Operation Hop Tac I
Operation Hop Tac I | |
---|---|
Part of Tiền Giang Province), South Vietnam | |
Result | U.S. claims operational success |
2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment
5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment
1st Battalion, 84th Artillery Regiment
Company A, 15th Engineer Battalion
313th Sapper Engineer Company
Operation Hop Tac I was a road security operation conducted during the
Background
On 10 February, 9th Division commander Major General George G. O'Connor gave the commander of the 1st Brigade, 9th Division, Colonel Harry O. Williams, control of the 2nd Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment, 5th Battalion, 60th Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, 84th Artillery Regiment and Company A, 15th Engineer Battalion to conduct Operation Hop Tac I to secure and repair Route 4 across the length of Dinh Tuong Province.[1]: 373
Operation
The operation proceeded uneventfully for the first week. On the evening of 14 February, three
Firebase Jaeger
The 1st Brigade had established Firebase Jaeger (10°23′42″N 106°16′34″E / 10.395°N 106.276°E) to support the operation approximately 7 km northeast of Đồng Tâm Base Camp.[2] Jaegar was built on dry rice paddy criss-crossed by shallow dikes giving clear observation of the surrounding area. Four 155 mm howitzers of Battery B, 1/84th Artillery were located at Jaegar, together with Companies B and C, 5/60th Infantry, equipped with 25 M113 armored personnel carriers, a 30-man road-building team from Company B, 15th Engineers and a platoon from Company A, 2/39th Infantry. Half of the M113s were spaced at 25-meter intervals around the base perimeter, while the rest were concentrated at the center. Given the hard dried out ground, none of the M113s were dug in and the base was only lightly fortified.[1]
In the early hours of 25 February when 3-400 VC 263rd Main Force Battalion and the 313th Sapper Engineer Company approached Jaeger from the south, east, and west. At 01:45 an observation post on the southeast of the base saw VC through a
A relief force of 7 M113s had left Firebase Hessian and despite losing 2 M113s to RPGs en route, 5 arrived at Jaeger at 03:00 and began attacking the VC around the perimeter. By 03:15 the VC began retreating. At 03:30 M113s carrying Company A, 2/39th Infantry arrived from Firebase Fels and pursued the VC to the south. At 04:15 Company C 2/39th Infantry, walked in from Firebase Fels and by 05:15 the area had been secured and the engagement was over. 22 Americans had been killed, 9 M113s had been destroyed and two howitzers had been damaged. The VC had lost approximately 100 killed.[1]: 374–6
Aftermath
VC activity in Dinh Tuong Province dropped off noticeably after the battle at Firebase Jaeger. U.S. night ambushes of VC mine-laying teams on Route 4 reduced mine attacks to negligible levels. The operation concluded on 10 March 1968.[1]: 377
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ .
- ISBN 978-1555716257.