From the S&S archives:
C7s braving heavy fire to aid Dak Seang

PLEIKU AB, Vietnam — U.S. Air Force C7 Caribou crews flying out of Pleiku AB are engaged in one of the largest emergency resupply missions since the Ben Het siege 10 months ago.

Dak Seang, a Civilian Irregular Defense Group camp about 10 miles north of Ben Het, came under attack April 1 by an enemy force first officially estimated at 1,500 North Vietnamese Army soldiers.

Since then, the C7s from several squadrons of the 483rd Tactical Airlift Wing headquartered at Cam Ranh Bay AB have been flying an average of 11 combat sorties a day, sustaining heavy enemy ground fire that has damaged several aircraft and downed three more along with their three-man crews.

Nearly 200,000 pounds of supplies have been dropped so far. Water, rations, ammunition, small arms and other emergency resupply items have been airdropped into the 500-foot square camp with a high accuracy rate.

Airlift control officials have been working up to 16 hours daily, as have been members of the 15-man maintenance team flown in from Cam Ranh Bay AB to augment local maintenance crews and U.S. Army troops who prepared pallets for drop.

Col. R. P. Larivee, of Lafayette, La., director of operations for the 483rd TAW, is handling the resupply operations. 1st Lt. Philip C. Anderson, of Durham, N.C., an airlift controller from the 834th Air Div., explained how the situation developed.

Three planes the first day dropped emergency resupply items and medical supplies. "The camp's underground dispensary had taken a direct hit," the lieutenant said.

"The next day," he said, "we started with two normally scheduled airplanes about midmorning. We lost one of the aircraft. He received numerous hits, burned and crashed near Dak To." The other aircraft sustained " ... multiple hits in the tail."

The 834th Air Div. then called in 15 C7s. "We have space for eight airplanes at Pleiku AB. The place just rained C7s," Anderson said.

These aircraft were used to fly 11 more sorties in a three-hour period in the afternoon. Four more aircraft were ready to fly, but weather and darkness prevented them from going out, Anderson added. Some 45,132 pounds of supplies were airdropped that day. The next, 59,822 pounds of supplies were dropped in 17 sorties. All aircraft took hits and one made an emergency landing at Dak To with the right engine out of commission.

The next day 15 sorties were flown between 9:45 a.m. and 5 p.m. The planes dropped 52,030 pounds of cargo.

Several of the aircraft were hit by ground fire and one was shot down. The lieutenant said one plane was over its target and had made its drop when it was hit. C7s flew seven sorties the following day. One of the loads failed to hit the camp and had to be destroyed to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. Some 25,521 pounds of cargo were dropped. Missions continued to be flown into the camp as required.

The C7s were used later to help ferry 480 Montagnard troops from Kontum to Dak To, from where they were to move into the embattled area.

Colonel Larivee said persons familiar with attacks of this type have told him that the fire at Dak Seang was the " . greatest amount of ground fire they have seen anywhere."