"Unleash Hell" on a VC Sniper

[bayonetbrant]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345454/Vietnam-War-photos-reveal-moment-U-S-troops-unleashed-hell-Viet-Cong-sniper-hills-Army-camp.html

A Vietnam War veteran has released incredible night-time photographs he took of American troops opening fire on a Viet Cong sniper who had been firing on a U.S. Army camp.
For more than four decades, photographer James Speed Hensinger kept these incredible photographs to himself, not releasing them to the public until now.
Hensinger was just a 22-year-old paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in April 1970 when a Viet Cong sniper began spraying automatic rifle fire on Hensinger's base in Phu Tai, near the coastal city of Da Nang.

more cool photos at the link, sample below

[TheCommandTent]

Really incredible pictures thanks for the link.

[MikeGER]

Nice pics  8)
and a document of wasting resources ;)
... a trained sniper would shoot from the crest line positioned maybe half way beyond the top and the saddle (not on the top or the saddle) and retreat immediately behind the crest after he got his rounds off.
A patrol on the crest who lay dog and awaits him when he infiltrates would do the trick,
the hill tops around a camp should be under own control, or registered in for mortars (who shell behind the crest)      

[bayonetbrant]

a trained sniper would shoot from the crest line positioned maybe half way beyond the top and the saddle (not on the top or the saddle) and retreat immediately behind the crest after he got his rounds off.

A trained sniper wouldn't be popping off full magazines with an AK-47 ;)

The newspaper used "sniper" as interchangeable for "harrassing fire" in this case.

But as far as wasting ammo on return fire - the US military might be short on a wide variety of things, but we're rarely short on ammo.  One of the hallmarks of the US military since the early 1800s is that there are very, very few armies in history that have been as good as the US at putting large volumes of accurate fire on target downrange. 
We can screw up plenty of other things, but we've got that "shooting" thing down pretty well, which is one of the main reasons it's completely stupid to pick a fight with the US in the desert; it plays to our strength.  You give us wide open fields of fire with 10000m ranges and no civilians in the way?  Bad day for you...

[MIGMaster]

Shock and Awe!

[LongBlade]

Shock and Awe!

No kidding.

[besilarius]

Once upon a time, a very young, green young fellow was out on a patrol in I Corps.
The gnarly old sergeant, must have been all of 26, was taking care of things.
From on top of a hill, we could see two VC carrying fifteen or twenty canteens each.  Obviously getting water for the rest of their unit.
The young lad was all for going down there and taking out the two water carriers.
The older sergeant replied, "No, the rest of their unit may be close.  Let's see what support there is."
He got on the radio and started requesting nearby units for fire support.  In no time at all, he had a 105 battery, a mortar unit, and a destroyer on the coast ready for fire.
The bucolic little stream erupted, and the two guys sort of disappeared.
More than a little shaken by the whole scene, the kid asked, "Do we claim two kills?"
The sergeant looked around and couldn't see any bodies.  "No, we'll just tote up two probables."

Meanwhile, some VC officer was probably thinking, "Where the hell are Phan and Pok, those two slackers?"

[LongBlade]

Once upon a time, a very young, green young fellow was out on a patrol in I Corps.
The gnarly old sergeant, must have been all of 26, was taking care of things.
From on top of a hill, we could see two VC carrying fifteen or twenty canteens each.  Obviously getting water for the rest of their unit.
The young lad was all for going down there and taking out the two water carriers.
The older sergeant replied, "No, the rest of their unit may be close.  Let's see what support there is."
He got on the radio and started requesting nearby units for fire support.  In no time at all, he had a 105 battery, a mortar unit, and a destroyer on the coast ready for fire.
The bucolic little stream erupted, and the two guys sort of disappeared.
More than a little shaken by the whole scene, the kid asked, "Do we claim two kills?"
The sergeant looked around and couldn't see any bodies.  "No, we'll just tote up two probables."

Meanwhile, some VC officer was probably thinking, "Where the hell are Phan and Pok, those two slackers?"

For a moment I thought we might have some deja vu together. Sorta.

Back when I was in high school I had the opportunity to get turned loose on the local university's library. Me being me I made a b-line for the military history section. It coughed up a nice little gem of LRRP AARs in a book.

I can distinctly remember reading one similar to yours where the patrol saw a couple of guys nervously heading into some brush on a hill. They watched. When no one came out they decided there were more NVA (or VC) there and called in some arty. Several nervous looking troops ran out. On a hunch they figured there were more enemy troops there and called in more arty. More guys came out.

Long story short, they think they had caught a batallion of enemy in that brushy hill, and by the time they were done, they'd had it shelled quite thoroughly.

[besilarius]

It was a big country with a lot of ground cover.

[Gusington]

Those images are insane. Gives me total respect for combat veterans...scary.

[MikeGER]

... being me I made a b-line for the military history section. It coughed up a nice little gem of LRRP AARs in a book.

   ;D

and 'Ghost of the Highland' (Kregg P. Jorgenson) i cant find atm....  maybe i have it in the Seals or Sniper shelf;)

[LongBlade]

... being me I made a b-line for the military history section. It coughed up a nice little gem of LRRP AARs in a book.

   ;D

and 'Ghost of the Highland' (Kregg P. Jorgenson) i cant find atm....  maybe i have it in the Seals or Sniper shelf;)

Actually, Mike, it was some kind of government publication for their ROTC department.

[Airborne Rifles]

I had a high school teacher who was a tank platoon leader in Vietnam.  He told a story once about how he and his platoon started receiving what he believed was large caliber mortar fire from a hilltop near the coast.  when he called for fire support he was told to wait one and then a voice he had never heard came on to the net to conduct his support.  He began the process of bracketing the hilltop and when the rounds struck the explosions literally started taking layers off the top of the hill.  He called back and asked who he was talking to.  The response came back "this is the USS New Jersey."  He said the mortar fire stopped.

[bob48]

That's awesome.

[besilarius]

Probably an urban legend, but a similar story was told about a hardpoint on the Mekong river. 
Supposedly, the VC set up an ambush for a Swift boat patrol that went up past a small island.
When the boats came under fire, they called for help on the gunfire support frequency, and heard from call sign "Hickory Stick".
Since they knew the river in and out, they called for a three round salvo right onto the island.
Expecting 5" shells, they were just knocked over when at least one of the rounds came in right on top of the hardpoint.
Hickory Stick called in and asked if the call for fire was over? 
"You sank it."  "Sank what?"  "An island...Mission accomplished, over and out."

Someone during Vietnam had a rather macabre sense of humor.  The Seventh Fleet command call sign was Blackbeard.  The admiral at the time was rather short, pudgy, and cleanshaven.  He loved to get on the nets and begin, "This is Blackbeard, himself..."

And of course, you can't have battleship jokes without mentioning Julius Arnheiter and the Vance.  Vance was a light Destroyer Escort with a couple of 3" guns, great for shooting sampans.  Arnheiter was an ass who got himself in a lot of trouble.
He got intel that a coastal vessel was bringing a supply load to VC in I Corps.  The night was stormy, visibility limited, but they got a strong radar return of a ship coming down the coast at the right time.
Vance swung in to signaling range and barked out, "This is the USS Vance, stop your engines or I'll open fire."
"This is USS New Jersey, fire at will."