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1971 “The Attack on Fire Support Base Mary Ann”...
1971 “The Attack on Fire Support Base Mary Ann”...
Item # 724089
March 29, 1971
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER, Raleigh, N.C. March 29, 1971
* “The Attack on Fire Support Base Mary Ann”
* People's Army of Vietnam sappers ambush
* U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade massacre
The top the front page has a three column headline: "33 GIs Killed In Enemy Raid" (see images)
Complete with all 26 pages, a few binding holes along the spine, nice condition.
background: In the early morning hours, sappers from the People’s Army of Vietnam infiltrated the perimeter of the base, which was defended by elements of the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, 196th Infantry Brigade (Americal Division). Using satchel charges, grenades, and small arms, the attackers exploited lax security and surprise to devastating effect, killing 33 American soldiers and wounding more than 80. The assault exposed serious breakdowns in discipline and readiness at the base and became one of the deadliest single attacks on a U.S. fire support base during the later stages of American involvement in the war. The incident led to multiple investigations and courts-martial, and it underscored the continued effectiveness of North Vietnamese sapper tactics even as U.S. ground forces were in the process of drawing down under Vietnamization.
Category: The 20th Century
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