Frisco-Kid
05-07-07, 07:47
Hill 875
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. Companies A, C, and D went up the hill. Companies C and D were in the lead, with company A bringing up the rear. The battalion hadn't advanced far before they came under intense fire.The 2 lead companies were pinned down, and A co. was cut off from them. Companies C and D were forced to group into a tight perimeter, unable to move in any direction. The troopers of A co. were on their own. After hours of intense fighting, often hand-to-hand, grenade throwing contests, and personal sacrifices, A co. finally made it up to the perimeter. 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 of A co.. 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. The NVA were lighting them up with RPGs, and mortars from nearby hills. It was a meat grinder. They reformed 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 were staged. The blast killed 40+ paratroopers that night. One of them was Chaplain Major Charles Watters, who had spent the day encouraging his troopers and helping to care for the wounded. 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. There were no good, or secure, LZ's so they had to hump from their nearest FSB. That had to be the scariest night of those trooper's lives. I HATED moving around in the bush at night.
The next day, 21NOV, the 4/503 and the survivors of 2/503 tried to make an assault up the hill. It was an all day battle, but they were pushed back.
On the 22NOV, under the cover of an arty barrage on the top of the hill, they were finally able to get re-supplied and their wounded med-evaced. Units of the 4th ID had been at the bottom of the hill as a blocking force. They began to move up the hill. A good frind of mine, Ron W., was an RTO in the 4th. He said that as an RTO, he had never had to shoot his weapon so much before or after Hill 875.
On 23NOV67 the Sky Soldiers launched another assault up the hill. They met little resistance. Charlie had simply un-assed the hill. It always amazed me how they could often do that. Just sneak off. When they got to the top of the hill, they found it to be a fortress. There were well built bunkers connected by tunnels and fighting trenches. They found a large cache of weapons and ammo left behind. It was all hidden to aircraft by the triple-canopy jungle.
Then came the mop up. Ron said he filled a body bag with nothing but body parts at one point. Some of the dead troopers from A co., further down the hill, had been shot in the head, execution style.
A couple of months after the battle, I met 2 troopers at Bragg that had just shown up after a tour with the 173rd. They were both survivors of Hill 875. At first they didn't want to talk much about it. I could tell that they were still very affected by it. But after I bought a couple of rounds they loosened up a little bit. It also set them at ease when I told them that I had fought in the same AO with the 101st the year before. As far as I know, Dak To, and Kontum to the south, was never pacified, and remained a dangerous place the whole war.
The cost for Hill 875 was high. During the 5 day battle, the 173rd had: 33 MIA; 158 KIA; and 411 evacuated WIA.
As far as I know, this was the only battle in the war that produced 2 MOH recipients.
BTW; the numbers given to hills were their heights in meters. The Central Highlands was some of the steepest country I have ever been in.
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. Companies A, C, and D went up the hill. Companies C and D were in the lead, with company A bringing up the rear. The battalion hadn't advanced far before they came under intense fire.The 2 lead companies were pinned down, and A co. was cut off from them. Companies C and D were forced to group into a tight perimeter, unable to move in any direction. The troopers of A co. were on their own. After hours of intense fighting, often hand-to-hand, grenade throwing contests, and personal sacrifices, A co. finally made it up to the perimeter. 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 of A co.. 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. The NVA were lighting them up with RPGs, and mortars from nearby hills. It was a meat grinder. They reformed 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 were staged. The blast killed 40+ paratroopers that night. One of them was Chaplain Major Charles Watters, who had spent the day encouraging his troopers and helping to care for the wounded. 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. There were no good, or secure, LZ's so they had to hump from their nearest FSB. That had to be the scariest night of those trooper's lives. I HATED moving around in the bush at night.
The next day, 21NOV, the 4/503 and the survivors of 2/503 tried to make an assault up the hill. It was an all day battle, but they were pushed back.
On the 22NOV, under the cover of an arty barrage on the top of the hill, they were finally able to get re-supplied and their wounded med-evaced. Units of the 4th ID had been at the bottom of the hill as a blocking force. They began to move up the hill. A good frind of mine, Ron W., was an RTO in the 4th. He said that as an RTO, he had never had to shoot his weapon so much before or after Hill 875.
On 23NOV67 the Sky Soldiers launched another assault up the hill. They met little resistance. Charlie had simply un-assed the hill. It always amazed me how they could often do that. Just sneak off. When they got to the top of the hill, they found it to be a fortress. There were well built bunkers connected by tunnels and fighting trenches. They found a large cache of weapons and ammo left behind. It was all hidden to aircraft by the triple-canopy jungle.
Then came the mop up. Ron said he filled a body bag with nothing but body parts at one point. Some of the dead troopers from A co., further down the hill, had been shot in the head, execution style.
A couple of months after the battle, I met 2 troopers at Bragg that had just shown up after a tour with the 173rd. They were both survivors of Hill 875. At first they didn't want to talk much about it. I could tell that they were still very affected by it. But after I bought a couple of rounds they loosened up a little bit. It also set them at ease when I told them that I had fought in the same AO with the 101st the year before. As far as I know, Dak To, and Kontum to the south, was never pacified, and remained a dangerous place the whole war.
The cost for Hill 875 was high. During the 5 day battle, the 173rd had: 33 MIA; 158 KIA; and 411 evacuated WIA.
As far as I know, this was the only battle in the war that produced 2 MOH recipients.
BTW; the numbers given to hills were their heights in meters. The Central Highlands was some of the steepest country I have ever been in.