Battle of Lang Vei
Battle of Lang Vei | |
---|---|
Part of the Quảng Trị Province, South Vietnam 16°36′00″N 106°40′05″E / 16.600°N 106.668°E | |
Result | North Vietnamese victory |
South Vietnam
Laos
2 Sapper companies
2 Armored companies (14 PT-76 light tanks)[1]
500 Montagnard and Vietnamese CIDG soldiers[2]: 113
350 Royal Lao Army soldiers[3]: 24
7 tanks destroyed or damaged[1]
119 captured [2]: 137
7 killed
3 captured
42 killed
100+ captured
The Battle of Lang Vei (Vietnamese: Trận Làng Vây) began on the evening of 6 February 1968 and concluded during the early hours of 7 February, in
After Bane Houei Sane was captured, the 24th Regiment prepared for another attack which targeted the
Background
North Vietnam
The task of capturing Lang Vei was entrusted to the PAVN's 24th Regiment, 304th Division, led by Colonel Le Cong Phe. The regiment was to be supported by the 2nd Battalion (part of the 101D Regiment, 325th Division), the 2nd Artillery Battalion (part of the 675th Artillery Regiment), one tank company (part of the 198th Tank Battalion, 203rd Armored Regiment), two sapper companies, one anti-aircraft gun company, and one flamethrower platoon.[5] One of the most important features of the PAVN formation were the elements of the 203rd Armoured Regiment; the "Route 9-Khe Sanh Campaign" marked the first time the PAVN deployed its armored forces on the battlefield. In 1964, soldiers of the PAVN's first armored unit—the 202nd Armored Regiment—was sent into South Vietnam without their T-34 medium tanks, because their prime mission was to learn enemy armor tactics in order to prepare for future missions.[6] On 22 June 1965, the North Vietnamese Ministry of Defense passed Resolution 100/QD-QP, to establish the 203rd Armored Regiment and Resolution 101/QD-QP to create an Armored Force Command.[7]
For PAVN commanders, the creation of an independent armored force command represented a significant milestone in the development of their army, because it enabled them to respond to the circumstances on the battlefield with a modern armored force.
United States/South Vietnam
The Lang Vei Special Forces Camp was placed under the control of the United States Army's Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Group, to train and equip locally recruited Vietnamese through the CIDG program. Detachment A-101 had originally been established in July 1962 at
In 1967, Captain Franklin C. Willoughby assumed command of Detachment A-101 at Lang Vei, which had a tactical area of responsibility of 220 square kilometers (85 sq mi), and was one of nine operational CIDG camps in
Prior to the battle, Willoughby placed Company 101 of 82 Bru Montagnard tribesmen, on the northeastern flank of the camp, with the 3rd Combat Reconnaissance Platoon positioned just behind it. Company 104 was placed in the southern end of the camp; Company 102, consisting of 42 men, was positioned at the opposite end about 450 meters to the west, while the 43-man Company 103 was positioned further south. The 1st and 2nd Combat Reconnaissance Platoons were placed at the northern and southern perimeters respectively, about 200 meters apart.[2]: 113 Individually, the CIDG personnel carried M1 and M2 carbines with nearly 250,000 rounds of ammunition, and each company was also equipped with one 81 mm mortar.[2]: 112–3 Among heavy weapons, there were two 106mm recoilless rifles, two 4.2-inch mortars and nineteen 60 mm mortars positioned around the camp. For close-in support, the CIDG personnel were furnished with 100 disposable M-72 anti-tank weapons. Antitank mines were requested, but were denied. If necessary, Willoughby could also request support from at least two rifle companies from the 26th Marine Regiment at Khe Sanh, along with artillery support from other locations within range.[2]: 116–7 [8]
Following the construction of the new camp site west of Lang Vei, Willoughby and his CIDG soldiers concentrated their efforts on strengthening the camp's defenses, and they made relatively few contacts with the PAVN. However, unbeknownst to Willoughby, the PAVN 304th Division had assembled on the battlefield, reinforced by the 198th Tank Battalion, with the following orders: the 66th Regiment was given the task of capturing Khe Sanh village, part of
Preliminary attacks
On 21 January 1968, the PAVN 66th Regiment began its attack on Khe Sanh village, seat of the Hướng Hóa local government. At that time, Khe Sanh village was defended by the ARVN
On the evening of 23 January, one day after the fall of Khe Sanh village, the PAVN 304th Division moved against their next target, the small Laotian outpost at Ban Houei Sane.
Following the loss of both Khe Sanh village and Ban Houei Sane, thousands of civilian refugees made their way towards Lang Vei village and the Special Forces camp. With an estimated 8,000 non-combatants within a thousand meters of his camp, Willoughby radioed Da Nang for assistance. This arrived on 25 January in the form of food and medical supplies, along with a six-man Special Forces augmentation team. The Laotian soldiers of BV-33, with assistance from the new Special Forces team, were given materials to restore the old Lang Vei Camp, where they would remain until further orders were issued from Da Nang.[2]: 111 The Laotian soldiers and their families brought with them stories of a PAVN attack supported by tanks, which was a cause for concern for Willoughby, because Ban Houei Sane was only 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) away across the border. On 30 January Willoughby's fears were confirmed when a PAVN deserter, Private Luong Dinh Du, surrendered himself to the U.S. Special Forces in Lang Vei. Under interrogation, Private Du revealed that tracked vehicles were positioned near his unit, but a planned attack was canceled twice for unknown reasons.[2]: 112
Battle
In response to the threat posed by the PAVN, Willoughby stepped up daytime patrols and night ambushes around his camp. On the morning of February 6, the PAVN fired mortars into the Lang Vei compound, wounding eight Camp Strike Force soldiers.[10] That afternoon, Lt. Col. Daniel F. Shungel, commander of Company C, 5th Special Forces Group, flew into Lang Vei from Da Nang as a diplomatic gesture towards the Laotian commander Lt. Col. Phetsampou.[2]: 119 At 18:10, the PAVN followed up their morning mortar attack with an artillery attack from 152 mm howitzers, firing 60 rounds into the camp. The bombardment wounded two more Strike Force soldiers and damaged two bunkers.[10] Then at 23:30, PAVN artillery started pounding the camp, which covered the movement of the 24th Regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 101D Regiment.[1] From an observation post above the tactical operations centre, Sergeant Nickolas Fragos saw the first PAVN tanks moving along Lang Troai Road, attempting to breach the barbed wire in front of Company 104. He immediately went down to the tactical operations center and described what he had witnessed to Willoughby; Shungel then advised Willoughby to concentrate all available artillery and air support on the PAVN formation just in front of Company 104.[2]: 119 Soon afterwards, three PT-76 tanks were knocked out by a 106 mm recoilless rifle manned by Sergeant First Class James W. Holt, but the barbed wire in front of Company 104 was quickly overrun by the combined PAVN tank-infantry attack.[2]: 120
Meanwhile, from inside the tactical operations center, Willoughby was busy calling in air and artillery support. He also radioed the 26th Marines at Khe Sanh to request the deployment of two rifle companies as part of the reinforcement plan, but his request was denied.
At the opposite end of the camp, three PT-76 tanks rolled through the barbed wire barrier in front of Company 102 and 103. Point blank, the tank crews destroyed several bunkers with their guns, forcing the soldiers of Company 102 and 103 to abandon their positions. Those who survived the onslaught either retreated to the reconnaissance positions, or along Highway 9, toward Khe Sanh in the east. About 800 meters to the west, Sergeant First Class Charles W. Lindewald, an adviser to the Mobile Strike Force, also reported back to Willoughby that the early warning outpost was in danger of being overrun. To save it, Lindewald directed artillery strikes on the PAVN troops moving up towards his outpost, but he later died from a gunshot wound to the stomach as the PAVN overran the outpost.[2]: 121–2 At about 01:30, Shungel and his hastily organized tank-killer teams were busy engaging the tanks that were roaming the Company 104 area; on many occasions the M-72 rockets fired by the Americans either missed completely, jammed, misfired, or simply failed to knock out the enemy tanks. By 02:30, the PAVN had broken through the inner perimeter of the camp, and began harassing the soldiers trapped inside the tactical operations center, which included Willoughby along with seven other Americans, three South Vietnamese special forces, and 26 CIDG soldiers.[2]: 127
Above ground, U.S. and ARVN soldiers who had escaped death or capture tried to escape from the PAVN. From the team house, a group of four Americans and about 50 CIDG soldiers held a quick conference and decided that they would leave the camp through the northern perimeter, where there was no visible sign of the PAVN. Without much difficulty, the Americans and the CIDG soldiers were able to make it through the barbed-wire barrier, but PAVN soldiers on the eastern side of the camp detected their movement and began firing on the group. Ultimately, only two Americans and about 10 Vietnamese soldiers managed to escape from the camp, taking refuge in a dry creek bed that offered some cover and concealment.[2]: 128 At around 03:30, Willoughby made another request for the Marines at Khe Sanh to send reinforcements, but again his request was turned down.[2]: 129 In an attempt to save the defenders at Lang Vei, Company C Headquarters in Da Nang tried to call for reinforcements from the Marines at Khe Sanh, but its request was also turned down. Finally, Company C Headquarters placed another Mobile Strike Force Company and a company-sized unit on standby alert in Da Nang, to be airlifted into battle as soon as helicopters were available.[2]: 130
Back in Lang Vei, the PAVN continued to harass the small force of soldiers still trapped in the command bunker with hand grenades, explosives and bursts of gunfire down the stairwell that led into the bunker. Shortly after 06:00, the PAVN threw several fragmentation grenades and tear gas grenades down the stairwell. Then, a voice called down the stairwell in Vietnamese, demanding the American-led forces give up at once.[2]: 130 Following a quick discussion with his CIDG soldiers, the South Vietnamese special forces commander led his troops up the stairwell to surrender, but were killed by PAVN soldiers, leaving behind their American counterparts.[2]: 131 After the South Vietnamese had gone up, there was another short verbal exchange between the Americans in the bunker and the PAVN in English, which was followed by another fire fight when the Americans refused surrender.[2]: 131 At 06:30, the PAVN successfully blasted a hole on the northern wall, gaining direct access into the command bunker. However, instead of launching a direct attack on the last American stronghold, the PAVN continued to throw grenades through the wall.[2]: 132
At dawn, Sergeant First Class
Meanwhile, as
The Laotian soldiers were evidently reluctant to advance on the PAVN, and only inched forward when the Americans ordered them to do so.[3]: 30 In their first attempt to break through PAVN lines, Ashley and his men were beaten back. Undeterred, the American-led forces tried to penetrate PAVN positions several times, and only stopped after Ashley was shot in the chest and later killed by an exploding artillery round. Ashley was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The Laotians, who feared the PAVN, disengaged from the fight and fled.[2]: 136 [3]: 31 After Ashley's final attack had failed, Willoughby and his men made the decision to abandon their position. However, after Specialist Four James L. Moreland was mortally wounded, Willoughby decided to leave him in the bunker, because the remaining Americans were in no physical condition to carry out the wounded man. Under the cover of U.S. air strikes, Willoughby and other American survivors escaped towards the old Lang Vei Camp, which was evacuated by Marine CH-46s from HMM-262, which lifted in a 50 man reaction force. By 17:30 on 7 February, all known survivors had been evacuated to Khe Sanh.[2]: 137
Aftermath
The fight for Lang Vei, though short in duration, was a costly endeavor for both sides. In their efforts to hold the camp, the combined Montagnard and South Vietnamese CIDG soldiers suffered 309 killed, 64 wounded, and 122 captured. Of the original 24 Americans who took part in the battle, seven were killed in action, 11 sustained injuries, and three were captured. Nearly all of the camp's weaponry and equipment were either destroyed or captured by enemy forces.[2]: 137 For the North Vietnamese, the battle for Lang Vei marked the first successful use of armor in the war.[2]: 138 In terms of human casualties, the PAVN claimed to have lost 90 soldiers killed and 220 wounded.[1]
On the evening of 7 February, though the fight was over for the military forces, the ordeal continued for the civilians who were caught in the fighting. An estimated 6,000 survivors from the old Lang Vei Camp including CIDG soldiers and their families, Montagnard tribesmen and the Laotians, followed the Americans and descended on the Khe Sanh Combat Base.: 41
See also
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ a b c d e f "Khe Sanh: The Other Side Of The Hill". Archived from the original on 6 July 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780486454719. Archived from the original on 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2018-05-03. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ .
- ISBN 9780891418276.
- ^ "Battle of Lang Vei". Archived from the original on 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2010-11-22.
- ^ a b c "Duc Viet".[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "Bộ đội Tăng thiết giáp- nửa thế kỷ "đã ra quân là đánh thắng"" [Soldier armor – half a century "was out fighting"] (in Vietnamese). 20 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 October 2009. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0395550033.
- ^ a b c "Nguyen Duc Huy". 4 March 2011. Archived from the original on 22 August 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ ISBN 9781366287205.
- ISBN 978-1581605358.
Further reading
- Phillips, William R. (1997). Night of the Silver Stars: The Battle of Lang Vei. Annapolis, Md: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557506914.
- Prados, John (1999). The Blood Road: The Ho Chi Minh Trail and the Vietnam War. New York: Wiley Publishing. ISBN 0471254657.
- Pike, Thomas (2013). Military Records, February 1968, 3rd Marine Division: The Tet Offensive. Charleston: Createspace. ISBN 9781481219464.
External links
- Battle of Ta May-Lang Vei (In Vietnamese) on YouTube
- Special Forces: Untold Stories –The U.S. Green Beret: The Battle of Lang Vei
- Khe Sanh 1968 by Lt. Col. Nguyen Duc Huy (Vietnamese)
- The Armoured Forces by Diep Ninh (Vietnamese)
- The 202nd Armoured Regiment by Duc Viet (Vietnamese)
- Khe Sanh: The Other Side Of The Hill
- Battle of Lang Vei (Vietnamese)