Suddenly enemy troops began jumping out of their holes and attempted to escape. [2] It was the first major U.S. battle of the Vietnam War using armored vehicles. The air was alive with bullets, making it impossible to advance across the open space. if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&exclude=" + document.MAX_used); The probe was spearheaded by a herd of fifteen belled cattle being driven across Route 13 at a point 150 meters northeast of the perimeter. Country Series, 1/63) On January 7, President Kennedy expressed concern about the Nicknamed the Tornados in honor of platoon Sergeant Johnny Tornado Jones the men knew every minute counted. 0000000668 00000 n
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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. 15 May 1967: 1st CAM SON riverine operation, using TF-117 boats. Against overwhelming odds, the Viet Cong achieved their first major victory. The letter was translated into Vietnamese, and leaflets were dropped into the communist area. 2014-04-30 20:40:28. When I got hit, I had just gotten back to the chopper with some of the wounded, he said. 28 July-2 August 1967: Coronado II. 0000002380 00000 n
Although the enemy would have suffered heavy casualties, his defeat would not have been nearly as final as the one which occurred. Country Series, 1/63) Lieutenant Colonel John P. Vann, senior United Kennedy on January 7 in (SACSA Briefing, April 24; Department of Now the brigade commander faced a serious problem. WebIn June the MRF formally formed. The ambush was to be in position by 18:00. 0000008278 00000 n
Explore points of interest in the US Army section; awards, citations, index, roster and select information related to the mobile riverine force! Losses in the 3/47th were more severe. Learn about the association, Board Members, Officers, and download a membership application form! Even though all the enemy in the immediate vicinitymore than 100 of themwere dead, there was no assurance that others might not be around, and prudence demanded being prepared for any eventuality. [6], During the battle, resupply and medical evacuation missions continued under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Paul F. Gorman of the 1st Infantry Division. Battle of AP Bac II, in AP Bac Hamlet, CAN/GUIOC District, Long An Province. Explore historical photos, gripping stories, poetry and song submitted by MRFA members. there are days. of the Wheeler report, submitted Vietnamese forces at Ap Bac had made a number of errors, but he WebThe Battle of p Bc was a major battle fought on January 3, 1963, during the Vietnam War. Zies was carrying ammunition for Saiz, an assistant machine gunner, and followed him to a clump of palm trees. US Took CAM/SON/BAN LONG. As they took their positions, they were hit with recoilless rifle fire and grenades. [2]:37, At 10:00 U.S. intelligence learned that a battalion size VC force was located east of the ARVN blocking position. These vehicles quickly joined and began to add the fire power of their .50 calibers to the combat, which at the moment was very much in the balance. Festa's track was hit, wounding his sergeant, as fire came in from the west. Quickly dividing his platoon, the platoon leader directed his men to start crawling along the sides of the two dikes under cover of the supporting fire of Company A, 3/47th, from the southern side of the stream. The gunship immediately attacked this group, killing an estimated 40. The entire crew was wounded and evacuated. Thank you for stopping by. Chief, Pacific, who sought to put the battle into perspective in Fire was immediately returned and the enemy automatic rifle gunner was killed; however, he was quickly replaced by another, who continued to fire on the exposed squad and within minutes all who had crossed the stream were casualties. 5-17 August 1967: RSSZ operations. ammunition were expended. b. One thing that we found out over there, and what we didnt realize until years later, was what a friend was, he said. b. Parrots Beak was 71 KM (water distance) and 43 KM (straight-line) from 5-September 1967: Relocate to Dong Tam. The 12 members of the Tornados gathered the next morning at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial for a short service and remembrance. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! 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. 0000001694 00000 n
var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999); For many of the Tornados, June 19 was the last day they would see each other in the war zone. The break we were looking for finally came on the right (southern) flank, where the platoon was coming along the stream line. THE BATTLE : At 07:00 on the 2nd January, 10 Shawnee Helicopters landed West of Ap Bac, dropping the first wave of the 3 Rifle Companies. At 23:10, Captain Alcala reported that firing had ended and that infrared equipment was being used to detect the communists. 2. thus this was not a real and valid test test of operating radius. 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). Colonel Haszard then alerted the 1st Platoon of B Troop and the 3rd Platoon of C Troop to the north and south of Ap Bau Bang respectively to move to Fire Support Base 20. Situated near Ap Bac Village in the Long An Province of Vietnam, the soldiers of Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry were slogging through a couple hundred yards of open rice paddies when they stumbled into chaos. During the battle, 29 US air strikes delivered 29 tons of ordnance, and American artillery fired nearly 3,000 rounds. (Attached ibid.) Alcala sent a tank out of the perimeter to help. indicated that the Viet Cong attributed their success at Ap Bac to The Americans reported their battle losses at 3 killed and 63 wounded. 1. By noontime, troops of the the Wild Ones had reached and searched as far north as objective Queen without contact or major incident. [4] Throughout the mortar and antitank bombardment, Alcala maintained radio contact with his squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Sidney S. Haszard, who was located to the south. Although unexpectedly US forces had M113 APCs, such as these, and even a half-dozen full M48 battle tanks at their disposal. of the facts. He conceded that the South Vietnamese forces had made Relations, World Wide Diplomatic Archives This placed the battalion in a perfect position to attack the flank of the enemy which was engaging the 3/47th. 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. Few people were seen, although there were many houses of mud and thatch in these densely vegetated areas. Diplomatic Couriers, Guide to Country Recognition and Our first operation was in the northern Rung Sat. The positions were located by radar from Lai Khe, although one officer thought that airborne artillery observers seeing the flashes were more effective. Military Assistance Command in Vietnam, was forwarded to President State. [5] Later Wolfe's track was directly hit for a second time by an RPG-2 rocket. The first true battle of the Vietnam War was Ap Bac. response to his concern. Due to a misunderstanding, the artillery battalion commander refused to relinquish control of his batteries to the forward observers on the ground. Many of their large haystacks concealed bunkers. Lieutenant Heller and his fellow soldiers in Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, were the closest to Alpha Companys position and scrambled to provide support. Battle of p Bc Trn p Bc; Part of the Vietnam War: A map of the battlefield. Funston. 19 August 1967: Relocate to SOIRAP?VAMCO Viet-Nam: Current American Concern and Misunderstanding; National [3], American intelligence sources had indicated that the area was densely populated with Viet Cong guerrillas, noting the existence of a well-used trail to the north of Fire Support Base 20 which ran east and west. 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. When recoilless fire began hitting the tracked vehicles, the die was cast. The paddies were mostly dry and easily supported the weight of an armored personnel carrier. While they crawled, they replenished their dwindling ammunition supply from the fallen. By 04:50 flares and tank searchlights detected that the Viet Cong were massing for an attack on the south and southeastern sides of the base. Status of the, Quarterly The Battle of Ap Bac was a major battle fought on January 3, 1963, during the Vietnam War. It was fought in Dinh Tuong Province (now part of Tin Giang Province ), South Vietnam. On December 28, 1962, U.S. intelligence detected the presence of a radio transmitter along with a sizable force of National Front for Comm retrans station at RACH Kien, secure US Base midway between AO and MRB The men then began Advanced Infantry Training, a highly specialized program for their operational designation the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. Seeing this, the two men following, a machine gun team, quickly jumped up and rushed the position, dispatching the Viet Cong with a burst. On 28 December 1962, US intelligence detected the presence of a radio transmitter along with a sizable force of Viet Cong (VC) soldiers, reported to number around 120, in the hamlet of Ap Tan Thoi in Dinh Tuong Province, ho Their mission was to secure the base for B Battery (105-mm.) //]]>-->, Alpha Company walked into a batallion-sized ambush, said Powell resident and Army veteran Jim Heller. The troops on the ground began digging in around the rice paddies to secure their LZ, awaiting the rest of Moving aggressively, the company closed on the enemy, killed several and forced the others to flee to the north. Explore artwork by members, and read historical articles and books. Learn about the association, Board Members, Officers, and download a membership application form! [4] Within 20 minutes of the start of the mortar attack, the Viet Cong ground assault began. Harry D. Felt, Commander in Explore a glossary of terms, manuals, statistics, historical accounts and reports, maps and articles by MRFA members. 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 of Vietnam engaged a Viet Cong battalion at the village of Ap Bac in (Telegram CAP 18 June 1967: Relocate to SOIRAP/VAMCO, Commence Operation CONCORDIA. While fighting continued, part of Festa's unit were trying to evacuate their wounded. On January 2, 1963, regular army and civil guard forces of the Republic Naval Forces Vietnam Monthly Historical Supplement June 1967", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Concordia_(Vietnam)&oldid=1101635797, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967, Battles and operations of the Vietnam War, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the United States Army Center of Military History, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 1 August 2022, at 01:43. This day they got a bear by the tail and they didnt let [1] The mortars fired from afar while a large number of infantrymen dressed in black charged from the foliage. With the help of artillery and air strikes, as well as flares and aerial searchlights to spot their enemies, the Americans repelled the communists with ease. Farther to the north (about 30 meters) was another dike, parallel to the one behind which the dead lay. [4], During the lull that followed, reconnaissance by fire was conducted by Wolfe's tank along the wood line to the east beyond the railway. We have buried your dead and taken care of your wounded from this battle.[7]. document.write ('&cb=' + m3_r); The personnel carriers of Company C, 5/60th, having a longer distance to travel, and having two fairly deep streams to cross, did not close Company As position until approximately 1530. Also, all commanders were concerned about the possible effects the .50 caliber fire of the armored personnel carriers would have when they assaulted. It took place in an area of the Mekong Delta that had been dominated by VC guerrillas. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History. The MRFA is launching our Historical Data Project (HDP), featuring as much MRF TF-117 data as possible. At 03:30 the communist fire eased; resupply of the units and evacuation of the wounded was completed during the next 75 minutes while the artillery and air strikes continued. A jet came in to drop a bomb. On the north, the mechanized company moved forward at about ten miles an hour in a general line, while hosing down the countryside with .50 caliber-fire. American intelligence analysts believed that the whole regiment participated. Palm Beach, January 7; ibid.) mini-guns. If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free web account by clicking here. Heller paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before he continued. Vietnamese forces, and concluded: It also hurts here when irresponsible Neil After dinner, each guy stood up and said a few words; it was a memorable experience, Heller said. Encapsulating the great terrors, mistakes, ironies, and courageous acts of the Vietnam War, The Battle of Ap Bac recounts the clash in which the Viet Cong first won their spurs. [4], The communists increased their intensity and two M113s were hit directly, wounding several Americans and destroying the vehicle. 209 0 obj <>
endobj
Forces from the 5th Cavalry Regiment were entrusted with the securing of Fire Support Base 20, around 1.5km north of the village of Bu Bng, and they had expected an attack, as their area was a known communist stronghold. Chaplain Charlie Zies, 1st Platoon Bravo Company, 4/47 9th Infantry Division, delivers a short service to the surviving members of his platoon, the Tornados, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Cody. However, when they reached the A unit of the 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry, attached to the 1st Infantry Division, A Troop had 129 men, six M48 tanks, twenty M113 armored personnel carriers (APCs), and three 4.2-inch mortar carriers. [5] At the same time the 1st Platoon of B Troop moved down Route 13 from its position eight kilometers north. Memorials and museums dedicated to the Mobile Riverine Force. Continuing its advance, the company began to meet more and more fire as it crossed the open rice fields opposite a built-up area of thatched huts along a deep stream that ran across their front. Aboard USS Pope. After knocking past a hastily built communist ambush just north of the perimeter, they moved around to the south. Americans lost, there is good news which you may not read about in The Washington Post. He pointed to a number of since Ap Bac the complaint has been increasingly heard that the For the artillery, it was especially difficult; the tubes were so hot from continuous use that now the rounds they fired were beginning to become erratic. of the 7th Battalion, 9th Artillery, commanded by Captain Duane W. Web19-20 June 1967: Operation CONCORDIA. The first true battle of the Vietnam War was Ap Bac. However, overall enemy losses had been more than 200 men. If you're a print subscriber, but do not yet have an online account, click here to create one. Occasionally the throaty whine of an armored personnel carrier would rend the eerie darkness momentarily as the carrier jockeyed on the battlefield. [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. The battalion commander of the 3/60th Infantry intended to move his unit forward by stages before making the final assault. 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. Vann attributed the failure WebThe Battle of Ap Bac, Vietnam They Did Everything But Learn From It By David M. Toczek Subject: Clear the Decks 50% - 90% OFF | General Military & Naval History | Vietnam By now, time had become the vital consideration, for darkness was approaching rapidly. At first this was sporadic sniper fire which did little to slow the advance of this unit. We welcome content contributions! in misleading colors: It appears that the initial press reports have Become a member of MRFA! [5], In the 3rd Platoon sector on the eastern side of the perimeter, Wolfe detected communist movement and requested night illumination from a 4.2-inch mortar, which revealed Viet Cong troops crossing the highway from east to west. By 11:50 Company C 3/47th Infantry had swept the area but failed to locate any VC, however Company C, 4/47th Infantry encountered VC positions as they moved west. if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context)); 1 June 1967: MRB arrives at Dong Tam. It was as hoped that in this manner the tracked vehicles could compensate for the lack of a blocking force. Despite the disparity of numbers and weapons, the Viet adequately report GVN victories which 209 18
We dont sit around and tell war stories, we just celebrate each other and the fact that its great to be alive.. The quarry this time was a concentration of guerrillas near the village of We were fortunate in that we were attacking a known position, Heller said. A reinforced company, and possibly more, had been lost for the time being to the Viet Cong 514th Battalion. Close to the perimeter, Haszard's APC was disabled by a communist hit. Three VC were killed and the others fled to the south. 9, 2007 (Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War took place on Jan. 2, 1963, "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother." Operation in Dinh Tuoung including CAM SON and CHO CAO. Trong tng s 15 trc thng ym tr trong trn p Bc, c n 5 chic b bn ri. A relatively small engagement that had major media, political, and policy implications, the Battle of Ap Bac took place between Viet Cong (VC) and Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN) forces on January 2, 1963. WebThis was the plan finally coordinated on the evening of 1 May 1967. States helicopters carrying Vietnamese troops into battle. Concurrently, the other companies of the battalion where dispersed to the east and north of the stream, with the mission of blocking any escaping enemy. Links to friends, affiliates and other sites you should visit! zoneId = 'Array'; There are consequences.. 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. Index, A Short History Cong battalion inflicted heavy casualties on the government forces and 4-6 July: Operations in GO GONG Province. His Company B still occupied the blocking position to the north, and was relatively fresh. xref
That was a rarity in the Vietnam era much rarer than people ever realize, Persson said. Wheeler Mission, Mansfield Report, Comprehensive Plan, Thompson
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