10) were disrupted for the men of Company C when three Viet Cong soldiers were spotted at the far end of a jungle clearing where the chaplain had been offering a respite from the rigors of the Company’s search and destroy activities, activities as part of Operation Abilene. First platoon’s C troopers cut down on the VC, who were probably acting as scouts for a larger enemy contingent. Two of the enemy were brought down quickly, the third slipped a way and possibly reported Charlie Company's position back to the main body of the VC force.

The target of Operation Abilene, D800 was a "crack" battalion made up of approximately 400 soldiers and a contingent of women and children assisting the soldiers and acting as a back up force. Charlie Company was a light weapons rifle company with an authorized strength of 190 men, but on that Easter Sunday only a 134 GI’s were in the field. Casualties, leaves and assorted other reasons had thinned the ranks of Company C, hobbling the unit’s strength. Charlie Company would be outnumbered three to one if they encountered D800. The Americans had no way of knowing they faced such daunting odds as they pressed deep into the jungle.

The next morning, April 11th, Charlie Company encountered the enemy sporadically, but enough to slow the company’s advance. These flare-ups allowed D800 the time necessary to maneuver their men closer to Charlie Company. The VC battalion took positions in preparation for an ambush of Charlie Company. By 2 PM the VC had surrounded Charlie and were tightening the "noose". The combination of sniper fire from the trees, small arms and artillery fire was wreaking havoc in C Company’s perimeter. Casualties mounted from enemy fire as well as from "friendly" artillery fire mistakes directed to Charlie Company's position.

To save themselves and break the VC ambush, Charlie Company formed a circular perimeter with interlocking (overlapping) fire. The rain of death now came from all sides. The men from Charlie Company found themselves cut off from supporting units and from each other. The command structure fractured, and the stand-off descended into a hellish free-for-all for the out-numbered Americans. Casualties piled up as the situation turned from unstable to precarious. The perimeter tightened. American dead and wounded littered the no-man’s land between the D800 and Charlie. Valor was a necessity that stood alongside survival during those nightmare hours.

Murder replaced combat as the Vietnamese women and children infiltrated the original perimeter to carry off their injured and slit the throats of any wounded Americans they could find.

Dusk found the remaining Americans drawn into a tight perimeter. Orders were issued to ring the perimeter with artillery strikes. Weary, frightened men prayed to survive the night. The barrage, five or six rounds per minute, continued from 8:30 that night until about 7:00 am on the 12th.

Scores of Viet Cong were killed in the engagement, but an exact figure was impossible to determine due to the retrieval of the bodies. According to Army reports Charlie Company suffered 106 killed or wounded out of their original 134 men, a casualty rate of 80%. All but 28 Americans were killed or wounded. The after action report listed 38 killed and 71 wounded- several of the wounded subsequently died of their wounds.

Word got back to the USA that the Big Red One had been in one hell of a firefight and casualties were heavy. Families didn't know who had survived, who was dead.

There were many heroes from the Battle of Xa Cam My. First Lieutenant George Steinberg, a platoon leader with Charlie Company, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (posthumous) for his heroic acts and deeds during the battle. The actions of Sergeant James W. Robinson, Jr. received the Medal of Honor (posthumous). Airman 1st Class William Hart Pitsenbarger, better known as Pits, received the Air Force Cross (posthumous), the highest medal the Air Force can bestow, because of his heroism at Xa Cam My. Recently, December 8, 2000, Pitsenberger’s Air Force Cross was upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry "Rangers" particular bravery, against such a numerically superior force, was awarded a Valorous Unit Award. The streamer proclaiming Charlie Company's courageous stand is embroidered COURTENAY PLANTATION and was on display at Fort Riley, Kansas until the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry was deactivated.

Additional Sources:

www.angelfire.com/mo/Blondie
www.pieceuniquegallery.com
www.temple.edu
history.searchbeat.com/vietnamwar
www.altmeyer.com
www.grunts.net

Air Power
Grumman A-6 "Intruder"

The Grumman (now Northrop Grumman) A-6 Intruder was an all-weather, two seat, subsonic, carrier-based attack aircraft. The subsonic A-6 has no spectacular performance or design features but is superbly suited to the particular attack role for which it so carefully tailored. Designed in the late 1950’s, the A-6 prototype made its first test flight in April 1960. The first of six TA2F-1 prototypes flew for the first time on 19 April 1960. These were followed by 482 production A-6As delivered to the US Navy from early 1963. From night flights over the jungles of Vietnam to Desert Storm missions above heavily-fortified targets in Iraq, the Grumman A-6 Intruder developed a work-horse reputation and was the subject of many tales of daring aviation during its 34-year career. The strengths of the Intruder included its capability to fly in all weather and its heavy weapons payload -- two traits illuminated on the big screen in the popular action film "Flight of the Intruder."

The A-6 Intruder served as the Navy’s medium-attack mainstay during three decades of conflict, crisis and cold war. The Intruder made its first flight in April 1960. The aircraft’s ruggedness and all-weather mission capability made it an awesome asset to Navy and Marine Corps air wings throughout its lifespan. Built by the legendary Grumman "Ironworks," 687 production attack Intruders were accepted by the Navy. A testament to the aircraft’s versatility and longevity was the myriad upgrades and technological enhancements that kept it the world’s premier long-range, all-weather attack aircraft for over 30 years. Carrying an impressive payload of ordnance, only land-based heavy bombers such as the B-1 and B-52 could carry more. A little-known fact is that the Intruder delivered more ordnance during the Vietnam War than the B-52.

A tough and versatile aircraft, the A-6 was called upon to fly the most difficult missions. Its forte was to fly low and alone—in any weather. The all-weather attack jet has seen action in every conflict the US has been involved in since Vietnam. With the ability to carry more ordnance, launch a wider variety of space-age smart weapons, conduct day or night strikes over greater distances on internal fuel than any carrier borne aircraft before or since, and provide mid-air refueling support to other carrier jets, the Intruder represents the most versatile military aircraft in modern times.

The A-6E proved that it was the best all-weather precision bomber in the world in the joint strike on Libyan terrorist-related targets in 1986. With Air Force FB-111s, A-6E Intruders penetrated the sophisticated Libyan air defense systems, which had been alerted by the high level of diplomatic tension and by rumors of impending attacks. Evading over 100 guided missiles, the strike force flew at low levels in complete darkness, and accurately delivered laser-guided and other ordnance on target.

No guns of any kind are carried aboard the A-6, and the aircraft has no internal bomb bay. A wide variety of stores, however, can be mounted externally; these include both conventional and nuclear bombs, fuel tanks, and an assortment of rockets and missiles. As with all versatile attack aircraft, many combinations of payload and mission radius are available to the A-6E. For example, a weapons load of 2080 Pounds consisting of a Mark 43 nuclear bomb can be delivered at a mission radius of' 890 miles. For that mission, four 300-gallon external tanks are carried. Alternatively, 10 296 pounds can be delivered at a mission radius of 450 miles with two 300-gallon external tanks. Unrefueled ferry range is 3300 miles. Normal gross weight aircraft is 54 393 pounds, nearly three times that of the A-4E.

Configuration of the midwing subsonic aircraft features a 5.31-aspect ratio wing of moderate sweepback (25°) and one turbojet engine nestled on either side of the fuselage in the intersection of the lower wing surface and the fuselage side. Exhaust nozzles are located just behind the wing trailing edge, side-mounted inlets are low and far forward on the fuselage. A side-by-side seating arrangement accommodates the crew in the A-6. The refueling probe is located on top of the fuselage just ahead of the cockpit canopy. To provide the lift augmentation necessary for carrier operations, nearly full-span leading-edge and trailing-edge high-lift devices are installed. The trailing edge of each wingtip outboard of the fold line splits to form speed brakes that deflect above and below the wing when deployed. The outer portion of the wing folds upward to facilitate carrier storage. Two short flow-control fences are located on each wing. Spoilers are used for lateral control, and the longitudinal control surface is an all-moving horizontal tail.

The A-6E is capable of a maximum speed of 653 miles per hour (Mach 0.86) at sea level and a cruising speed of 390 miles per hour. Although the wing loading of the A-6E is over 40 percent higher than that of the A-4E, the stalling speeds of the two aircraft are nearly the same, which attests to the effectiveness of the highlift devices on the A-6. The zero-lift drag coefficient of the A-6E is about 20 percent higher than that of the B-57B; however, the maximum lift-drag ratios of the two aircraft are about the same. The higher-aspect-ratio wing of the A-6E compensates for its higher zero-lift drag coefficient in determining the maximum lift-drag ratio.

Specifications:
Primary Function: All-weather medium attack aircraft
Contractor: Grumman
Crew: Two
Unit Cost: $22 million
Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney J52-P8B engines (9,300 pounds thrust each)

Dimensions:
Length: 54 feet 7 inches (16.1 meters)
Wingspan: 53 feet (16.1 meters)
Height: 15 feet 7 inches (4.74 meters)
Weight: Empty: 25,630 pounds (11,636 kg) - Maximum Takeoff: 60,626 pounds (27,524 kg)

Performance:
Speed: 563 knots (648 mph / 1036 km/h)
Ceiling: 40,600 feet
Range: 1,077 miles (1,733 km) -- full combat load

Armaments:

20 Mk-117 (750 lbs)
28 CBU-78
GBU-10E Laser Guided Bomb
GBU-12D Laser Guided Bomb
GBU-16B Laser Guided Bomb
AGM-123A Skipper II
AGM-45 Shrike
AGM-62 Walleyes
AIM-9 Sidewinders

10 2.75" Rocket Pod
10 5" Zuni Rocket Pod
28 Mk-20 Rockeye
Mk-77 Napalm
28 Mk-81 (250 lbs)
28 Mk-82 Snakeye
13 Mk-83 (1,000 lbs)
5 Mk-84 (2,000 lbs)

System Weapon Improvement Program, SWIP
AGM-88 HARMs / AGM-84E SLAMs
AGM-65 Maverick Anti-Ship Missile / AIM-120A AMRAAM