Battle of Dak To
Part of the Vietnam Conflict
The 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry battles for Hill 882, southwest of Dak To
Date 3 November - 22 November 1967 Location Dak To, Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam Result Allied victory
Combatants
United States Republic of Vietnam	Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Commanders
Maj. Gen. William R. Peers	General Nguyen Huu An
Strength
16,000	6,000
Casualties
289 US killed in action 985 wounded / 79 ARVN killed in action	1,200 to 1,455 killed in action

The Battle of Dak To was a major battle of the Vietnam Conflict that took place between 3 and 22 November 1967 in Kontum Province, in the Central Highlands of the Republic of Vietnam. The action at Dak To was one of a series of People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) initiatives that began during the second half of the year. PAVN attacks at Loc Ninh (in Binh Long Province) and Song Be (in Phuoc Long Province) and at Con Thien and Khe Sanh, (in Quang Tri Province), were other actions which, combined with Dak To, became known as "the border battles." The Vietnam War was a war fought between 1957 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos (See Secret War) and in bombing runs (Rolling Thunder) over North Vietnam. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1089x681, 365 KB) From Joel D. Meyerson, Images of a Lengthy War. ... National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809km² N/A population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809km² N/A population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese Việt Nam Dân Chủ Cộng Hòa), also known as North Vietnam, was founded by Ho Chi Minh and was recognized by China and the USSR in 1950. ... William R. Peers was a U.S. Army Officer. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders unknown battalion commander Bui Dinh Dam John Paul Vann Strength 350 1,400 Casualties 18 dead 39 wounded 83 dead 108 wounded The Battle of Ap Bac was a small-scale action early in the Vietnam War that resulted in the first... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders Gen. ... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Casualties 85 Dead 49 ARVN dead 5 American dead The Battle of Song Be was a major action between the NLF (Viet Cong) and ARVN, the South Vietnamese army. ... Combatants Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders Gen. ... Combatants North Vietnam United States Commanders Nguyen Huu An Col. ... Combatants Australia New Zealand United States North Vietnam Commanders Maj Harry Smith Nguyen Thanh Hong Strength 108 (not including supporting personnel/reinforcements) 2,500 (Disputed) Casualties 18 dead 24 wounded At least 245 dead 750 wounded (Captured documents and prisoner interrogations suggest there were 500-800 dead and around 1... Combatants North Vietnam Viet Cong South Korea Commanders Unknown commander Captain Jin-Kyung Chung Strength 2,400+ 294 Casualties 200+ killed and 2 captured 15 killed and 33 wounded The Battle of Tra Binh Dong was probably the most famous battle fought by the South Korean Marines during the Vietnam... Combatants United States Viet Cong Commanders Lt. ... Combatants Republic of Viet Nam United States of America Republic of Korea Commonwealth of New Zealand Commonwealth of Australia National Front for the Liberation of South Viet Nam (Viet Cong) Democratic Republic of Viet Nam Commanders William Westmoreland Võ Nguyên Giáp Strength 50,000+ (estimate) 85,000+ (estimate... Combatants United States, Republic of Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Commanders Col. ... Combatants South Vietnam United States North Vietnam Viet Cong Commanders William Westmoreland Vo Nguyen Giap Strength  ? 35 Battlions Casualties  ?  ? The First Battle of Saigon fought during the Tet Offensive was the coordinated attack by the NVA and VC, by which they attacked South Vietnams Capital Saigon from all sides. ... Combatants North Vietnam United States Commanders Unknown Capt. ... Combatants North Vietnam Viet Cong United States South Vietnam Australia Strength 10,000+ 1,760+ Casualties  ??? 270+ killed or missing 9 aircraft loss The Battle of Kham Duc was the struggle for the United States Army Special Forces camp located in Quang Tin province, South Vietnam. ... Combatants NVA South Vietnam United States Casualties over 700 Dead over 100 dead 455 wounded The Battle of Hill 881 was a battle between soldiers of the North Vietnamese Army and U.S. Marines during the Vietnam War. ... Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by principally North Vietnamese forces in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. ... Combatants United States North Vietnam Commanders Melvin Zais Uncertain Strength est. ... Combatants North Vietnam United States Commanders Gen. ... Combatants United States South Vietnam North Vietnam Commanders Lt. ... Combatants United States Viet Cong Commanders Lt. ... The Eastertide Offensive was a military campaign in the Vietnam War. ... Combatants North Vietnam Viet Cong South Vietnam United States Commanders Gen. ... Combatants South Vietnam North Vietnam Commanders Col. ... Combatants Vietnam Peoples Army Army of the Republic of Vietnam Commanders Gen. ... Combatants Vietnam Peoples Army National Liberation Front Army of the Republic of Vietnam Commanders General Van Tien Dung President Nguyen Van Thieu (Until April 5) Strength 300,000+ (est. ... Combatants Army of the Republic of Vietnam Vietnam Peoples Army Commanders Maj. ... Combatants Vietnam Peoples Army Army of the Republic of Vietnam Commanders General Van Tien Dung General Hieu Strength 40,000 5,000 Casualties 3 Divisions destroyed 30% of total strength The Battle of Xuan Loc was the last major battle of the Vietnam War. ... pwtha This iconic image shows South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a United States military helicopter during the U.S. evacuation of Saigon. ... Operation Barrell Roll was a limited, covert US Navy/2nd Air Division, US Air Force aerial interdiction campaign in northern and southern Laos that began on 14 December 1964 and lasted for the duration of the Vietnam Conflict. ... Operation Rolling Thunder (also known as the Rolling Thunder Program, in terminology of the McNamara Department of Defense) was the code name for a U.S. military campaign during the Vietnam War, the bombing of North Vietnam by air units of the U.S. Seventh Air Force, Task Force 77... Operation Steel Tiger was a covert US Air Force aerial interdiction effort targeted against North Vietnamese infiltration through southeastern Laos during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Combatants United States, Republic of Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Operation Commando Hunt was a covert Seventh/Thirteenth United States Air Force offensive initiative that took place during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Operation Linebacker was the name of a United States military operation during the Vietnam War. ... Combatants United States (U.S.) Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) Commanders General John W. Voght, Jr. ... Combatants Khmer Republic North Vietnam Commanders Brig. ... Barrell Roll/Steel Tiger/Tiger Hound Areas of Operations, 1965. ... Combatants United States Thailand Hmong guerillas North Vietnam Pathet Lao Commanders Vang Pao Vo Nguyen Giap Strength 1,300+ 3,000+ Casualties 8 Americans dead 42 Thai and Hmong Unknown The Battle of Lima Site 85 was a battle of the Vietnam War. ... Operation Tailwind was a covert incursion into southeastern Laos by a company-size element (Hatchet Force) of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACSOG or SOG) on 11 September 1970, during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Combatants North Vietnam Khmer Republic Commanders Unknown Brigadier General Hou Hang Sin Strength VPA 9th Division 10 FANK Battalions Casualties Unknown Decimation of the FANK Battalions Operation Chenla II was launched on August 20, 1971 by the Cambodian military (or FANK) as an attempt to regain territories lost to the... The Vietnam War was a war fought between 1957 and 1975 on the ground in South Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia and Laos (See Secret War) and in bombing runs (Rolling Thunder) over North Vietnam. ... National motto: ??? Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809km² N/A population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... The Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN) is the term used by the Vietnamese for their armed forces. ... Con Thien was a United States combat base in South Vietnam at (MGRS 48QYD113703). ... Khe Sanh is the district capital of HÆ°á»›ng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà. Khe Sanh Combat Base was a U.S. Marine outpost in South Vietnam , (MGRS 48QXD850418) used during the Vietnam War. ...

The Camp

Main articles: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group, CIDG, and Ho Chi Minh Trail

During the early stages of the US involvement in South Vietnam, a number of US Special Forces Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) camps were established along the borders of the country in order to both maintain surveillance of PAVN/NLF infiltration and to provide support and training to isolated villagers, who bore the brunt of the fighting. One of these camps was built near the town and airstrip at Dak To. Since 1965, it had also been utilized as a Forward Operations Base by the highly-classified Studies and Observations Group (SOG), which launched reconnaissance teams from there to gather intelligence on the Ho Chi Minh Trail across the border in Laos. The Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) was a highly classified, multi-service U.S. Special Operations Forces unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam Conflict. ... Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG, pronounced sid-gee) is one several South Vietnamese irregular military units during the Vietnam War. ... The Ho Chi Minh trail was a logistical system that ran from the Democratic Republic of (North) Vietnam (DRV) to South Vietnam through the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia. ...

Dak To itself lies on a flat valley floor, surrounded by waves of ridgelines rising into peaks(some as high as 4000 feet) stretching westward and southwestward towards the tri-border region where South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia meet. Double and triple-canopy rainforests cover the area, and the only open areas were filled in by bamboo groves whose stalks sometimes reached eight inches in diameter. Landing Zones (LZs) large enough for helicopters were few and far between, which meant that most movement would only be possible on foot. Temperatures in the mountains of Kontum Province could reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and could drop to 55 in the evenings.

173rd Airborne troops during Operation Greeley

Throughout the middle of 1967, Dak To was a magnet for several PAVN spoiling attacks, and it appeared that the North Vietnamese were paying an increasing amount of attention to the area. On 17 June, two battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade were moved into Dak To and began sweeping the jungle-covered mountains. Five days later, Alpha Company of the 503rd Airborne Infantry was ambushed and isolated by the 6th Battalion of the 23rd PAVN Infantry Regiment. Two more companies of the 503rd were fed into the cauldron, but they were unable to reach the cut off company until the next day, when the bodies of 76 paratroopers were discovered.^[1] Image File history File links 173rd1. ... Image File history File links 173rd1. ... Shoulder sleeve patch of the 173rd Airborne Brigrade. ...

One week later, the rest of the 173rd moved into the area, along with the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Air Cavalry Division. The American units were supported by the 5th and 8th Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Airborne Battalions and a battalion of the ARVN 42nd Infantry Regiment to conduct Operation Greeley. Throughout the summer there were sporadic, but violent, clashes with PAVN units. On the 16th, Greeley was folded into Operation MacArthur, when the 1st Brigade of the US 4th Infantry Division, supported by the 4th Battalion of the 173rd's 503rd Infantry (4/503), were air-lifted into Dak To. The remainder of the 173rd returned to their Base Camp at Tuy Hoa and the ARVN airborne brigades (which had also seen heavy contact) were sent back for rest and refitting. The 1st Cavalry Division (1st Cav Div) is a heavy armored division of the United States Army with base of operations in Fort Hood, Texas. ... The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... A military division: Infantry Australian 4th Division British 4th Division (World War I) British 4th Infantry Division Indian 4th Infantry Division US 4th Infantry Division Armour Canadian 4th Armoured Division US 4th Armored Division Cavalry British 4th Cavalry Division This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists...

Preparing the Battlefield

Main article: Vo Nguyen Giap

By early October, US intelligence reported that PAVN was withdrawing regiments from the Pleiku area to join those in Kontum Province, thereby dramatically increasing the strength of the local forces to that of a full division. In response, the 4th Infantry, began moving in more forces. On 29 October, the remainder of the 173d Airborne Brigade was brought in as reinforcement. They were joined by more ARVN units. General Võ Nguyên Giáp (born circa 1912[1]) Vietnamese general and statesman. ... Pleiku is a town in central Vietnam seated in the central highland region. ...

On 3 November, Sergeant Vu Hong, an artillery specialist with the PAVN 66th Regiment, defected and was able to provide the US forces with detailed information on the disposition of North Vietnamese forces and their objectives, both at Dak To and at the new CIDG base at Ben Het, some 18 kilometers to the west. PAVN had fed approximately 6,000 PAVN troops into the area, most of which made up the PAVN 1st Division, which was composed of the 66th, 32nd and 174th Infantry Regiments, and the independent 24th infantry Regiment. In addition, the division was assisted by the 40th Artillery Regiment as well. The goal of these units was the taking of Dak To and the destruction of a "large American unit."

This intelligence was bolstered by other means. The actions around Dak To were part of an overall strategy devised by the PAVN leadership, primarily that of General Vo Nguyen Giap. The goal of North Vietnamese operations in the area, according to a captured document from the B-3 Front Command, was "to annihilate a major US element in order to force the enemy to deploy as many additional troops to the western highlands as possible."^[2]

As the Americans quickly discovered, the area had been well prepared by PAVN. The number and elaborateness of defensive preparations found by US troops indicated that some had been prepared as much as six months in advance. As the commander of US forces in the area:

"Nearly every key terrain feature was heavily fortified with elaborate bunker and trench complexes. He had moved quantities of supplies and ammunition into the area. He was prepared to stay."^[3]

After contact with the North Vietnamese on the 4th and 5th of the month, Brigadier General Leo H. Schweiter, commander of the 173rd, moved the rest of his brigade back to Dak To. The immediate goal of the 173rd was to bolster the defenses of Ben Het. Simultaneously, most of the elements of the 4th Infantry, moved into the Dak To area. The division was commanded by Major General William R. Peers who was given overall operational control of Operation MacArthur. The town of DaK To had by now become a major logistical base, supporting an entire US division and airborne brigade and six ARVN battalions. The stage was set for a major pitched battle. William R. Peers was a U.S. Army Officer. ...

Gen. William R. Peers, commander of the 4th Infantry Division and overall commander at Dak To

Image File history File links WRP.jpg‎ From George L. MacGarrigle, The United States Army in Vietnam:Taking the Offensive, October 1966-October 1967. ... Image File history File links WRP.jpg‎ From George L. MacGarrigle, The United States Army in Vietnam:Taking the Offensive, October 1966-October 1967. ...

Battle is Joined

Fighting erupted on 3 and 4 November when companies of the 4th Infantry bumped into PAVN defensive positions. Two days later the same thing occurred to elements of the 173rd. The American and South Vietnamese troops soon applied a methodical approach to the fighting. They combed the hills on foot, ran into fixed PAVN hill-top defensive positions, applied massive firepower, and then launched attacks to force the North Vietnamese off. From ridgeline to ridgeline, the infantrymen humped, fought, killed, and died.

In all of these instances, PAVN troops fought stubbornly, inflicted casualties, and then pulled back. To expand the coverage of supporting fires, the 4th Battalion of the 173rd was ordered to build an artillery firebase on hill 823, south of Ben Het. Dense foliage forced the unit to land only one company at a time. Unfortunately, the hill was not unoccupied. Fifteen minutes later the enemy had been pushed back, but seven Americans of B/4/503 lay dead and another 13 were wounded.

The following morning Bravo Company was relieved by C/4/503, supported by two companies of D/1/503. Task Force Black (as the combined unit was known) left Hill 823 and moved out on patrol. Before 0800 on 11 November, the force was ambushed by the 3rd Battalion, PAVN 174th Regiment^[4] and had to fight for its life. C/4/503 drew the job of going to the relief of task force. They encountered fire from all sides, but they made it, reaching the trapped men at 1537. US losses were 20 killed, 154 wounded, and two missing. The commanding officer reported an enemy body count of 80, but was told to go out and count again. He then reported back that 116 enemy soldiers had been killed. He later stated that "If you lost so many people killed and wounded, you had to have something to show for it."^[5]

The build up at Dak To

From the enemy occupied hills overlooking the sprawling Dak To base camp, it must have been an inviting target. On 15 November, a PAVN mortar barrage landed squarely upon the airfield, destroying two C-130 transport aircraft, and then walked on to the ammunition and fuel storage areas. Both detonated simultaneously, sending a fireball and mushroom cloud high into the air. Engineer Lieutenant Fred Dyerson thought "it looked like Charlie had gotten hold of some nuclear weapons."^[6] Fortunately, this was as close as PAVN would get to taking Dak To. The rapid deployment of allied forces had thrown the North Vietnamese onto the defensive. Previous action had battered the 66th and 33rd PAVN Regiments and they began a southwesterly retreat, covered by the 174th Regiment. The Americans and the ARVN then began to run into tenacious rearguard actions. To prevent a repetition of the mortar barrage against the base camp, troops of 3/12 Infantry were ordered to take Hill 1338, which had an excellent view of Dak To, only six kilometers away. For two days the Americans fought their way up the steep slope and into the teeth of the most elaborate bunker complex yet discovered, all of which were connected by field telephones. Image File history File links McAt2. ... Image File history File links McAt2. ... The Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four-engine turboprop aircraft, is the main tactical air transport aircraft of the United States and UK military forces. ...

At the same time, on Hill 1416, the elite, all-volunteer ARVN 3rd and 9th Airborne Battalions were fighting toe-to-toe with the PAVN 24th Regiment. The ARVN paratroopers took the hill after a four day battle in which 247 enemy troops were killed. The PAVN 174th Regiment had slipped west past Ben Het and took up positions on a 875 meter-high hill to cover the withdrawal of the 66th Regiment. On 19 November, Colonel Schweiter was informed that a Special Forces Mobile Strike Force company had run into heavy resistance on Hill 875. He then ordered his 2/503 to take the hill.

Hill 875

That morning, 2/503, 173rd Airborne Brigade, moved into jumpoff positions from which to assault Hill 875. Charlie and Delta companies moved up the slope in two columns while Alpha Company remained behind at the bottom to cut out an LZ. About half way up the hill, PAVN machine gunners opened fire on the advancing paratroopers. Then B-40 rockets and 57-mm recoiless rifle fire were unleashed. The Americans were only 100 meters from the crest when the enemy infantry opened up with small arms and grenades. The advance was halted and the men went to ground, finding whatever cover they could. The North Vietnamese then launched a massed assault on Company A at the base of the hill. Unknown to the Americans, they had walked into a carefully prepared ambush by the 174th PAVN Regiment.

Alpha Company retreated up the slope, followed closely by the enemy. All that halted the PAVN onslaught from overrunning the entire battalion was the heroic efforts of men who stood their ground and died to buy time for their comrades. Soon, air strikes and artillery fire were being called in, but they had little effect due to the dense foliage. It was then that one of the worst friendly-fire incidents of the conflict took place. A US fighter-bomber dropped a 500-pound bomb into the middle of the perimeter, where the command group, the wounded, and the medics were located. It killed 42 men and wounded 45 more, including the last two company commanders (Alpha company's commander had been killed in the retreat up the slope).

US troops in combat on Hill 875

The next morning the 4/503rd was chosen to set out to relieve the men on Hill 875. Due to sniper and mortar fire (and the terrain) it took until nightfall to reach them. On the morning of the 21st, both battalions moved out to take the crest. During fierce, close-quarters fighting, some of the paratroopers made it into the PAVN trenchline, but they had to pull back as darkness fell. Image File history File links McAt3. ... Image File history File links McAt3. ...

The next day, 22 November, was spent in launching airstrikes and a heavy artillery bombardment against the hilltop, totally denuding it of cover. the 2nd and 4th Battalions of the 503rd (now supported by the 1/12th Infantry of the 173rd, which assaulted 875 from the south) attacked again on the 23rd, Thanksgiving Day.^[7] This time they gained the crest, but the enemy had already gone, leaving only a few charred bodies and weapons. The battle of Hill 875 had cost the two battalions 158 killed and 402 wounded. Combined with noncombatant losses, this represented one-fifth of the 173rd Airborne Brigade's strength.^[8] For it's combined actions at Dak To, the 173rd received the Presidential Unit Citation. USA and USAF Presidential Unit Citation Please see Presidential Unit Citation for other versions of this award The Presidential Unit Citation is awarded to units of the Armed Forces of the United States and allies for extraordinary heroism in action on or after 7 December 1941 against an armed enemy. ...

The Bottom Line

In the end, the North Vietnamese were forced to withdraw from the area and back into Laos and North Vietnam. Munitions expenditures matched the ferocity of the fighting: 151,000 artillery rounds, 2,096 tactical air sorties, 257 B-52 strikes, and 40 lost helicopters.^[9] The US Army claimed 1,644 North Vietnamese killed, but this figure was a source of dispute, even at the time. In his memoirs, General Westmoreland mentioned only 1,400 enemy casualties, while some of his staff only went as far as 1,200.^[10] US casualties numbered 289 killed and 985 wounded while the ARVN lost 73 men killed in action. Not all American commanders were happy with the comparison. Marine General John Chaisson questioned "Is it a victory when you lose 362 friendlies in three weeks and by your own spurious body count you only get 1,200?"^[11] B-52 can refer to the following: The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber aircraft A hairstyle popular in the 1950s and 1960s, named after the aircraft A rock band, The B-52s, named after the hairstyle A cocktail This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which...

Without doubt three PAVN regiments had been so battered that they would play no part in the next phase of the winter-spring offensive. But were they supposed to? The 173rd Airborne Brigade and two battalions of the 4th Infantry were in no better shape. General Westmoreland claimed: "we had soundly defeated the enemy without unduly sacrificing operations in other areas. The enemy's return was nil."^[12] But was it? The border battles fought that fall and winter cost PAVN dearly, but they achieved their objective. By January 1968, one -half of all US maneuver battalions were drawn away from the cities and lowlands and into the border areas.^[13]

Several of Westmoreland's staff officers began to see an eerie resemblance to the Viet Minh campaign of 1953, when peripheral actions led up to the climactic Battle of Dien Bien Phu.^[14] General Giap even made claims to such a strategy in an announcement in September, but, to the Americans, it seemed a bit too contrived. Yet, no understandable analysis seemed to explain Hanoi's almost suicidal military actions. They could only be explained if a situation like that at Dien Bien Phu came into being. The Viet Minh (abbreviated from Việt Nam ộc Lập ồng Minh Hội, League for the Independence of Vietnam) was formed by Ho Ngoc Lam and Nguyen Hai Than in 1941 to seek independence for Vietnam from France. ... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries. ... Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Ná»™i)  , estimated population 3,083,800 (2004), is the capital of Vietnam. ...

Then, almost overnight, one emerged. In the western corner of Quang Tri Province, a US Marine outpost came under siege by PAVN forces that eventually numbered three divisions. Giap's strategy was coming to fruition, although in this case the Battle of Khe Sanh would not be the successful repeat of Dien Bien Phu, and would instead end as an almost repeat of Dak To. Combatants United States, Republic of Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Commanders Col. ...

Notes

1. ^ Shelby L. Stanton, The Rise and Fall of an American Army, New York: Dell, 1985.
2. ^ Terrence Maitland, Peter McInerney, et al, A Contagion of War. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1983, p. 168.
3. ^ A Contagion of War, p. 169.
4. ^ Stanton, pps. 163-164.
5. ^ A Contagion of War, p. 175.
6. ^ Contagion of War, p. 175.
7. ^ Albert N. Garland, ed., A Distant Challenge. Nashville TN: Battery Press, 1983, pps. 37-40.
8. ^ Michael Casey, Clark Dougan, Denis Kennedy, Shelby Stanton, et al, The Army at War. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1987.
9. ^ Stanton, p. 168.
10. ^ William Westmoreland, A Soldier Reports. New York: Doubleday, 1976, p. 282. Maitland & McInerney, p. 183.
11. ^ Maitland & McInerney, p. 183.
12. ^ Westmoreland, p. 280.
13. ^ Edward F. Murphy, The Hill Fights. New York: Ballentine Books, 2003, p. 235.
14. ^ Dave R. Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet. New York: Ballentine, 1984, p. 214-215.

Sources

• Casey, Michael, Clark Dougan, Denis Kennedy, Shelby Stanton, et al, The Army at War. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1987.

• Garland, Albert N., A Distant Challenge: The US Infantryman in Vietnam, 1967-1972. Nashville TN: The Battery Press, 1983.

• Maitland, Terrence, Peter McInerney, et al, A Contagion of War. Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1983.

• Murphy, Edward F. The Hill Fights: The First Battle of Khe Sanh. New York Ballentine Books, 2003.

• Palmer, Dave R, Sunmmons of the Trumpet. New York: Ballentine Books, 1984.

• Stanton, Shelby L., The Rise and Fall of an American Army: US Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1965-1973. New York: Dell, 1985.

• Westmoreland, William C., A Soldier Reports. New York: Doubleday, 1976.