Attack on Marble Mountain base information
for VMO-2
HMM-361
HMM-263
MAG-16
For date 651027
VMO-2 was a US Marine Corps unit
HMM-361 was a US Marine Corps unit
HMM-263 was a US Marine Corps unit
MAG-16 was a US Marine Corps unit
Primary service involved, US Marine Corps
Quang Nam Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Marble Mountain
Aircraft lost in VMO-2 were 13 UH-1Es destroyed, 4 more major damage
Description: Viet Cong sappers destroyed 19 and heavily damaged 11 helicopters and 7 jet aircraft in two separate attacks on Marine Corps airbases at Marble Mountain and Chu Lai. VMO-2 at Marble Mountain suffered the worst. Seven UH-1Es lined up beside the hangar awaiting parts and six others on the parking ramp were destroyed. Two more received major damage and another pair suffered less severe damage. VMO-2 had only four flyable aircraft after the attack. Six UH-34s were destroyed, nine had major and 17 minor damage. One "lightly damaged" aircraft at 122 holes in the fuselage from shrapnel. The six giant "Deuces" received on concussion grenades which just blew off the escape windows. The next day, MAG-36 at Ky Ha and MAG-16's squadron at Phu Bai sent aircraft to cover some of the support committments. Replacing the UH-1Es was especially difficult since the Marine Corps only had 18 UH-1Es that were not already in Vietnam.
The USMC in Vietnam 1953-73 states that on the night of 27 October, a Viet Cong raiding force quietly assembled in a village northwest of MAG-16 and adjacent to a Seabee camp. Apparently, it came by boat, although whether downstream along the river or south across Da Nang Bay is not clear. Under cover of 60mm mortar fire which engaged the Seabees heavily, at least four demolitions teams moved out to attack the airfield and the hospital. Forty-one VC were killed, but six armed with bangalore torpedoes and bundles of grenades got onto the MAG-16 parking mat, where they destroyed 24 helicopters and damaged 23. Raiders also got into the nearly completed hospital across the road and did considerable damage. Three Americans were killed, and 91 wounded; fortunately, most of the wounds were minor.
Comments: COL O'Connor, Thomas J.; MAG-16 CO; ;
The source for this information was M&H, 1962-1973 P. 96, Rand; USMC 53-73 P:53
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Last updated
02/16/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023