March 1970 enemy activities increase in the Ben Het- Duc Seang area.
The battalion provided artillery support in the area. Battery C
(-) deployed to Dak To II and Battery B remained at FSB 6. 1 April
1970 the Special Forces Camp at Duc Seang came under heavy attack
from a NVA Regimental. The Battle of Duc Seang lasted three weeks.
The Battalion fire missions were critical in repelling the attacks.
The Battalion suffered the loss of one Forward Observer and three
Forward Observers wounded. May 1970 the Battalion committed two
platoons from Battery A (-) in support of the 4th Infantry
during Operation Binh Try II for the Cambodia Offensive. The platoons
were airlifted to Plei Djareng and occupied four positions during
the operation- LZ Dragon, LZ Spearhead, LZ Scott and LZ Wildcat.
The 1/92 Artillery marked the beginning of 1971 by moving a Platoon
from Battery C (-) to Phu Nhon on January 7th. This was
to provide direct support to the 20th Engineer Battalion,
moving south of QL 14. Enemy activity in both Kontum and Pleiku
Provinces continued to increase as a build up to TET, until February
1st. Battery C at Phu Nhon received 7 rounds of 82mm
mortar fire sustaining six casualties, 1 KIA and 5 WIA. The firebase
was named in Honor of one of them, PFC Thomas C. Miller. On 13 February
Battery B (-) dispatch one Platoon to Polei Krong to provide defensive
for Battery A, 7/15 Artillery at Polei Klang. 16 February Battery
C (-) moved a platoon to LZ Lonely to continue direct support to
the 20th Engineers. 26 February Battery B Platoon returned
to Kontum after having successfully deterred enemy attacks on the
7/15 Artillery positions at Polei Kleng. It is noteworthy that throughout
the period 16-26 January the battalion had seven separate firing
positions, each maintaining its own fire direction center. Throughout
this period, the 1/92 was firing between 40 and 50 percent of the
rounds fired by the 52 Artillery Group, which had a total of 10
firing Batteries.
22 February 1971, Major General Charles P. Brown 1st
Field Forces Vietnam Commanding General, presented the Valorous
Unit Award to the 1st92 Artillery. The Unit was cited
for Distinguishing itself through extraordinary Heroism while engaged
in
military operations against an armed enemy near Dak To and Ben Het,
Republic of Vietnam, during the period 4 May 1969 to 28 June 1969.
Midnight on March 15 1971, the second platoon of Battery C at LZ
Miller received a heavy mortar and sapper attack. The attack marked
the beginning of a six-day Battle in the Phu Nhon Area. (SEE
Siege at Phu Nhon, History Page) The Platoon suffered Five
WIA but was credited with 34 killed by artillery, plus the credit
of 52 sappers killed in their perimeter wire. Resupply was possible
only from the air, as the NVA effectively blocked QL 14. During
this period the 1/92 airlifted 94.3 tons of supplies into Battery
C positions at FSB Miller, LZ Lonely and LZ Weight Davis. Battery
C expended 1312 rounds in six days accumulating a total of 116 KIA.
Battery C, Liaison Team Headquarters, Headquarters Battery received
the Valorous Unit Citation for this Battle.
14 March, 1ST LT Thacker (SEE Medal
of Honor on History Page) and his four-men IOS (Integrated
Observation System) team occupied FSB 6 along with the AVRN 105mm
howitzer Battery. 31 March, at 0600 hours, the firebase came under
heavy ground and rocket attack by two NVA Regiments. IOS team members
were the last to leave FSB 6 before it was overrun. 1st
LT Thacker calling in 175mm VT rounds on his own location. IOS team,
two were KIA, one was WIA and two
were MIA. 1st LT Thacker escaped, evaded the enemy
for ten days, and was carried as a MIA before fighting his way back
to a reoccupied FSB 6 on 9 April.
2 April the NVA launched another attack in the Phu Nhon District
concentrating this time in the area of LZ Lonely. The NVA 120mm
mortar had direct hits on the FDC and on one gun pit, One howitzer
was rendered inoperable the platoon suffered 11 WIA and 1 KIA. QL
14 was again blocked and the Battalion airlifted a howitzer and
116 tons of resupply items into LZ Miller and LZ Lonely. Throughout
the siege the artillerymen distinguished themselves by repeated
acts of individual heroism.
The 1st battalion 92nd Artillery was the only remaining
U.S. medium artillery in Military Region II in 1971. Although it
originally consisted of the normal three firing batteries configuration,
only two firing batteries remained. Battery C stood down under Keystone
Increment VIII on 15 August 1971.The mission of the Battalion was
general support of U.S. and ARVN Forces throughout Military Region
II. In support of this, each firing element was assigned an individual
mission. The disposition and individual missions were: (1) Battery
A (-), with four howitzers, was on Artillery Hill and had the mission
of general support to the Pleiku Area. (2) Battery A Platoon, with
two howitzers, was at recon support base action, to the East of
Pleiku. Its mission was the direct support of Task Force 19, which
had the general mission of securing the highway communications along
QL 19. This was the main artery to the Central Highlands Area. (3)
Battery B, with six howitzers, was further East, at LZ Buffalo in
An Khe, and the mission of direct support to Task Force 19.
The Battalion operated three fire direction centers, one at each
firing location. The Battalion Tactical Operations Center did not
maintain a fire direction center at this time: however, the Battalion
TOC did retain ultimate tactical control of all battalion fires.
The primary means of computing firing data throughout the Battalion
was through the M18 Fire Direction Computer, or FADAC. The Battalion
had four such computers, all of which were operational. The 1/92
was responsible for operating two artillery and airstrike
warning control centers, called air advisories. The function of
these two centers was to provide information to all aviators regarding
friendly artillery and air strikes that might affect aircraft safety.
The warning centers were located on Artillery Hill and in An Khe
at FSB Buffalo. The former provided information for all of Pleiku
Province, the latter served aviators flying over western Binh Dinh
Province, the air link between the Central Highlands and the Coastal
regions to the East.
The Battalion had one Liaison section deployed. This was a relatively
permanent section that provided liaison with Task Force 19 at An
Khe. The battalion was also constantly prepared to support any operation
in its tactical area of operations with either liaison or forward
observer teams when notified.
The 1/92 conducted many artillery raids. It was constantly ready
to deploy platoons in support of any operation to conduct either
pre-planned or hasty raids as required by the situation.
Redesignated 1 September 1971 as the 1st Battalion, 92d
Field Artillery. On 2 November the Unit was returned to Fort Hood
Texas and reorganized 30 November 1971 in the wake of the inactivation
of the 6th Battalion, 92d Field Artillery. It was also
reorganized from a composite 155/8" Unit to a pure 8"
Battalion and it again became part of the 2d Armored Division.
July 1986 the 1st Battalion 92d Artillery was inactivated, except
for Battery C, which was redesignated as A/92nd Artillery
Regiment under The United States Army Regimental System. (The Unit
was changed from 8" guns to MLRS).
