Several personnel carriers were hit and several troops killed and wounded. However, overall enemy losses had been more than 200 men. Meanwhile, Company A, 3/60th, was formed up and waiting at the helicopter pickup site for the promised company of choppers. discipline in the execution of small-unit tactics. We looked across the field and saw a lot of The two platoons in the rice until they could gain fire superiority, then moving again. The intent was to bring the artillery fire on the enemys positions and then advance the infantry to as close as possible under cover of this fire, crawling the last few yards in the case of Company A. Vietnam, filed an after-action report on the Ap Bac operation which From Albert's Peach Cobbler to an Irish Chicken Dinner, we have them all! In the 3/60th, casualties were unbelievably light. The Powell Tribune has expanded its online content. TF-117 supports 2nd Bde operations, initially with RAS boats borrowed from the Vietnamese Navy, crewed by US Crews, as TF-117 boats arrived in country, they were phased into RSSZ operations. If you would like to purchase a subscription click here. The situation was such that no fire from air or artillery could be utilized due to the nearness of the opposing combatants. We welcome content contributions! Availability of route 4 at Ben Luc for ammo resupply. Ive never had a bond like I have with these people.. Join us for our 2017 reunion by making a reservation today! Relations, World Wide Diplomatic Archives This attack broke the back of the enemys defense. Explore points of interest in the US Army section; awards, citations, index, roster and select information related to the mobile riverine force! It was apparent that the climax was rapidly approaching. Palm Beach, January 7; ibid.) [3] One tank operator trained his searchlight on the Viet Cong machine gun position and returned fire along with three APCs for around three minutes. The South Vietnamese forces enjoyed a 4-1 numerical advantage in the Trong tng s 15 trc thng ym tr trong trn p Bc, c n 5 chic b bn ri. They also gathered to renew and refresh the bond they share with one another as a true band of brothers, one that began for many of them during basic training. The brigade commander quickly approved the action taken by the 3/60th, and at the same time directed that Company B, 3/60th, which was closest to the scene of combat, be placed under the operational control of the 3/47th and moved to a position to block the enemys escape to the north. Click most pictures to enlarge. Learn about the battle, including the cause, the tactics and its impact on the Vietnam War in this lesson. On January 2, 1963, regular army and civil guard forces of the Republic However, if the core of these units, who are irreplaceable, can be captured or killed, the efficiency of these units must begin to wane. By 1500, Company A had reached the restraining line designated by the brigade commander, and was deployed along it in assault formation with three platoons abreast. d. 7th ARVN took all area North of route 4. The battle of Ap Bac, Vietnam, 2007. found: Wikipedia, viewed Apr. Operation in Dinh Tuoung including CAM SON and CHO CAO. [5], At 03:00 another attack began on the southern perimeter. Company B, 3/60th, occupied its assigned blocking position without enemy contact and, in doing so, indicated the limits of the enemys position. They concluded that even more Viet Cong had died because of the existence of blood trails, indicating that dead communists had been taken away by their colleagues. Comm retrans station at RACH Kien, secure US Base midway between AO and MRB January 1967: Key Officers & NCOs of 2nd Bde receive special amphibious training from PHIBTRAPAC, Coronado, CA. Now the brigade commander faced a serious problem. Each infantry Battalion operates one week in RSSZ and trains one week at VAN KEP Training Center at BARIA in PHOUC TUY Province. At least they got most of it. Harkins assessment closely paralleled that of Admiral military problems and report on future prospects for the war. document.write (document.charset ? Fortunately, the initial reports of the personnel carrier company proved to be exaggerated, and while one man had been killed and several wounded, all the tracked vehicles, including the damaged ones, were able to move forward in the assault. (Summary telegram 677 from ARPAC to JCS, January 4; Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Vietnam During the battle, 29 US air strikes delivered 29 tons of ordnance, and American artillery fired nearly 3,000 rounds. zoneId = '3'; For text Of the 63 wounded, 26 were evacuated. 15 May 1967: 1st CAM SON riverine operation, using TF-117 boats. discipline in battle. They captured a youth riding a water buffalo who admitted that he belonged to the Viet Congs 514th Battalion (a provincial main force unit of excellent reputation), and had been sent to observe the Americans approaching from the west. A jet came in to drop a bomb. This answer is: American intelligence analysts believed that the whole regiment participated. But one officer, John Paul Vann, saw darker omens for the futureand in the Battle of Ap Bac, the Viet Cong proved him correct. document.write ("&loc=" + escape(window.location)); The attacking force was stopped within 15m of the perimeter. The entire crew was wounded and evacuated. 2 June 1967: 2nd Brigade embarks aboard MRB, thus formally constituting MRF. Viet Cong prisoners confessed that they were from the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 273rd Regiment of the 9th Viet Cong Division. At the direction of Alcala, the platoon swept 1.5km south of the defenders along the rubber tree line. By mid May this builds to full RAS at Dong Tam, while continuing operations in RSSZ, from base at Vung Tau. 226 0 obj<>stream of the Wheeler report, submitted In a short time, all of those forward were dead from multiple bullet wounds, and the platoon was temporarily wrecked as a fighting force. We have buried your dead and taken care of your wounded from this battle.[7]. Sheehan article published that day which indicated that the South Timeline, Biographies c. Biggest US operation ever held in the Delta. 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 [6], During the attempted retrieval operation, and for the next four hours, gunship fire and air strikes hit the Viet Cong from above. Howitzers in direct support of each assaulting company, and under the control of the commanders concerned. g. Results: heavy contact with 514th Viet Cong Battalion, and 263rd Viet Cong Main force Battalions by US and VNMC, light contact with 261st Main Force Viet Cong Battalion by the 7th ARVN. On January 7, the Joint Chiefs of Staff authorized Army Chief of Staff When I got hit, I had just gotten back to the chopper with some of the wounded, he said. 209 0 obj <> endobj 63037 from General C.V. Clifton I yelled for a medic and one ran across the field.. [1]:104 The operation plan called for the deployment of five Companies of the 3rd and 4th Battalions, 47th Infantry Regiment into the operations area by assault craft and sweep south towards the ARVN 2nd Battalion, 46th Infantry blocking positions near the town of Ap Bac in Tien Giang Province. We were fortunate in that we were attacking a known position, Heller said. By noontime, troops of the the Wild Ones had reached and searched as far north as objective Queen without contact or major incident. WebThe Battle of p Bc was a major battle fought on January 3, 1963, during the Vietnam War. It soon became apparent that the craft would be delayed, and after a wait of more than an hour, the battalion was notified that the helicopters would not arrive because of a tactical emergency elsewhere. As Chili went through the other end of the tree line, he was shot, Zies recalled. 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. %PDF-1.4 % Two 3rd Platoon tanks were hit, but were not disabled. We looked across the field and saw a lot of bodies, recalled platoon chaplain Charlie Zies. In front of the platoon was the small pasture where the lead squad of Company A, 3/47th, had been destroyed earlier. This placed the battalion in a perfect position to attack the flank of the enemy which was engaging the 3/47th. The Viet Cong started their attack ten minutes later, and they were met with artillery fire, cluster bomb units, napalm and 500 pound bombs. Visibility was excellent and the day was hot and clear. //]]>-->, Alpha Company walked into a batallion-sized ambush, said Powell resident and Army veteran Jim Heller. The gunship immediately attacked this group, killing an estimated 40. Also, all commanders were concerned about the possible effects the .50 caliber fire of the armored personnel carriers would have when they assaulted. (After-Action Report by Senior Adviser 7th WebThe Battle of Ap Bac was to have been a routine heliborne operation into the rice rich Mekong Delta. if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); 0000005303 00000 n Status of the, Quarterly Most of the Tornados were drafted in May 1966 and went through basic training in Ft. Riley, Kansas. if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); Chief, Pacific, who sought to put the battle into perspective in in misleading colors: It appears that the initial press reports have Most of the attendees arrived the weekend of Fathers Day, and they gathered at the Irma Hotel Sunday night in Cody for a reunion dinner. Explore points of interest in the US Army section; awards, citations, index, roster and select information related to the mobile riverine force! In short, a nice, tidy plan had gone awry. Finally, the battle has proven the wisdom of the axiom; once you have an enemy force in a trap, destroy it without delay. [1]:107, Company B, 4/47th Infantry was moved behind Company A while Company C, 3/47th Infantry was deployed north and then began to assault towards the east joining up with Companies A and B approaching from the northwest. Get the recipe! 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. They developed a deep caring for each other and their mission.. 0000007973 00000 n The positions were located by radar from Lai Khe, although one officer thought that airborne artillery observers seeing the flashes were more effective. stiff resistance was apparently encountered, contact has been maintained mistakes at Ap Bac based upon faulty intelligence and inexperience, but Wolfe's men fired and the Viet Cong stopped, having struck one American vehicle's gun. if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&mmm_fo=1"); concluded that the operation was a failure. [6], During the battle, resupply and medical evacuation missions continued under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Paul F. Gorman of the 1st Infantry Division. 2 May 1967: Battle of Ap Bac, not riverine, but most significant battle fought to date by 2nd Brigade. Mobile Riverine Force in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) from 1921 June 1967 against the Viet Cong (VC). As the second group, under the platoon sergeant, began moving down the dike, the lead man, a squad leader, was killed by fire form a foxhole along the dike. During the three-day battle, 47 American soldiers were killed, including one from Hellers company, Ronald Chili Saiz. Farther to the north (about 30 meters) was another dike, parallel to the one behind which the dead lay. [5] By 01:00 an AC-47 Spooky gunship and a light fire team of helicopter gunships were sent to aid Wolfe's platoon. The ambush was to be in position by 18:00. Squad leader and event organizer Dave Persson talked of the significance of the date, calling it the very worst battle any of us saw in Vietnam., We lost one person from our platoon that day, Persson recalled. The company commander reported that his unit was in a state of chaos and he was extremely pessimistic about its ability to attack. on the battle prepared on January 4 by General Paul D. Harkins, Commander of the U.S. Shakespeare said it best: For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother. Thats what these guys represent to each other. There was no way to avoid some of this fire falling into positions held by elements of the 3/47th and even as far back as the fire support base. The last battle for which two living service members received the Medal of Honor was the 1967 Battle of Ap Bac in Vietnam, a spokeswoman for the Congressional The men were in Park County earlier this month to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Ap Bac. Explore historical photos, gripping stories, poetry and song submitted by MRFA members. 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). Aboard USS Pope. The whole battalion lost about 47 total. 0000001845 00000 n The assault by the 60th Infantrys Wild Ones on a Viet Cong stronghold in the Mekong was the kind you see in the movies or on the blackboard, but rarely in actual combat. If you already have a web account, but need to reset it, you can do so by clicking here. The surviving members of First Platoon Bravo Company gathered, as they have the last several years, at Hellers cabin in the Willwood area to commemorate their service and remember that day. Then when the fire lifted to the rear of the enemy, to block his escape positions, the infantry would assault before the enemy could recover. 7, The Washington Post printed a front-page Who was the American commander at Ap Bac? We continued to pour fire into his position and to inch forward, taking best advantage of the cover. Funston. It took place in an area of the Mekong Delta that had been dominated by VC guerrillas. [1] The mortars fired from afar while a large number of infantrymen dressed in black charged from the foliage. The 3d Platoon of C Troop, moved up Route 13 from their position five kilometers to the south, driving through a barrage of fire before reaching the base perimeter at 01:27. Battle of AP Bac II, in AP Bac Hamlet, CAN/GUIOC District, Long An Province. Then, without pausing, they ran along the entire length of the dike, which had foxholes every five meters or so, to take out the enemy positions one by one. They claimed 227 communist killed and captured three, while losing only 3 and suffering 63 wounded. b. Parrots Beak was 71 KM (water distance) and 43 KM (straight-line) from 26 were evacuated advantage of the armored personnel carriers would have when they assaulted dike, parallel to north. One from Hellers company, and under the control of the platoon the..., World Wide Diplomatic Archives this attack broke the back of the armored personnel carriers hit! 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