Battle of Sông Bé
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Battle of Sông Bé | |
---|---|
Part of the Bình Phước Province, South Vietnam
UTM Grid YU 19-11[1] | |
Result | South Vietnamese and American victory |
United States
763rd Regiment
36th Ranger Battalion
B-34 Detachment
5 killed
The Battle of Sông Bé was a major action between the Viet Cong (VC) and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in May 1965.
Planned as a major show of force against the ARVN forces, the VC attempted to capture the fortified capital of
Background
A series of political and military setbacks starting as early as 1962 had been gradually eroding the combat effectiveness of the ARVN forces, originally more than a match for the VC with their United States supplied
On April 16, 1965, the
Battle
At 01:45 on May 10, the VC 761st and 763rd Regiments consisting of 2,500 infantry attacked the city from multiple directions, first using mortar barrages and then rushing in their forces. Even though the American positions were still being constructed, the special forces and ARVN were able to stop them from overrunning their positions and the area of the town around them. Hung up on the defenses, many of the VC became easy targets for U.S. snipers. At 03:45
Even though the base had been defended, much of the town had fallen to VC control. They positioned machine gun and flamethrower units at almost every street corner. At noon, the 36th ARVN Ranger Battalion brazenly attacked into the town, and drove off the VC occupying the center of the town, often resorting to melee combat using knives and swords. They were joined a few hours later by the 34th ARVN Rangers, and by evening the entire town was returned to South Vietnamese control.
Notes
- ISBN 1-55571-625-3.
References
- Bowman S.John(1989)The Vietnam War: Day by Day. Bison Group, London.
- Battle of Sông Bé
Contemporary news reporting
- Langguth, Jack (1965-05-12). "U.S. Planes Drive Vietcong Raiders From A Key Town". NY Times. p. 1.
- "Viet Nam Ground War Perks Up". Hartford Courant. 1965-05-12. pp. 1A. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- "How Brave Died in Viet Nam". Hartford Courant. 1965-05-13. pp. 42A. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- "U. S. Lands 2,400 More Reinforcements in Viet". Chicago Tribune. 1965-05-13. p. 1. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2017-07-05.