| Date: 15 November 1967 |
| Aircraft type: C-130E Hercules |
| Serial Number: 62-1865, 63-7827 |
| Military Unit: 776 TAS, 314 TAW |
| Service: USAF |
| Home Base: Ching Chuan Kang |
| Name(s): |
| no aircrew involved (Unknown) |
| One of the bloodiest battles of the war was fought in the Central Highlands near Dak To between 3 and 22 November. After three weeks of heavy fighting the US 4th Infantry Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade forced the NVA to retire, leaving many casualties on both sides. Having noted the pattern of early morning arrivals of C-130s at Dak To, the North Vietnamese waited until three Hercules were sitting on the parking ramp before firing 10 rockets into the area. Two Hercules were hit and soon engulfed in flames. A third aircraft was backed out of the way of the inferno by Capt J H Glenn and his crew during a lull in the attack and a fourth aircraft, which had landed moments before the first rounds exploded, took off again rapidly. The attack also destroyed 17,000 gallons of fuel and over 1,300 tons of ordnance when the ammunition dump was hit by artillery. The airfield was closed for two days and when it re-opened only one C-130 was permitted on the ground at a time. |
You may return to your search results, go to the Search Form, or go back to the Home Page.