Khe Sanh 1967–68

The NVA adopted unusual measures to conceal their artillery. Rather than establish battery positions with four guns closely situated in a geometric position, individual guns were positioned along a common gun-to-target line at roughly 500m intervals. Each gun was adjusted for deflection, and, when a battery fired a mission, an individual gun had only to be adjusted for range. This prevented all the guns from being destroyed in a traditional battery position by a single artillery or air strike. Mortars were sometimes sheltered in deep underground bunkers with a small angled tunnel as a firing port. Theses could then only be fired at a single target hilltop, but it greatly enhanced the survival of the mortar and made it impossible to detect.The first probe on the 37th Ranger Battalion sector by an NVA company occurred on February 21. Shelling of the base continued with slight increases. On the 23rd, 1,307 rounds, the highest during the siege, killed 12 and wounded 51. ASP 3 blew up, destroying 1,620 90mm gun and 106mm recoilless rifle rounds.