Battle of Dong Xoai

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Battle of Dong Xoai
Part of the Vietnam War
Date June 10-June 11, 1965
Location 11°32′1″N 106°53′13″E / 11.53361, 106.88694 (Dong Xoai)Coordinates: 11°32′1″N 106°53′13″E / 11.53361, 106.88694 (Dong Xoai)
Dong Xoai, South Vietnam

UTM Grid YT 0764-7597[1]
Result Viet Cong tactical victory
Belligerents
Viet Cong Flag of South Vietnam South Vietnam
Flag of the United States United States
Commanders
Le Trong Tan Cao Van Vien,
Charles W. Williams
Strength
1,500 10,000
Casualties and losses
700+ estimated KIA ARVN: 1,190 killed and wounded
U.S: 7 killed, 15 wounded and 13 missing
v • d • e
Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Starlite – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – Masher/White Wing – A Shau – Xa Cam My – Duc Co – Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Bribie – Junction City – Union – Hill 881 – Union II - Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Speedy Express – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Tailwind – Chenla I – Son Tay Raid – Lam Son 719 – Chenla II – Ban Dong – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri – Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Ban Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa – 2nd Saigon – SS Mayagüez
Air operations
Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Bolo – Igloo White – Commando Hunt – Menu – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Shed Light

The Battle of Dong Xoai was waged by the National Liberation Front, otherwise known as the Viet Cong, during the Communist winter-spring offensive of 1965. It was the largest battle during that stage of the Vietnam War.

Following their triumph at Binh Gia the NLF's military command decided to launch further attacks on the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in an attempt to destroy as many enemy units as possible. In the months leading up to the struggle at Dong Xoai the Viet Cong swept through Phuoc Binh and Song Be. Those attacks, though small in scale, prompted the South Vietnamese to reinforced Dong Xoai district with two more battalions. Dong Xoai district was manned by U.S.-trained South Vietnamese special forces (Luc Luong Dac Biet, LLDB) and militiamen (Civil Irregular Defense Force, CIDG). With a strong defensive system the ARVN were confident that their base could withstand a Viet Cong attack. Although U.S-led South Vietnamese forces eventually outnumbered the Viet Cong by nearly ten to one, the Communist were able to adapt their tactics and routed several ARVN battalions in the process. The result was another defeat and humiliation for the regular forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Dong Xoai Special Forces Camp was located in Phuoc Long Province, about 88 kilometers (55 mi) northwest of Saigon, South Vietnam. On May 25, 1965, personnel from Detachment A-342 were flown in following the camp's completion. From the day the Special Forces arrived, the camp was often subjected to mortar bombardment by the Viet Cong, without knowledge of the Viet Cong's real intentions; the special forces inside the camp believed it was the usual harassment. That view was reinforced by larger Communist attacks on more relevant targets in Phuoc Binh, where the 5th Battalion of the 272nd Regiment exposed the defences of the area and inflicted heavy casualties on the defending ARVN.

The destruction of the Phuoc Binh sub-sector and the heavy attacks on Song Be prompted the arrival of further reinforcements, in the form of two battalions. With the new units in place, patrol activities were stepped up. And over the period of two weeks, the rate of VC attacks increased. Despite the frequent attacks, the camp's personnel had little time to prepare for the final Viet Cong onslaught, which involved the 272nd Regiment and parts of the newly-created 273rd Regiment.

[edit] Battle

The battle began on June 10 after midnight when the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment with some units from the 273rd Regiment, part of the VC 9th Division, launched attacks with constant mortar bombardment and small arms fire, hitting bunkers and machine gun positions. The defensive perimeters around the sub-sector were falling, with VC soldiers occupying key bunker systems. Because of the surprise of the early morning attack, the soldiers inside the district had little time to react. Second Lieutenant Charles W. Williams, executive officer of the special forces detachment, ordered his men to take a defensive position inside the district headquarters after he realised that the camp was nearly overrun by VC forces.

At dawn U.S and South Vietnamese air forces conducted air strikes on VC positions with napalm, but the Viet Cong held on to their positions inside the rubber plantations. While the Viet Cong continued their bombardment of the camp, a UH-1 Huey of the U.S 118th Aviation Company had left Tan Son Nhut airport with elements of the ARVN 5th Infantry Division onboard. Their main mission was to reinforce the camp's beleaguered defenders.

Anti-aircraft fire by VC small companies prevented heliborne reinforcements from landing, and the South Vietnamese troops on the ground were taking heavy casualties. Later in the day additional reinforcements from the ARVN's 42nd Ranger Battalion were forced to land at Thuan Loi, where they clambered out and immediately exchanged fire, and fighting continued into the night. One US Battalion had landed at Dong Xoai airstrip but was not committed into battle by General William Westmoreland.

Conditions inside the Dong Xoai district continued to deteriorate, with food, water, medicine and ammunition supplies running low. Dreading another night inside the camp, the decision was made to evacuate the district. By the early morning of June 11 the Viet Cong had withdrawn and disappeared into the jungle leaving behind a battered ARVN force. The demoralised and panic-stricken ARVN suffered more than 800 killed, while the U.S. suffered 35 casualties.

[edit] Aftermath

The heavy casualties suffered at Dong Xoai was another humiliation for the South Vietnamese government, once again demonstrating the inability of the regular South Vietnamese Army to deal with the Viet Cong guerillas during the early phases of the conflict.

The victory at Dong Xoai exceeded the expectations of the NLF High Command. Although the Viet Cong failed in their attempt to capture the district of Dong Xoai, they still managed to hold their ground and achieve the objective of inflicting damages on the best ARVN units. The Viet Cong melted away, taking with them a tactical victory as well as more propaganda opportunities. According to the National Liberation Front, the victory at Dong Xoai "added another glorious page to the history of the struggle of the South Vietnamese Liberation Army against the war of U.S Imperialist Aggression".

The Viet Cong 272nd Regiment was known as the "Dong Xoai Regiment" within the National Liberation Front in the aftermath of their military victory.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Kelley, Michael P. (2002). Where We Were In Vietnam. Hellgate Press, p. 5-158. ISBN 1-55571-625-3. 

[edit] References

  • Captured documents: History of the 272nd Regiment, 9th PLAF Division. 1968
  • Dougan.C, Doyle.E, Lipsman.S, Martland.T, Weiss.S (1983) The Vietnam Experience: A Contagion of War. Boston Publishing Company, USA.

[edit] Contemporary news reporting

[edit] External links