Ambushes

[frisco-kid]

Since it's one of the most basic offensive tactics in guerilla warfare, most grunts in VN have been on dozens of them. Since alot of Charlie's movements were at night, we did alot of night ambushes. Some were during the day, though.

Some of the ambushes were based on intelligence gathered by S-2 [battalion or brigade level] or, I suppose sometimes, G-2 [division level]. Basically, they said that an enemy unit of THIS size, equipped like THIS, was going to pass by HERE, on THIS night. These NEVER materialized, that I recall. So much for Military Intelligence.

We would occasionally do daylight ambushes by leaving behind maybe a squad after we would pull out of our night laager for the day's hump, knowing that the local VC would often search the position for any material that might have been left behind. Or sometimes, if we thought we were being followed, we would have a small unit drop off and lay in wait. Another daylight scenario would occasionally be to set up another ambush a couple hundred meters away from a night ambush that was sprung. This would be in the direction that those that had escaped the Kill Zone had fled. Charlie liked to sneak back and retrieve bodies or weapons. Also, knowing this, we would often booby trap the area and/or bodies.

Setting up a good night ambush took a bit of planning and preping. After a site was picked [a well-used trail; road; stream; railroad bed; etc.], we would go to work. The type of ambush[linear or L-shaped were the most common] was determined by the terrain. Which will establish the most efficient Kill Zone? If a large enemy unit was anticipated, we would put out Security Units on our flanks to prevent any of the enemy that escaped the Kill Zone from flanking us. Sometimes a unit was in reserve to move in as a blocking force after the ambush was sprung. A Rally Point was established in case things turned to shit and we had to didi mau in a hurry. A casualty evacuation plan was established.

Now getting down to business. The Kill Zone was established, preferrably one that confined the enemy to an area where he could be destroyed. Firing positions were designated. Fields of fire were established. Sometimes this would involve some clearing of vegetation for the best field of fire. Claymore mines were strategically set. These would be the first thing fired to inflict the most casualties immediately. Whenever possible, an L-shaped ambush was used with an M-60 on the short side shooting down the length of the road or trail. We would often booby trap the side of the road or trail furthest away from the ambushing force. The rest was waiting for dark and The Bad Guys.

This was the tough part. It was hard work staying awake and focused after humping all day. If possible, we would try to have 2 or 3 guys on each firing position so 1 could catch some Zs. Sitting still and quiet with the creepy crawlies was often challenging. If you were a smoker, the no smoking order was often hard to comply with. The discomfort could be compounded if it was raining. I never used a poncho on ambushes or perimeter guard at night. They were shiny when wet, and noisy when the rain hit it. They were especially hard to hear in if the hood was used. I'd rather be wet than to be detected as a target, or unable to see or hear my surroundings.

When the enemy walked into the ambush, methodically designed for the sole purpose of killing him, it was often awesome and terrifying to behold. The sudden noise was deafening; the blast of the Claymores; the firing of rifles and shotguns; M-60 machine guns; the explosions of grenades, M-79 and LAW rounds. All punctuated by the screams of the terrified, wounded, and dying, and lit up by the eerie light of flares. The carnage was awful. It was usually over in minutes as the enemy was destroyed, the survivors breaking contact. If it was a large, well disciplined unit they would sometimes try to counter attack. But if we did our job right, they were usually too decimated and demoralized to put up much of a fight. The element of surprise is VERY effective.

Then came the grisly part of checking out your handiwork. We would cautiously enter the Kill Zone with the dead, dying, wounded, and body parts. Some of the obviously wounded were cautiously approached, making sure that they were disarmed. Dead bodies, real or playing dead, usually had a couple of rounds put into them before they were approached. This may sound harsh to some, but it was a safety precaution learned the hard way. We would then search the dead and wounded for any papers or maps. Weapons were policed up. The wounded were evacuated and the dead usually left where they were. Like I said before, the area and bodies were often booby trapped before we left. War is definately not pretty.

So, for those who didn't know, there's a thumbnail description of an ambush. More often than not, these were never sprung. For the most part, it was random luck if Charlie showed up. Another thing that made it hard to stay awake and focused.
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