Battle of the Hobo Woods 29 Jan 1968 (TET)
Updated Aug 2021 - bap
In the afternoon of 29 Jan 1968, two days before TET (The Battle for Saigon), one the biggest battles of the war for the Centaurs took place. Five of our Aeroriflemen were killed and 4 were wounded; the 2/27th Wolfhounds had 3 KIA and 6 or 7 wounded; 268 enemy were killed. It involved nearly every element of D Troop. An early morning kill of an NVA soldier by the Dawn Patrol (Buxton & Baum) My have kicked off this whole sequence of events. The unbelievable teamwork that day demonstrated the value of having a well trained, self contained unit like the Centaurs. This was also camaraderie at the highest level.
See the HISTORY CHANNEL MOVIE - LOA to Wolfhounds - Daily Staff Journal
Click on these names for more info: Morrison Pickett, Todd Jackson, Robert Warner, Ralph Mabry, Tuioalele Suiaunoa, Bill Mosenthal, John Collins,Tom Owen, Tom Dawson, John Wimberly, Pat Eastes, Rick Arthur, Tom Fleming, TJ Lange, Norm Clark, Doug Olsen, Bill Altenhofen, Walter Cooke, Lee Burgess, Donald L. Thomas, Harry Swiencki, Jim Ashbranner, Dennis Pfoor, Kenneth Avery, Barry L. McFarland, Larry Lodding, Michael Greber, Col Adams, Buck Buxton, Walt Baum, Ted Mathis
-Read the mail Discussions: Tom Fleming, Bill Mosenthal and Herman "Bill Witt.
stories by Dennis Pforr and Kenneth Avery
Video story by Herman "Bill" Witt
LTC Otis Letter of Appreciation to the Wolfhounds
Tropic Lightning News Article Hobo Fight Kills 68
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KIA: SSG Morrison Pickett, CPL Todd Jackson, SSG Robert Warner, SGT Ralph Mabry, SSG Tuioalele Suiaunoa
Wounded: 1LT Bill Mosenthal was hit in his ammo pouch, causing internal injuries; SGT John Collins, left arm; Sgt Thomas A. Owen, left arm; and SP4 John Wimberly, headwound, bullet hit his helmet and the helmet caused the wound.
Squadron Log Book for that day: Page 1, Page 2
The Battle was so significant that the story was recreated by the History Channel on its' "Shoot Out" television program in July of 2010. They listed it as one of the most significant "Shoot Outs" of the war.
They used video testimonies, reenactments, and graphic animation to show the platoon of AeroRifles from D Troop (Air), 3/4 Cav taking on an NVA Regiment (multiple Battalions) and possibly saving Saigon from being overrun during TET of 1968. Their reenactments are dramatic, and it is a great overview of the battle. See their video.
Author Keith Nolan wrote up the battle in his book "The Battle for Saigon".
He included a bit of the Hobo Woods Battle in his book.
Dale Dow has provided the Squadron Daily Staff Journal for that time period: click here to see the pdf file.
This information is great, but it is not the whole story. There is much more to be told by the men who were there.
We want to use this section of the website to gather the rest of the story and someday present it in a single Essay or even a screenplay.
Here is what Pat Eastes put together in line with that Essay mission: "Firefight in the Hobo"
Mosenthal Audio: The History Channel used only a small portion of their original video interviews with Bill Mosenthal and John Collins. We edited Bill's presentation down to a 22 minute audio which you can listen to here.
Video stories:
Click on these names below to view personal videos telling of their remembrances of that day.
Buck Buxton tells of the early morning (Dawn Patrol) kill of a regular NVA soldier that may have caused the Division to insert LRRPs to get more info.
Rick Arthur tells of the LRRP insertions that preceded the AeroRifle Platoon insertion.
Tom Fleming has two videos. PreBattle (Part One) and Commanders Overview (Part Two) of the Battle
John Collins addresses the ground actions of he and Tom Owens and of them both getting wounded.
Pat Eastes flying UH-1C Gunship support overhead.
TJ Lange as Crewchief of aircraft 462, dropping ammo and supplies to the troops.
Norm Clark, gunner in 513 covering the action.
Bill Altenhofen tells what happened the next day in a sweep of the area and capture of an NVA lieutenant.
Text stories:
Walter Cooke and Smokey Burgess were the OH-23 Scout team providing the amazing support for most of the battle. Smokey has passed on, but Walter has written his recollections.
Dennis Pfoor, was a machine gunner with the 2nd squad and tells his story.
Harry Swiencki, was a crew chief with Cooke and Burgess. We await his input.
Leland "Smokey" Burgess did a Veterans History Project video in 2002. In it he gives a detailed accounting of what he and Walter Cooke did in their OH-23 aircraft. He mentions SSG Pickett directing their fire on each pass until he was killed. It is a long video. Get it started then use the slider at the bottom to move to different areas of Smokey's testimony. We hope to eventually obtain and edit the video into sections for this website.
Ted Mathis, Wolfhound unit leader that came to rescue. Awaiting his story.
Audio discussion:
At the reunion in Nashville (2012) Bill Mosenthal hosted a session dedicated to discussing this battle. The idea was to get as many of the survivors and support troops together as we could to compare stories and fill in gaps prior to each of them making video testimonies of their portion. In attendance were Bill Mosenthal, Tom Fleming, Bill Altenhofen, John Collins, Pat Eastes, Norm Clark, Jim Ashabranner and Rick Arthur. Rick recorded the 50 minute session on audio tape. You can listen to the mostly unedited versions here. Since this was intended to be a coordinating session, much of it is also covered in the individual video presentations above. It is left in here because it contain details not yet covered by a video. Below sketch map provided by Bill Altenhofen.
Can you help?
Some of you may have been there! Think about that timeframe. What other gunships were available that day besides 462 and 513? Who were the crew members? What did it look like from the air? Can you suggest any improvements to the sketch made by Bill Altenhofen of the battlefield (located in the audio section)?
Support Units:
We seek input from the 2/27th Wolfhounds and their Commander Col Adams who, with extremely short notice, came to the rescue of the Centaurs. It was said that he was happy to return the rescue favor for the Centaurs who had so many times helped him out. We would also like to hear from those of the 116th (Hornets) who managed to come up with the necessary lift aircraft to make the rescue happen.
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In the first email below Tom Fleming was responding to Moose Marcinkowski's question about the lack of awareness of the building enemy threat by MACV and the discrediting intelligence they had. My response was not a theater wide assessment of the growing threat and the changing actions by the VC, rather my observations and responses to increasing activities by the enemy that D Troop was dealing with in the months leading up to the 1968 TET Offensive.
One correction in the article is that the incident with the bunker complex and the Assistant Division Commander happened in late December just before we left the old Centaur area.
Tom Fleming to Moose Marcinkowski,
The Battle: It was a hell of a battle. It is my understanding from discussions with General Otis and others that the unit we engaged was the reconnaissance company of a regiment that had infiltrated to the south side of the Saigon River below the Mushroom, and was the security force for the regimental Headquarters on the higher ground beyond the stream with the river at its back. I am guessing at the location of its battalions, but believe they were close in on the south side of the river, probably a portion in the area the 2nd/ 27th fought through. The amount of gunship fire and artillery probably accounted for their high KIA rate.
That night, as I did Command and Control above the battle, I heard reports of enemy troop movement south from our LRRPs in amounts I had never heard before. It was apparent to me (and if reported higher and believed) that a major enemy offensive was under way.
Previously: A week prior the enemy had attacked and inflicted high casualties on a US infantry unit (I can't remember the unit or its size, but there were about 30 US KIA) in the vicinity of Trung Lap in an early morning attack. D Troop was tasked to attempt to interdict the enemy as it was presumed to be infiltrating north to sanctuary in the Ho Bo Woods. As usual the a division waited until after noon to task us.
We picked up traces of them on the edge of the Ho Bo. I put in our Aerorifle (35 Unit) and was maneuvering them against what I presumed was a fortified building disguised as a farm house with trenches emanating from it. The house was too big on the edge of the fire line and had evidence of recent human activity picked up by our Light Scout aircraft. My replacement was with me attempting to grasp the intricacies on managing a developing battle (fuel, ammo, location of artillery units and my attempt to get a commitment of reinforcement should we become decisively engaged). The Light Scouts (WO1 Walter Cook) did a masterful job of killing a mortar team maneuvering against us on one of the trenches. He did it with his skid gun.
I held the 35 element back from full enlargement awaiting word of a back up force. Squadron attempted to send a troop but the distance was too great and Division wasn't giving any commitments. Last light was approaching so I called it off and withdrew.
My replacement, Fred Michaelson, commented that he would not maneuver the troop from a C&C as I did. I shrugged his comment off. When I first became Commander I thought I would not be able to do it. I don't know if he ever picked it up and have resisted trying to find out how he did after I left. I didn't walk in his shoes.
At any rate just before TET68 things were heating up, but no one could have imagined the magnitude of the attack nor could any one in our squadron.
About a week before that engagement our Light Scouts found a massive brand new bunker complex with people in the bunkers that could not be noticed to shoot at them. This was on the East side of the Ho Bo. We reported it to Division. The new Asst Div Cdr came by came to our operations and started berating me for reporting false information and said that reporting things like this destroyed our reputation. I put him in one of our Light Scout aircraft (OH-23G) that had been working over the bunker complex and told the scout pilot to show him the bunkers. He did and did it low and slow pointing out not only the bunker, but the individuals inside them and the boxes of stored material.
When the BG came back he was visibly shaken, said he would from now on believe our report and to never again do that to him. He tasked the 2/27th (Wolfhounds) to exploit the complex & to coordinate with us. The XO was in charge because the Commander was on R&R. He told me that he wanted our 35 element attached and that he would send them in to the complex and then would react. I forcefully rejected that and he thanked me by telling me that he now knew where he wasn't going to go.
Incidentally he put a company plus into a night position about 7k away in the middle of the Ho Bo, brought in a chow line and night packs, didn't set out security and was ambushed at close range while his troops were lined up for chow. They really got waxed. I don't think division ever did exploit that bunker complex. Tom
Tom Fleming 08 Nov 2011
One of the survivors of the battle who was found the next day in the sweep of the contact area by 2/27 and CPT Haskell Stone and SSG Altenhofen was a soldier by the name of Michael Gerber (no email) 2268 Victory Blvd, Staten Island NY. I corresponded with him back in the ‘90s helping him get a Purple Heart (that he legitimately deserved) that he wanted to prove to the VA that he had the basis for a claim for PTSD. He and another trooper (whose name I can’t remember) drove into the stream when the battle started, hunkered down and stayed there all night through all the artillery, rockets and gun fire and survived without a scratch. He may have a story to tell that will add to the overall story of the battle. I think I queered Bill Mosenthal about him and he didn’t have much to say about him then. I never asked SSG Altenhofen. I may have asked Dale, I can’t remember. Tom
Bill Mosenthal 11 Sep 2011
His name is actually ‘Greber’. I corresponded with him a few years ago about some VA benefits he was seeking, sent him some corroborating information. He is not particularly communicative but it is worth a try. I think Bill Altenhofen retrieved him out of the creek the next morning. …Bill M.
DAILY STAFF JOURNAL OR DUTY OFFICER'S LOG,
29 January 1968
Item No. 35, 0815 hours, Cen 21 XT523285, 2 indiv black PJ, took evasive action, req permission to engage; granted (No engage).
Item No. 39, 0900 hours, Cen 5, 1 indiv XT532285, had ID, continued mission.
Item No. 47, 1137 hours, T33 informed that Cob 21, Cob 15 inil covered by 175 and 8" arty to displace to Dau Tieng and provide cov time unknown, gunships will provide day coverage, Cen 35 has 105 coverage.
Item No. 52, 1314 hours, Cen 21, one indiv black pants and white shirt took evasive action XT598326, engaged 1 VC KIA (POSS).
Item No. 53, 1315 hours Cen 21 rec fire, engaged XT595304, 2 VC KIA (BC).
Item No. 54, 1325 hours Cen 21 rec fire from 4 VC XT596304, VC were dressed in black PJ and webgear, engaged 4 VC KIA (BC). Cen 21 hooch 5X4 XT 595305, engaged 1 secondary explosion, destroyed. Item
No. 57, 1332 hours, Cen 38 obs 1 indiv hiding in several bunkers 4X5 XT576291. Bunkers fresh dug in, Continued mission 1300. Cen 38 obs to indiv taking evasive action into Treeline in black PJ's XT577283, observed continued mission.
Item No. 63, 1430 hours, Cen 21 inserted 1420H, from REAR R1.1 U1.8 cold LZ.
Item No. 65, 1436 hours, spot report D Trp: (A) Cobr 15 (B) found 1 tunnel entrance (C) XT600324 14 (D) neg (E) cent mission.
Item No. 81, 1618 hours, Cen 35 inserted 1610, LZ COLD AT XT594304.
Item No. 84, 1630 hours, Cen 35 in contact at XT 595303, time 1625H. Item No, 88, 1640 hours, Cen 35 loc XT594303 are receiving SA fire, 1 squad very close to enemy, so far 1 KIA, Warrior 6 sending a Trojan elem.
Item No. 90, between 1644-1645 hours, S6 find out from Vindicator 30 where arty will being fired from in support of Cen 35.
Item No. 91, 1645 hours, from D Trp Cen 35 has WIA and also 7 other WIA and 1 KIA, req support.
Item No. 93, 1652 hours, from Warrior 6-Cen 5: 7 slicks OPCON to Cen for assistance to Cen 35.
Item No. 95, 1700 hours, SA5 to take 1 plt to escort Killer ele to SB then returned to 178; SB take them to CP 25 for support to Cen 35.
Item No. 97, 1703 hours, Cen 35 received fire from streamline, direct fire into it from Cen 5.
Item No. 100, 1710 hours, Warrior has 14 more slicks in support for Cen also Killer elem from JOAN U15.3 L1.3 to fire in support S6.
Item No. 108, 1722 hours, S6 to Cen 35: Req you move the ships so that Killer elem can bring in arty so that under take cover people can move. Item No. 109, 1725 hours, Cen ships still receiving fire from Hedgerow with AW.
Item No. 111, 1729 hours, Trojan 6: Airborne on way with support Warrior 6 returning for fuel.
Item No. 112, 1732 hours, Cen 5 to Trojan 6: have elem XT593304 SW of streamline, out in open.
Item No. 113, 1735 hours, T3: Trojan OPCON to Saber also wants to know plans for Trojan intend to extract Trojan elem by air light permits after Cen 35 has been extracted from S6. Item No. 114, 1737 hours, Cpt. Maheny DTOC Rear req states on Cen 35 gave it.
Item No. 121, 1801 hours, SB and Killer elem cleared CP 25 Trojan C on ground OPCON to Centaur.
Item No. 126, 1823 hours, C35 reports 4 KIA, 10 WIA and will need more reinforcements.
Item No. 127, 1825 hours, D Trp requests a smoke ship to help Trojan Charlie withdraw.
Item No. 128, 1829 hours, SB released C 12 back to Cen push.
Item No. 129, 12th EVAC notified of DustOffs that are coming from C35.
Item No. 137, 1930 hours, Cen 6 report Cen 35 has 50% casualties.
Item No. 139, 2015 hours, Cobra 21 says they have VC all around them and Cobra Yankee says they are compromised. Cen will put C&C near them and find out details.
Item No. 140, 2020 hours, Cobra 21 reports 25-55 VC male and female moving on trail N&S continued to observe.
Item No. 141, 2025 hours, Cen 6 reports Cob 21 is not compromised, Cobra 15 sitrep, no change.
Item No. 143, 2049 hours, D Trp has slayer ship loading to provide illumination until Moonglow is on station.
DAILY STAFF JOURNAL OR DUTY OFFICER'S LOG,
30 January 1968
Letter of Appreciation to Wolfhounds
Not sure who the hand written note in the upper right corner is from.
Bill Altenhofen 8 Jun 2018
Greber was part of the squad that did not participate in the actual fighting. He got a Purple Heart from another incident I think happened in another part of the HOBO woods. I believe it was in November of 67, the Squadron was on a recon of the area and run into a section of rice paddies. The tanks started getting stuck and had to be pulled out by the APC hooked in train fashion to get the tanks out of the mud. They brought in the rifles because there was a section of elephant grass that they could not get to. When we started to search I found a stack of five gallon oil cans, they had the "Shell Oil Co" logo on them. It was a large number of them stacked in a pyramid. As a guess I would say the lowest row was about fifteen cans square, and tiers of cans stacked up until it was about fifteen feet tall. It was covered with dried grass, it would have been hard for the aircraft to identify what the pile was. I called it in and was told to destroy it, I had no means of destroying all the cans so I ask if one of the aircraft had a heat grenade. One of the ships came over and dropped a couple of them on the pile of cans. The cans started burning and that was the way I left the area. Later we found a well and a pile of beans and rice stacked up, again it was too much to carry away so they decided to destroy it. We dumped the beans in the well until it was full and scattered the rest on the ground. While we were doing that the tanks were operating about a click away and got fire from a wood line. A squad of infantry was sent over with the tanks, but the enemy fire was so intense the tanks backed off. There had been talk of setting up an ambush by the well, but it started getting dark and we were taken back to the compound. I believe this was the action where Greber got wounded. I had talked to him once at a reunion in Kentucky, his stories were so wild I was wondering what unit he was talking about.
David Olsen 10Dec2018: From what I can determine from the logs there were 5 Centaur KIA's yet I show no casualties for 29 Jan but do have 5 for 30 Jan. Maybe it was late so they were just recorded the following day?
Tom Fleming15Dec2018: The D Troop wounded were evacuated to 12th Evac at 02:25 on 30 Jan 1968. I was there at 12th Evac when they were brought in. Our dead were not recovered until daylight on 30 Jan 1968. D Troop received a call from 2/27 to send out a team to identify & recover our dead. I orderded CPT Haskel Stone, Aero Rifle Platoon leader, to assemble a team and to personally lead the team to recover his dead. He selected SSG William Altenhofen to accompany him.
Bill Altenhofen 22Dec2018: I was thinking about the timing of the evacuation of the wounded and KIA at the battle in the HOBO woods. When I first went out with Capt Stone. The ship landed in the middle of the area occupied by the platoon. That would have been about 0230 on the 30th of Jan. We loaded up the wounded and sent them back with the ship. That would have been Sp4 Wimberly, Sp4 Collins, Sp4 Tom Owen and Lt Mosenthal.. The Lt was on a stretcher. We left the area and went to a night position, we stayed there until first light, after the Wolfhound Company had cleared the area we went back to recover our KIAs. I went around the area to see who had been killed and who they were. When they sent the ship out to recover the bodies I had the men form a perimeter for the ship to land, it was than that we found the wounded NVA. The Commander of the Wolfhounds saw our prize, it was after he took charge of him that the ship came in. So all the wounded and KIA were sent in on the 30th, that would explain the difference in the dates.
Tom Dawson (deceased) comments passed on by his son Greg Dawson Feb 2019: I remember Dad saying that SGT. Pickett kept popping up out of the bomb crater in the same spot returning fire. Dad said that SGT Pickett had a rhythm in the timing and he urged him not to break cover. SGT Pickett was shot right next to my Dad. My Dad spoke very highly of SGT Pickett. When the mobile Memorial was in our home town, I was able to take pictures and show my Dad. Unfortunately, Dad could not bring himself to go to the wall as the memories still haunted him. Dad also shared that when ammo was running low, the grenades were pooled together while the men were in the bomb crater. Dad said that he was throwing the grenades so high and far that they were air bursting and the air support was calling down for him to stop due to shrapnel hitting them.
Herman "Bill" Witt 12 Apr 2019: TET Shootout 29/30 Jan 1968: It was late afternoon on the 29th when the Aerorifle’s Infantry Platoon was alerted to get ready to move out. I was the RTO for SSG Suiaunoa however, I was unable to go on that mission; I had an eye injury and was assigned to basecamp/no field duty. SSG Suiaunoa was carrying the radio that day, and from what I understand he was the second one to be KIA. Those that didn’t go on the mission stayed up all night. We hung around the Command Post listing to the radio traffic of events as they unfolded. I tried to go out the next day along with SSG Altenhofen and others however, I was denied due to my eye injury. I reported to the Orderly Room with full field gear and patch off my eye, still “A No Go”. I have lived with survival guilt ever since. When they brought back the wounded and bodies of CPL Todd R Jackson, SP4 Ralph E Mabry Jr, SSG Morrison L Pickett, SSG Tuioalele Suiaunoa, and SSG Robert A Warner; I was waiting on the Flight line. Latter that day I went to Graves and Registration. The attended let me in, unzipped the Body Bags to expose their faces. I sat there for several hours just staring at them crying and asking them to forgive me. Finally, the attendant came in and said it’s time to go. I stayed until he closed the body bags, I saluted and said so long (So long is Not Goodbye, It’s I’ll See You Again). I still to this day 51+ years latter can see their faces especially, SSG Suiaunoa. He had what appeared to be a cigarette burn on his face running from his lip up toward his eye. Even though I am and old man of 75 they will be forever young. R.I.P my Trooper Brothers until then. Prepared And Loyal "Out For Now"
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Kenneth "Ken" Avery 6 Oct 2020: Here, to the best of my memory, is my recollection of the battle at Hobo Woods:
On January 29th in the afternoon we were sent to the Hobo woods. We were told there were bodies at that location (shot by scout pilots) and we were sent to evaluate the area. I carried the radio and was in second squad.
My squad leader was Tom Dawson (deceased). Dennis Pfoor carried the M-60.
We were dropped in an open field surrounded on three sides by hedge rows and proceeded in a box formation towards a hedgerow with first squad leading. Second squad was on their right flank. I remember hearing small arms fire almost immediately. I looked to my left in the direction where I heard the fire coming from and saw SGT Dawson and SSG Pickett waving me into a bomb crater. I entered the crater and rolled on my back and the sky lit up with tracers. By then there were several others in the crater with us but I'm not sure how many.
We began returning fire and the gunships were pouring rocket and machinegun fire into the hedgerows. I believe that without the helicopter support we would have been overrun as it was clear we were heavily outnumbered.
The fire was intense and we were all running short on ammo. I was to the left of SSG Pickett and he had ran out of ammo for his M79 grenade launcher and was returning fire with his 45. I agree with Tom Dawson that SSG Pickett was exposing himself to frequently and at regular intervals. I was looking directly at him when he was shot through the head, temple to temple. It is an image that lives with me to this day.
Later, others made their way to the bunker. I remember two guys scrambling into the bunker and one of them was bleeding heavily from his hand. The medic was doing all he could to tend to the wounded and I wish I could remember his name.
The battle continued on into the night with gunship support. Late in the night I could hear weapons fire in the distance. It was the 27th infantry who eventually made contact with us early in the morning of the 30th. One of them gave us a stretcher and another guy and myself carried Lt. Mosenthal to a secure area.
The next morning we returned to the contact site to retrieve our KIA's. At one point myself and Berry McFarland sat down on a berm not far from the bomb crater when two hands came out of the tall grass in between us. It was an NVA trying to surrender. He was taken into custody.
I remember spending a good deal of time with the mechanized units until our platoon was rebuilt and we could continue air mobile operations.
The loss that day was great. Brave men died. I witnessed SSG Picketts' courage and leadership and I hope that all who survived that war can find peace.
Letter of Appreciation from LTC Otis to the 2/27th Wolfhounds:
