Pile-On - Divided Ground - Vietnam

Binh An, 13km NE of Quang Tri, Quang Tri province, I CTZ (Best played as US). The ability to move men and vehicles rapidly into battle was ideal for small, widely separated, independent engagements. Cavalry could move quickly and bring heavy firepower to bear at critical points. Once the enemy was located and the cavalry unit engaged, reinforcements were immediately sent in to prevent the enemy from escaping, then maximum firepower was brought to bear. Rapid reinforcement of a unit in combat was nicknamed "pile-on". In June 1968 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry was performing reconnaissance missions under operational control of the 1st Cavalry Division in the I Corps Tactical Zone. During one such mission, Operation Jeb Stuart III, Troop C, 3rd Sqn/5th Cav, with Troop D, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry (Air) -the dismounted ground troop of the air cavalry squadron of the 1st Cavalry Division-had advanced from the northwest to within 150 meters of the village of Binh An on the South China Sea. Suddenly, small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades showered the American forces as several North Vietnamese soldiers withdrew into the village. Both troops began firing to maintain pressure on the enemy, while scout sections from Troop C swung to south of the village to cut off the escape routes. Hundreds of civilians fled from the village as Lieutenant Colonel Hugh J. Bartley ordered Troops A and B to reinforce the attacking units and start the pile-on. Shortly, thereafter, a captured North Vietnamese soldier reported that the 300-man K14 Battalion of the 812th North Vietnamese Regiment was dug in at Binh An. Realizing that he now had an enemy battalion with its back to the sea, Colonel Bartley acted quickly. Troop B was ordered to positions north of Binh An. Troop C moved into the center of a horseshoe-shaped cordon along with Troop D, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. By 1030 the four cavalry troops were in position around Binh An. The South China Sea blocked the enemy's escape east, and a Navy Swift boat, a small coastal patrol craft, was also summoned to seal the seaward escape routes. Colonel Bartley's requests for fire support brought tactical aircraft, aerial rocket artillery, and 105-mm. artillery. The cruiser Boston and destroyers O'Brien and Edson took station offshore. When Colonel Bartley gave the order to open fire, the area inside the cordon erupted as hundreds of shells crashed in on the target. In order to strengthen the cordon and complete the pile-on, Colonel Bartley requested the airlift of two infantry companies from the 1st Cavalry Division. The two companies arrived early in the afternoon: Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry, reinforced Troop B on the north side, while Company C of the 2d Battalion joined Troop A on the south. SOURCES: Vietnam Studies: Mounted Combat in Vietnam.