Siege of FSB Ripcord in Vietnam In 1970 - Improved Video

This is an updated version of what was posted in 2015. The images have been stabilized.

It shows one of the last great battles of the war.

There is no audio because the camera the Army provided was sturdy, but did not have the ability to record sound.

In the early summer of 1970 FSB Ripcord, a base for the 101st near the NVA stronghold of the A Shau Valley came under siege.

The mountain-top artillery position was routinely hit with incoming while grunts in the surrounding mountains were in heavy contact with the NVA.

Given the volatile situation and possibility for bad PR at a time that the war was supposed to be winding down, the military forbade civilian or military photographers from going to Ripcord.

But two motion picture and one still photographer from the 221st Signal Company/Southeast Asia Pictorial Center disobeyed orders and hitched a ride on a dust-off going to Ripcord.

Lt. Col Andre Lucas, the commander at Ripcord, told them they could not go out with the grunts but could remain at the fire base.

One of the three, James Saller, was wounded by shrapnel. He was escorted to the rear by mopic photographer Jerry Dubro. Mopic photographer Chris Jensen stayed several more days and then left, having spent about a week and using all his film.

Only a day or so later the situation worsened considerably. A Chinook was shot down, crashing on the base near where the 105s were filmed. It caught fire as did nearby ammunition.

Not long afterwards the base was abandoned under fire and Lucas was killed.

Keith Nolan's book on Ripcord is an excellent history.

The film shows artillery being directed at surrounding mountains, the impact of the shells and some bombs and some of the damage at Ripcord from incoming. Also shows a 105 mm angled down, firing at a .51 the NVA located nearby.

At one point an artillery guy is on the ground. He was startled by incoming hitting behind and moved into the recoil of the 105 mm.

This was filmed with a 16 mm Filmo powered by a wind-up spring. No light meter. No audio. 100-foot rolls of film. Film is often shaky due to high winds, although a modern stabilization program has minimized that.

This is Jensen's film, which he retrieved from the National Archives, where all the film shot by members of the 221st Signal Company is now located.

Видео Siege of FSB Ripcord in Vietnam In 1970 - Improved Video канала Christopher Jensen