Army Reporter information
for 1/52 INF 198 INF
For date 710301
1/52 INF 198 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Ngai Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, LZ STINSON
Description: 01Mar71- Gunships, rifles double up on VC
LZ STINSON - Infantrymen from the 23rd Infantry Division's 198th Inf. Bde. teamed up with helicopter gunships to kill three Viet Cong soldiers and capture four hand grenades. The next day, after carefully examining the same area, the men found 500 pounds of rice, six booby traps and five tunnels. An element of Co. C, 1st Bn., 52nd Inf., was returning from patrol in an area south of Chu Lai when the rear of the element received sniper fire. The infantrymen quickly laid down a base of fire toward a nearby woodline and maneuvered toward the suspected enemy location. After they reached the woodline, the firing stopped, but the men sweeping the area had discovered a tunnel. One element remained at the location while another element returned to the laager site for explosives to destroy the tunnel. "The squad returned to the tunnel and destroyed it," remarked Capt. Lee C. Basnar, the company commander. "As they were returning to the laager site, they again took sniper fire, this time from three different locations." The squad leader called his platoon leader and, with minutes, the rest of the platoon was on its way. As the reinforcements moved through the hedgerows, they also came under enemy fire. "At this time I called for gunships," Basnar related. "I also instructed another platoon to move from its laager site and set up as a blocking force to the north." Meanwhile, one of the elements pinned down by sniper fire directed the gunships to the suspected enemy location. After the aircraft engaged the area, the Ready Rifles swept the location and found one enemy killed and two hand grenades. Another platoon of the company, upon hearing the rifle fire, maneuvered behind the enemy and engaged the enemy with small arms fire. A sweep of the area turned up two more Viet Cong killed and two more hand grenades.
The source for this information was 7103AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines
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Last updated
04/12/2005
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023