M102 105mm Howitzer: Battle for Quảng Trị

Source: The Associated Press

     On March 30, 1972, the Chiến dịch Xuân Hè 1972 (1972 Spring - Summer Offensive), better known as the Easter Offensive, was launched by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) supported by Việt Cộng forces. In the attack, the PAVN took the city of Quảng Trị as well as Quảng Trị Province along with a portion of Thừa Thiên Province. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), while initially thrown back, dug in along the My Chanh River north of Huế and halted the PAVN advance with the assistance of U.S. air support. On June 14, 1972, I Corps commander Lieutenant-General Ngô Quang Trưởng commenced planning to retake Quảng Trị Province with a combined U.S. and ARVN mission called Operation Lam Son 72.

     On June 27, 1972, the U.S. 9th. Marine Amphibious Brigade launched a feint assault along the Cua Việt River but on the ground, RVN Marine and RVN Airborne forces met stiff resistance from PAVN troops as they moved northwest of the Thạch Hãn River. To assist, on June 28, U.S. Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 164 (HMM-164; the “Death Riders”) and HMM-165 (the “White Knights”) airlifted the 1st. and 4th. RVN Marine Battalions behind PAVN positions. After further fighting, both the Marine and Airborne forces reached the outskirts of Quảng Trị on July 7. The defenders within the city were not the cream of the PAVN crop and instead, were relatively untrained replacement soldiers and militiamen. This was because the PAVN 304th. Division and 308th. Division had pulled their more experienced fighters out of Quảng Trị to protect them from U.S. air power. Despite this, PAVN forces in the city had artillery support, terrain advantage, and had well prepared positions to the point that ARVN attacks against the city met with stiff resistance. On July 11, U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 bombers bombarded the city and in an effort to cut off the PAVN supply line, HMM-164 and HMM-165 were again called in to drop the RVN 1st. Marine Division north of the city. It was costly as three helicopters were downed with another 25 receiving various amounts of damage from viscous anti-aircraft fire. After three days of brutal combat against the PAVN 48th. Regiment of the 320th. Division (the Đồng Bằng Division or Delta Division), the regiment was forced to retreat. By July 20, the Marines had consolidated their positions while the RVN Airborne forces continued to penetrate into Quảng Trị. Two days later, the 5th. Marine Battalion was airlifted by HMM-164 to interdict PAVN supply lines near the Cua Việt River and combined with two additional Marine battalions, including tanks, managed to defeat PAVN forces in the area after two days of fighting. By July 27, it was the RVN Marines assaulting the city after relieving the diminished RVN Airborne troops and for weeks, combat raged in bitter house-to-house fighting. On September 9, 1972, the 147th. Marine Brigade and the 258th. Marine Brigade pushed on the heavily defended city center which finally fell on September 15. The brutal combat cost ARVN forces 3,658 dead with 20 U.S. servicemen killed while it is estimated PAVN losses were at least 10,000 killed. In support of the RVN troops, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy (flying from five aircraft carriers) flew 5,461 close air support sorties while the U.S. Air Force launched 2,054 B-52 bomber sorties.

     The Associated Press photograph shown here was taken on July 10, 1972 and shows a RVN Airborne artilleryman manning a U.S. built M102 105mm howitzer. The location was a firebase situated near La Vang which was 3 miles south of Quảng Trị. The M102 was a lightweight (1.5 tons) howitzer whose design commenced in 1962 with the first examples entering service in 1966 to replace the World War Two era M101A1 howitzers. The gun used a box trail that had a platform beneath the gun that when in place and the wheels raised, allowed the gun to be traversed a full 360 degrees. Gun depression was a maximum of 5 degrees with a maximum elevation of 75 degrees. Recoil was via a hydro-pneumatic system and the gun used a vertical sliding-wedge breech. The standard high-explosive shell weighed 33lbs. and with the maximum powder charge, the range was 7.1 miles. With a rocket-assisted shell, the range was increased to 9.4 miles. Today, the M102 is no longer used by the U.S. Army, having been replaced by the M119 though it still exists in some U.S. National Guard inventories. It is also still used by the U.S. Marine Corps but usually only for ceremonial duties. The U.S. Air Force continues to use the M102 in the Lockheed AC-130J Ghostrider gunship. Outside of the U.S., a handful of operators still use the M102 with the largest user being Jordan that maintains 50 guns on inventory.