Just when the M-113 crews closed in on their objective, a Viet Cong squad leader and his men jumped out of their foxholes and tossed grenades at the lead formation of the attack force.

Due to a misunderstanding, the artillery battalion commander refused to relinquish control of his batteries to the forward observers on the ground. [48] At 10:00 pm, Viet Cong commander Hoang led his two companies out of Ap Tan Thoi and headed for their base camp in the Plain of Reeds, while the local force units left by a different route for their hideouts in the local area.

It truly is a small world! It was surprised to encounter an entire NVA regiment, which counterattacked causing a bloody fight in which 3/26 suffered 300 casualties (40% including 37 KIA) and lost several tanks. Suddenly, a concealed automatic weapon opened fire at a range of 50 meters, completely enfilading the line of troops.

From Tim Johnson's sister (Tim gave the ultimate sacrifice during the June What was the outcome of the Ap Bac Battle? [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. [38] When Ba recovered, his company launched a frontal assault on the Viet Cong's foxhole line. At that point, South Vietnamese M-113 crews backed off while firing their .50 caliber machine guns aimlessly into the sky.

As they held their cigarettes their hands shook from the terrific nervous tensions they had been under.

This behavior initially mystified Vann, who was attempting to build Cao into an aggressive commander. In front of the platoon was the small pasture where the lead squad of Company A, 3/47th, had been destroyed earlier. 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. They got away, that's what happened".

These people won't listen. If we were going to win, the enemy must soon begin to break and run. WebAs night fell, PLAF soldiers fled the battlefield to the east under the cover of darkness, securing their first pitched battle victory of the war with America and the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). 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.

mi). Viet Cong radio operators, using captured U.S.-made communication equipment, followed the movements of the Civil Guards by monitoring the frequencies the government troops were using. Despite the change in leadership, the same problems continued to manifest themselves in the 7th Infantry Division. A few of the boys from our ole Reseda neighborhood had the opportunity to serve their country.

Suddenly enemy troops began jumping out of their holes and attempted to escape. Ap Bac Revisited - June 19, 2007 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 back to Vietnam and your memories of the battle on June 19, 1967. American advisers Captain Fletcher Ware and Sergeant Russell Kopti, who had parachuted in with the South Vietnamese, were also wounded. WebThe Battle of Ap Bac was on 2nd January, 1963.

The U.S. military had every advantage, yet mistakes were made and battles lost.

[48] By the end of the day, the airborne battalion had lost 19 soldiers killed in action and another 33 wounded. Finally, Vann radioed Ziegler at the command post at Tan Hiep and told him to ask the commander of the ARVN 7th Infantry Division to order Ba to move toward Ap Bac immediately.

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[41], By that stage, Vann was frustrated by the Civil Guard soldiers of Task Force B, because they appeared to be in no hurry to reach Ap Bac, as they searched one house at a time while marching up from the south-western flank of the battlefield. Ammunition was rapidly dwindling, for the effort to maintain fire superiority caused huge expenditures. 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. WebAs night fell, PLAF soldiers fled the battlefield to the east under the cover of darkness, securing their first pitched battle victory of the war with America and the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). [9] Cao used the excellent military intelligence network they had developed to find areas devoid of the Viet Cong, and planned operations only in those areas.

!Roy Burns - November 12, 2007. Task Force A consisted of the 174th, 842nd and 892nd companies, whereas Task Force B was formed by the 171st, 172nd and 839th companies. The South Vietnamese soldiers, who were pinned down on the ground, believed their ordeal was over, so they stood up to see if the Viet Cong were retreating from their positions.

In half an hour they had advanced to within 100 meters of the main enemy line, but were held up by intense fire from small arms and mortars.

When recoilless fire began hitting the tracked vehicles, the die was cast.

away! away! The battle represented the first major confrontation between ARVN forces and the NLF during the Vietnam War; it was also a significant victory for the NLF. [41] It was later discovered that the crew had mixed the incorrect amount of jelling agent with the gasoline.

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. ft) before opening fire.

God bless!John W. Gerbing - MRFA Member, From Tim Johnson's sister (Tim gave the ultimate sacrifice during the June

Cn Giuc District in Long An Province was a VC stronghold in the Mekong Delta. Almost form the moment it crossed the line of departure, it had begun to meet fire. "It was a miserable damn performance, just like it always is. The U.S. military had every advantage, yet mistakes were made and battles lost.

NOTE: This video is part of a lesson plan titled The Battle of Ap Bac.

http://home.pacbell.net/jwgerb/ Shortly after it moved into position, a six-man Viet Cong force was engaged.

The two platoons in the rice until they could gain fire superiority, then moving again.

It resulted in a US/ARVN victory. However, Cao argued that a surrounded and well-entrenched enemy would fight more fiercely than a retreating one, so he wanted the Viet Cong units inside the hamlets of Ap Bac and Ap Tan Thoi to expose themselves by retreating through the eastern side of the battlefield, where he could destroy them with artillery and airpower.

The MRFA is launching our Historical Data Project (HDP), featuring as much MRF TF-117 data as possible. Later, two AD-6 Skyraiders arrived over Ap Bac and attacked the thatched houses with conventional bombs and napalm.

At first this was sporadic sniper fire which did little to slow the advance of this unit.

He did not object to Cao's plan because it was consistent with President Diem's objective to save Vietnamese lives through the Rural Revolutionary Development and Chieu Hoi Programs, which encouraged Viet Cong fighters to join the South Vietnamese military. The infantry units would be supported by artillery, M-113 armored personnel carriers and helicopters. Anything and everything that couldn't fit in any of the other categories. WebIt is the first battle since the Vietnam War in which two living service members earned the Medal of Honor. Now the brigade commander faced a serious problem. [26] Task Force A's momentum was stopped when the soldiers of the leading Civil Guard battalion sought shelter in a dike, where they tried unsuccessfully to outflank the Viet Cong. [24] Most of the women, children and old men in both hamlets fled and hid in the nearby swamps as soon as the order was issued. 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.

ft),[42] but when the operator fired the device, the flame died after only 30 meters (Bad rounding hereScript error: No such module "Math".

I have always been proud to have been there and I have always been proud of you, Alan, Larry, Rick, Bob and Ted. I too have a connection to that date.I was in training at Fort Riley in 1966 also but I was in

[8] His solution was to fill the ARVN with Catholic political cronies and friends like Cao, Le Quang Tung, and Ton That Dinh, who had little military ability, but were very likely to help stop a coup attempt.

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.

However, overall enemy losses had been more than 200 men. Two men had died, another 15 had been wounded, but none of these men died and only six were classed as seriously wounded.

M113 Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle in Vietnam, 1966. by the way.A few years ago, I built my own web site just to try and keep in contact with others that served in Vietnam. As a result, the paratroopers landed right in front of the entrenched Viet Cong positions, instead of behind the 4th Mechanized Rifle Squadron and the Civil Guards. Most were shot down as the troops of Company A, seizing the break they had been waiting for, quickly overran the position. Joanne Stone - November 12, 2007, Bill, outstanding story and publication.

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