Bunker 051 and the The Battle For Tan Son Nhut
Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Circe 1962
Sgt Louis Fischer, "The voice of Echo-37" (Bunker 051), He was at Tan Sun Nut 9½ months, KIA, Awarded Silver Star. December 19, 1945 to January 31, 1968. Sgt. Fisher was from, Long Island NY and laid to rest at Long Island National Cemetery.
Sgt Charles Hebron, with the 377th. 10½ months In country. KIA, Awarded Silver Star. September 18, 1945 - January 31, 1968. Sgt. Hebron was laid to rest in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Bryan, TX.
Sgt Roger Bertha Mills, in country 4 weeks, first KIA in Bunker 051, Awarded Silver Star. August 30, 1946 - January 31, 1968. Sgt. Mills is laid to rest in Aberdeen Proving Ground cemetery, Hartford County, MD. Sgt. Mills Hometown is Havre De Grace, Maryland.
In charge was Sgt Williiam Cyr, in South Vietnam 10 weeks, KIA, Awarded Silver Star. October 22, 1945 - January 31, 1968. Sgt. Cyr's hometown is Webster, Mass.
Sgt. Alonzo J. Coggins was the only survivor, Severely injured, he was taken to a hospital and discharged 6 months later. he received a certificate for the silver Star but was not presented with the actual medal until 1999.
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Tan Son Nhut Air base was originally built by the French in the 1920's and consisted of only a small unpaved airfield. During World War II the air strip fell into the hands of the Japanese Imperial Army which used the facility as a transport base until they surrendered in August of 1945. After the war, the infancy of the VNAF (South Vietnamese Air Force) used the now expanded air base. In the late 50's the United States began to mold the VNAF into a model of the USAF. By the mid-60's it was reported to be one of the busiest airports in the world . Then war came to Vietnam, The first attack on Tan Son Nhut Air base was November 18th 1964 at 0117 Hrs. and was deemed Sabotage. It would get worse.
The year was 1968, January 31st lunar new year and the year of the monkey, the day of the "TET" offensive. Most of the ARVN/VNAF forces were on leave throughout the country with their families celebrating the holiday. Then.... At approximately 0320 hours, the 051 bunker, Call sign: Echo-37, 50 meters southwest of the perimeter fence line- reported that grenades and mortar rounds were being fired towards the western perimeter, but were falling short. A Sector SAT (Echo-1), a CSC Standard SAT (Charlie-2), and the Reserve Sat (RSAT) were dispatched. 0327 hours, Echo-37 (Sgt. Fisher being badly wounded in Bunker 051) gave the alarm that several hundred men were moving west to east approximately 400 meters north of the CP. Approximately five minutes later, the guards reported hearing the sound of automatic weapons fire from the direction of the airfield, They were being attacked from 8 different directions by 12 identified companies of the NVA including Sappers. The main concentration of the attack was on the west end of the airbase. Part of the Army Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) defense force assigned to defend the air base ran away leaving Sgt. Alfonzo Coggins, Sgt. William Cyr, Sgt.Louis Fischer, Sgt. Roger Mills and Sgt. Charles Hebron to attempt to hold the defensive bunker. 0330 hours, Tan Son Nhut Sensitive Area placed a helicopter Light Fire Team under the control of the 53rd Bn, 3rd Co. The LFT was directed to strafe the area where the enemy troops were concentrated. 0340 hours, Bunker 051(Echo-37) reported that he had been hit and that the mortar rounds were exploding on base. Ambulance dispatched to scene. 0340 hours, Bunker 051 (Echo-37) reported two injured. one hit by a mortar or rocket and that mortar or rocket rounds were landing on base. CSC dispatched an ambulance to the 051 Bunker to evacuate the wounded. The ambulance however, was unable to reach the bunker due to the heavy enemy fire. 0344 hours, the 051 Bunker (Echo-37) reported the west perimeter fence was being breached near the 051 Gate (75 meters north of the 051 Bunker) and that enemy forces were coming onto the base. The Echo QRT and two platoons of Task Force 35 were dispatched to the area and deployed as the initial blocking force. 0354 hours, Echo-37 (Sgt. Fischer) reported: " They are completely inside the base, they're all around this position, we're running low on ammo, one man dead and two badly injured". 0354 Hours, Security Control: 10-20 "What's your call sign?" 0354 Hours, Echo 37: Echo 37 0355 Hours, Security Control: "Copy Echo-37" 0355 hours, Echo-37: "That's 10-4" This was the last transmission from Sgt. Fisher. Of the five Security Policeman whose post that night was bunker 051, only one survived. Sgt. Alonzo Coggins either emerged or was found at approximately 1100 Hours. After his comrades were dead and running out of ammo, he lay severely wounded and survived throughout the night, even during the 10 hours that the North Vietnamese had control of bunker 051, Sgt. Coggins remained inside . He was eventually airlifted for medical treatment. Six months later he was discharged and was awarded the Silver Star as were his four comrades that fell. It was up to the 377th Security Police Squadron in the early hours of the attack, to halt the enemy advance. The Security Police, despite being outnumbered, with help from the Helicopter and ground units, killed nearly 1000 enemy combatants (All enemy bodies were buried in mass graves along the perimeter). HQ was successfully defended and 13 aircraft were damaged. The Tan Son Nhut defenders suffered 23 US dead ( including the four at Bunker 51) and 32 SVN forces dead, a total of 55. The travesty of Bunker 051 took less than 25 minutes before being overwhelmed by NVA. For years after TET 1968, Tan Son Nhat Air Base came under attack many times from attempted enemy penetration, gunfire, and rockets. It was up the 377th Security Police Squadron to defend the base from the enemy, until the day the US turned its defense over to South Vietnam. Description: Bunker 051 was 75 meters from and to the South of Gate 51, on the south-west corner of TSN. It was a concrete one-story structure with a platform on the roof surrounded by sandbags with a roof for shade. The bunker walls had holes for weapons to fire out. The bunker was 50 meters from a double perimeter fence with mines in between. Gate 51 [to the right in the photo] was a high steel structure not used for routine traffic but no mines were placed in front of the gate. There was an M - 60 machine gun covering the perimeter and each Security Policeman had a M -16 rifle, not a alot of firepower for an attack of this magnitude. Ninety meters to the right of Bunker 51 and overlooking Gate 51 was Tango-4 a 27' tower, manned by a single SP with a radio. |
Raw Recording from inside CSC during the Attack on Tan Son Nhut January 31st, 1968
This explanation of the recording is from Mark Marcelain
"The recording was made at The Central Security Control at Tan Son Nhut AB on 31 Jan 1968. It has radio traffic and background chatter inside CSC. The original one was a reel to reel and was loaned out to anyone who was assigned to the 377th SPS ONLY. It was kept with the First Sgt/CO's office and was copied. The Tan Son Nhut AB Association got a hold of a copy and put it on a set of 4 CD's. You can hear all parties including the men in bunker 051 who were killed on that day. When I was assigned to the 377th I was the next one to get it when I boarded the Freedom flight home otherwise I would have a reel to reel of it. I do not know where the originals went but the recordings were cleaned and digitized and in very good shape. Like all radio traffic there are cut ins and feedback but it only adds to the authenticity of it"
You Tube recording courtesy of Charles Perry
"The recording was made at The Central Security Control at Tan Son Nhut AB on 31 Jan 1968. It has radio traffic and background chatter inside CSC. The original one was a reel to reel and was loaned out to anyone who was assigned to the 377th SPS ONLY. It was kept with the First Sgt/CO's office and was copied. The Tan Son Nhut AB Association got a hold of a copy and put it on a set of 4 CD's. You can hear all parties including the men in bunker 051 who were killed on that day. When I was assigned to the 377th I was the next one to get it when I boarded the Freedom flight home otherwise I would have a reel to reel of it. I do not know where the originals went but the recordings were cleaned and digitized and in very good shape. Like all radio traffic there are cut ins and feedback but it only adds to the authenticity of it"
You Tube recording courtesy of Charles Perry
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Unedited footage of the mopping-up operations shortly after the initial offensive.
Including the attack on O51 Bunker, which was immediately inside the TSN Air Base, the enemy had overrun and taken the bunker.
Including the attack on O51 Bunker, which was immediately inside the TSN Air Base, the enemy had overrun and taken the bunker.
