Hill 875

[frisco-kid]

On 19NOV67 the paratroopers of 2/503, 173rd Airborne Brigade, were ordered up Hill 875 near Dak To, Kontum Province in the Central Highlands. A Mike Force unit had taken fire from this hill a couple of days before. The battalion hadn't advanced far before they came under intense fire. They were divided in half, with 2 companies being pinned down. The other 2 companies were kept at bay with intense fire. After hours of intense fighting, often hand-to-hand, grenade throwing contests, and personal sacrifices, the battalion was able to regroup. 30+ troopers died that day, including my good friend Manny's little brother, 19yr. old Mario Alvarez Cisneros. Another paratrooper to die that day was machine gunner PFC Carlos Lozada. He would posthumously be awarded the CMH for staying behind to lay down covering fire, insuring his platoons escape. The battalion was together, but under attack from up the hill and down the hill. They formed a defensive perimeter and dug in for the night. They called in airstrikes on top of the hill. During a bombing run, a 500lb. bomb was accidently dropped on their position about 2000hrs. that night. It hit near where the wounded was staged. The blast killed 40+ paratroopers that night. One of them was Chaplain Major Charles Watters. He, too, would be awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor. So went the 1st day on Hill 875. The 2/503 wouldn't be re-enforced until the evening of the 20NOV by the 4/503. They wouldn't be resupplied or their wounded med-evaced until the 22NOV. Hill 875 wouldn't be taken until 23NOV67. Units from the 4th Infantry Division were at the bottom of the hill as a blocking force. My friend Ron, 39/39, was there.

[frisco-kid]

The 5 day battle for Hill 875 would be one of the bloodiest of the war.

The price was high:

33 missing
158 KIA
411 evacuated WIA

MAY GOD HOLD THEM ALL IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND


AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY, BROTHERS!

[frisco-kid]

Just trying to stay alive. The ground taken and held was often measured from tree stump to tree stump.

[phuloi]

God bless all the troopers that lost life and limb in that horrible battle..And all the Brothers.

[39mto39g]

The thing I remember about that place, was I helped load a body bag with parts of bodies, Arms, fingers, feet, etc, A body bag full.
And secondly, was the eyes of those guys that came down off that hill when relived. You don't ever want to see that look.

Ron

[frisco-kid]

I know exactly what you mean. I met 2 troopers who were there at Ft. Bragg about 2mos. after the battle. They could hardly bring themselves to talk about it. I could tell that they were deeply affected by it. They were alittle more willing to talk when I told them that I had fought there the year before, even though it was just a couple of weeks, with the 101st. The place remained a very dangerous place the whole war.

I don't know who patroled there after the 101st left in JUL66. It seems that the area was always crawling with NVA. The top of Hill 875 was nothing less than a fortress. I guess they had well-built bunkers and trenches, all connected by tunnels. It was all well camouflaged by the triple canopy jungle. Did you make it to the top to see the enemy complex?

As far as body parts, some of us have seen what a 500lb. bomb can do. Also, I guess they fired them up with alot of RPGs. These guys said they mortared the hell out of them from nearby hills almost constantly. A real meat grinder. I really felt for them.

[39mto39g]

The first day of the fight, 19th, the lead company got just a little way up the hill and started to take fire from there left flank and from top. I think it was A-company in front, We were probibly 1/4 mile from the bottom when it started. C-company, I believe was in front of us, As C-company started to move forward to cover A-companys left, the NVA drove hard right through C-company, Now A-company and a small portion of C-company were taking fire from three sides. We were to hold C-companys rear flank and cover fire for C-company left flankwhile they tried to hookup again with the guys on the hill, There were so many Mortors going off everywhere I couldn't tell whos was whos. Medi-vac started to come in and took heavy fire. firefights went on all night, all of a sudden all hell would break loose and then just mortors for awhile and then all hell would break loose again.
20thC-company tryed again to hookup with guys on hill and a major firefight broke out, Everywhere you would look you seen NVA with there AKs running through the trees. Just about every where you shot you most likley hit an NVA.
Around noon we got some sort of resupply and took out some wounded.
No major medivac was had that day.
Re-enforcments tried to come from Dok To, But all the radio traffic I heard was they were meeting heavy resistance and were unable to relive.
21st. The thing I remember most about this day was all the jets and what stood out most was some ww-2 prop planes dropping bombs. This day is mostly a blurr for me except I belive the reenforments arrived from Dak-to . Some point C&A comany hooked back up ,as I was making my way to the bottom of the hill to give my spare radio battery to one of the RTOs , There were bodies everywhere, NVA- GIs all mixed togeather like some big drunken overnight party, but it wasn't a party. I couldn't begin to count the Killed and wounded.
22nd, I think this day was the day they made a push to go to the top of the hill, Im not sure who the guys were from Dok To but when it started everyone moved toward the hill. We only got to the bottom of the hill when we were told to hold.
Then about a million choppers showed up to pick up KIAs and WIAs and what was left of A-company. We stayed for awhile helping with the wounded and KIAs when A-company came down the hill.
After a couple hours choppers arrived for my unit and we went back to Dak-to.
I don't know how everyone else got back or all the NVA stuff.
I went to my bunker and fell alseep.

Im very sure that what happened those 3 or 4 days would be very different seen through the eyes of one of the guys on the hill.

Being an RTO Im usually on the radio talking to BN or mortors or arty or jets or puff, but in this case I fired my weapon more than I ever did.

Ron

[frisco-kid]

The re-enforcements were companies A, B, and C of the 4/503. They couldn't find a decent or safe LZ any closer than their nearest firebase. I guess it was quite a hump, and then when they got to the hill they had to fight their way to where the 2/503 was. From what little research I did, it looks like the first company made contact with them around 1600 on the 20NOV. The other 2 showed up about 2000hrs.. Must of been a bitch humping that hill in the dark!

The 3 companies of the 2/503 that first went up the hill were A, C, and D. C and D were in the lead going up the hill, with A bringing up the rear. It was A that got cut off and overrun. C and D had been stopped by heavy NVA fire, and were forced to consolidate into a tight perimeter. The A company survivors had to fight their way to C and D's perimeter. The fighting was so intense at their perimeter, they couldn't assist A. A made it, but with heavy casualties. Later that night would be the 500 pounder incident.

On the 21NOV the 4/503 made an assault up the hill, but were pushed back. 24hrs. of artillery and airstrkes followed. On the 23NOV the 4/503 and the survivors of 2/503 made another assault up the hill. There was little resistance. The NVA had unassed the hill.

Thanks for your perspective of it, my friend. You're truly a part of history, like it or not. I will be thinking of those brave men who gave it their all on that hill over the next few days.

[DMZ-LT]

When you get into this kind of fight you are not fighting for America, the flag or some notion of domino's you are fighting for the guys to your right and left and praying you don't *%& up. When I first got to VietNam I was afraid I would lose an arm or leg but after a few bad days I was telling God to please take both arms and legs , just get me out alive. Thanks for the reminder Tom and Ron. Salute to all my brothers.

[Packo]

Frisco, thanks for the memorial to those Troopers of the 173rd, your friends, and the Ivy Men of the 4th Div. I remember that battle. Had the Life Magazine picture of the formation with empty boots, traditional Airborne sendoff, at home. It doubled my desire to go Airborne if drafted. Little did I know of the horrors of war then but that is youth and why our youth make such great soldiers.

Ron, thanks for sharing with us the painfull history of those days. My God, we are living history.

Airborne!

Packo