Click most pictures to enlarge. Of the men who participated in this assault, most had been in the Army hardly a year. Battle of p Bc Trn p Bc; Part of the Vietnam War: A map of the battlefield. No doubt, some escaped in the fading light. mini-guns. xb```b``Id`a` ed@ Ardf} g!;BCAuK@Fc@``|@A\K/z/upD. 0000000668 00000 n Unit awards, medals and ribbons, and information on applying for and obtaining your medals and ribbons. [CDATA[ The troops on the ground began digging in around the rice paddies to secure their LZ, awaiting the rest of Such is the aftermath of violent combat. b. February 1966: 2nd Bde Activated Fort Riley, KS. 0 They came to know each other. Those on the north had been swept by Company B earlier, and were known to be free of enemy troops. 10 January 1967: 2nd Bde departed Oakland, CA. The concern of fire falling in the fire support base was so great that it was decided briefly not to attack. Diplomatic Couriers, Guide to Country Recognition and We served more like the people that trained in WWII. The rest of the company dug in on the south side of the stream and continued to blast the area with fire from artillery and small arms. The Viet Cong machine gun fired five separate bursts before it was destroyed by the Americans. The Battle at Ap Bac Changed Americas View of the Vietnam War by dnewbold 7/25/2006 On January 3,1963, several American war correspondents approached General Paul D. Harkins to ask what he thought about the battle the 7th Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Division had just fought at a village named Bac. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! Who was the American commander at Ap Bac? We knew they were there. I yelled for a medic and one ran across the field.. The air was alive with bullets, making it impossible to advance across the open space. '&charset='+document.characterSet : '')); WebOn January 2, 1963, regular army and civil guard forces of the Republic of Vietnam engaged a Viet Cong battalion at the village of Ap Bac in Dinh Tuong province, 35 miles southwest Also 1 company operation each week in RSSZ. Because of that, we knew each other very well, and kept in touch with each other. trailer At about this time, Company A succeeded in getting a squad across the stream under cover of supporting fire. He fell and I said, Crawl back to me. He said, Charlie, Charlie, hold my hand. I held his hand, his body started quivering and then he died. It was the first time at the reunion for both. In fact, if anything, the operation got off to an inauspicious start. For the Viet Cong, the Battle of Ap Bac marked the first time they decided to stand and fight a large South Vietnamese formation, although outnumbered by more than five to one. reports printed in the press on the battle of Ap Bac. 0000001392 00000 n Because of a shortage of transportation, the 3/47th was delayed, and did not move until later. 9, 2007(Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War took place on Jan. 2, 1963, near the hamlet ("ap" in Vietnamese) of Ap Bac, 65 kilometers southwest of Saigon in the Mekong Delta) Change Notes 2007-04-26: new 2007-04-27: revised Alternate Formats See more Bi nh m Major General Bi nh m (born c. 1926 30 May 2009) was a general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Clusters of coconut trees abounded and mangrove clumps generally straddled one of the many waterways that traversed the area. concluded that the operation was a failure. States helicopters carrying Vietnamese troops into battle. State. Chief, Pacific, who sought to put the battle into perspective in 0000008029 00000 n By 20:00 darkness and enemy fire stopped the assault with Companies B and C, 3/47th Infantry, still some 600 meters west of the ambush site. The Americans relayed the location of the Viet Cong radio transmitter to the South Vietnamese high command, which then ordered the 7th Division to take Tan Thoi Its a good family of vets, and its always a joy to see them.. Our first operation was in the northern Rung Sat. characterized them largely as errors of courage rather than cowardice. At the same time Company A, 4/47th Infantry moving south towards Company C, 4/47th Infantry walked into an L-shaped ambush from well-entrenched VC; exposed on open rice paddies the Company sustained heavy casualties. However, for the Tigers of the 3rd Battalion, 47th Infantry, and especially for Company A of that unit, what had started out as a routine walk in the sun was rapidly becoming a grim one. Haszard noted the growing size of the communist offensive and decided to move with his command element to A Troop's position. c. MRB most distance to date. We have buried your dead and taken care of your wounded from this battle.[7]. It took place in an area of the Mekong Delta that had been dominated by VC guerrillas. [5], At the same time, the 2nd Platoon returned along Route 13 from its ambush site, the men firing intermittently as they came. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry Regiment, United States Army Center of Military History, "U.S. %PDF-1.4 % Then a helicopter came in to pick up the wounded; the second helicopter came in and was shot down.. Ive never had a bond like I have with these people.. military problems and report on future prospects for the war. Members of 4/47 9th Infantry Division remember, reflect on life, those lost. Thirteen men had died in the little pasture and many more had been wounded. By now, fire from all sides was intense, but despite this, several men of the platoon crawled forward to aid the wounded, only to die themselves. Even though the general location of the enemy was known, the excellent camouflage and small holes customarily used by the Viet Cong made it impossible to spot exact fire positions until very close to them. Company B, 3/60th, occupied its assigned blocking position without enemy contact and, in doing so, indicated the limits of the enemys position. VC casualties were limited to 18 soldiers killed and 39 wounded, even though their positions had been hit by more than 600 rounds of artillery, napalm, and other ordnance released by 13 warplanes and five UH-1 gunships. Ap Bac had far-reaching consequences for the South Vietnamese government and the American involvement in Vietnam. Suddenly enemy troops began jumping out of their holes and attempted to escape. To further complicate matters, the area was honeycombed with small fighting positions typical of the Delta region. WebThe second Battle of Bu Bng occurred during the night of 1920 March 1967 during Operation Junction City, a search and destroy mission by American military forces in Tay Persson said their platoon was unique in that they had been together since the beginning of boot camp, so the absence of another member of the tight-knit group was always felt. Almost form the moment it crossed the line of departure, it had begun to meet fire. Trong trn p Bc, qun Vit Nam Cng Ha tn tht 83 cht v t nht 100 ngi b thng. WebThe Battle of Ap Bac was to have been a routine heliborne operation into the rice rich Mekong Delta. Marion. This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. Alpha Company didnt; they walked right into an ambush that was prepared for the entire battalion, not just one company, Heller explained. Vietnam, filed an after-action report on the Ap Bac operation which 20 March 1967: 3rd Bn 47th Inf arrives at Dong Tam, 4th Bn 47th Inf operates RSSZ under OpCon Div 5th Bn (M) 60th Inf 3rd Brigade. distorted both the importance of the action and the damage suffered by True, our division G2 had indicated that a sizeable enemy force was in the Ap Bac area. Reason, increase in Viet Cong attacks on commercial shipping in Long Tau channel in early February. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, was forwarded to President If you would like to purchase a subscription click here. While these operations were being carried out, the gunship, which has been constantly circling the area, reported a Viet Cong force of company size moving across the fields to the northeast. F. Taylor, General Maxwell The second Battle of Bu Bng occurred during the night of 1920 March 1967 during Operation Junction City, a search and destroy mission by American military forces in Tay Ninh Province of South Vietnam, to the west of the capital Saigon. L. Harkins, General Paul Viet Cong prisoners confessed that they were from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 273rd Regiment of the 9th Viet Cong Division. Explore our catalog and purchase official MRFA gear here. 3 August 1967: 3rd Bn, 60th Inf come afloat, 4th Bn 47th Inf OpCon Funston. III, Vietnam, JanuaryAugust 1963, I. Reassessment, January 1-March 14, 1963: Hilsman-Forrestal Report, September 1966: 1st Coronado Conference, 9th Infantry Division During the evening of 19 March, the Viet Cong Ninth Division attacked the base with machine guns, mortars, rockets and small arms fire. 226 0 obj<>stream f. By agreement with 7th ARVN, MRF had a VN Ranger Battalion as MRF reserve and employed it in combat. Were all so close; these are brothers. Haszard was fired on as he left the APC to attach the towline. Thus, the battle ended. Sheehan in which he wrote that angry United States If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. [2]:37, At 10:00 U.S. intelligence learned that a battalion size VC force was located east of the ARVN blocking position. var width = jQuery(window).width(); The battle of Ap Bac, Vietnam, 2007. found: Wikipedia, viewed Apr. are occurring more frequently. (National Defense University, Taylor Papers, T-182-67). [5] At the same time the 1st Platoon of B Troop moved down Route 13 from its position eight kilometers north. Meanwhile, Company A, 3/60th, was formed up and waiting at the helicopter pickup site for the promised company of choppers. 20-22 August 1967: MRF Conducts Recon in force into Parrots Beak area of LONG AN Province (along VAM CO DONG River above BEN LUC-also known ORIENTAL RIVER). Even so, it was of little help to the Viet Cong, most of whom had died. If you already have a web account, but need to reset it, you can do so by clicking here. The ambush was to be in position by 18:00. The first true battle of the Vietnam War was Ap Bac. of the 7th Battalion, 9th Artillery, commanded by Captain Duane W. This placed the battalion in a perfect position to attack the flank of the enemy which was engaging the 3/47th. zoneId = 'Array'; It had proved once again that the American fighting man, when well trained and aggressive, is the finest in the world. In addition, some men were having trouble with their rifles, due to the terrific volume of the fire they were pouring out. Losses in the 3/47th were more severe. Operation launched in response to major Viet Cong build up in western Dinh Tuong. Initially the artillery covered the northwest, west, and southwest sides of the perimeter while aircraft attacked on a north-south axis east of Route 13. Early on 2 May, elements of the Wild Ones composed of Company B and Company C, 3/60th, plus the battalion command post and combat support company (less elements), moved out and arrived at the attack position with out incident. We dont sit around and tell war stories, we just celebrate each other and the fact that its great to be alive.. 0000001668 00000 n The Viet Cong started their attack ten minutes later, and they were met with artillery fire, cluster bomb units, napalm and 500 pound bombs. Memorials and museums dedicated to the Mobile Riverine Force. adequately report GVN victories which Due to the nature of the battle and the abundant use of automatic weapons on armored vehicles, two and in some cases three basic loads of .50-caliber and 7.62mm. Despite the disparity of numbers and weapons, the Viet 3-10 June 1967: MRF shakedown. For the Wild Ones of the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry, and the attached troops, the action had confirmed what they believed all along: that given the opportunity, they could whip anybody. 'https://powellbanners.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://powellbanners.creativecirclemedia.com/www/delivery/ajs.php'); When it arrived the 11 carriers quickly deployed in line to the north of Company a so that the battalion was deployed on an assault line 1,000 meters long and facing the east. Operation in Dinh Tuoung including CAM SON and CHO CAO. 1 June 1967: MRB arrives at Dong Tam. There are consequences.. D. Kennedy, John Due to a misunderstanding, the artillery battalion commander refused to relinquish control of his batteries to the forward observers on the ground. States adviser to the Seventh Division of the Army of the Republic of Ap Bac 01 Bill Reynolds, What a pleasant surprise to sit down for breakfast on this Veterans Day, 2007, and see the front page story in The Signal about your trip Captured major caches of weapons, ammo, rice and medical supplies. Occasionally the throaty whine of an armored personnel carrier would rend the eerie darkness momentarily as the carrier jockeyed on the battlefield.