Battle of Dong Xoai
Part of Vietnam War
Date June 10-June 11, 1965 Location Dong Xoai, South Vietnam Result Viet Cong tactical victory
Combatants
Viet Cong	South Vietnam United States
Commanders
Le Trong Tan	Cao Van Vien, Charles W. Williams
Strength
1,500	10,000
Casualties
700+ estimated KIA	ARVN: 800+ killed U.S: 7 killed, 15 wounded and 13 missing

The Battle of Dong Xoai was a battle that occurred during the early stages of the Vietnam War. Dong Xoai district was manned by US-trained South Vietnamese special forces (Luc Luong Dac Biet, LLDB) and militiamen (Civil Irregular Defense Force, CIDG), those troops were reinforced with two more battalions following VC attacks on Phuoc Binh and Song Be. With a strong defence system the ARVN were confident that their base could withstand a Viet Cong attack, but they were wrong. 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... June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... Image File history File links FNL_Flag. ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_South_Vietnam. ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... The Politics of Marshall, Texas is centered on the city commission chaired by Ed Smith and other city commissioners, Ed Carlile, Jack Hester, Katie Jones, Mike McMurry, John Wilborn, and Alonza Williams, as well as City Manager Frank Johnson. ... 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 United States South Vietnam Casualties U.S casualties: 8 killed, 109 wounded and 20 aircraft destroyed or damaged. ... 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 North Vietnam United States Commanders Nguyen Huu An Col. ... Operation Hastings was an American military operation in the Vietnam War. ... Combatants United States South Vietnam North Vietnam Strength 395 2,000 Casualties U.S: 8 killed, 12 wounded and 5 missing South Vietnam: 47 killed or missing Unknown (U.S estimates put the number at 800) The Battle of A Shau was waged during the Vietnam War. ... 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 United States North Vietnam Viet Cong Commanders Major Guy S. Meloy Unknown Casualties 155 US killed 494 US wounded At least 1,106 killed Operation Attleboro was a search-and-destroy operation by the 196th Light Infantry Brigade. ... Operation Cedar Falls was conducted by the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War on January 8 – January 26, 1967 to rout out Viet Cong base camps in the so-called Iron Triangle. ... 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Dong Xoai

The Dong Xoai Special Forces Camp was located in Phuoc Long Province, about 55 miles northwest of Saigon, South Vietnam. On May 25, 1965, personnel from Detachment A-342 were flown in following the camp's completion. Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: Thành Chí Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ... Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon Last President Duong Van Minh Last Prime Minister Vu Van Mau Area  - Total  - % water 173,809 km² N/A Population  - Total  - Density 19,370,000 (1973 est. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

From the day the Special Forces arrived the camp was often subjected to mortar bombardment by the Viet Cong, without knowledge of the Viet Cong's real intentions, the special forces inside the camp believed it was the usual harassment. However, over the period of two weeks, the rate of VC attacks increased. Despite the frequent attacks the camp's personnel had little time to prepare for the final Viet Cong onslaught. A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ...

Battle of Dong Xoai

The battle began on June 10 after midnight when the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment, part of the VC 9th Division, launched attacks with constant mortar bombardment and small arms fire, hitting bunkers and machine gun positions. The defensive perimeters around the sub-sector were falling one by one. June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ...

Due to the surprise of the early morning attack, the soldiers inside the district had little time to react. Second Lieutenant Charles W. Williams, executive officer of the special forces detachment, ordered his men to take a defensive position inside the district headquarters after he realised that the camp was nearly overrun by VC forces.

At dawn U.S and South Vietnamese air forces conducted air strikes on VC positions with napalm but the Viet Cong held on to their positions inside the rubber plantations. While the Viet Cong continued their bombardment of the camp, a UH-1 Huey of the U.S 118th Aviation Company had left Tan Son Nhut airport with elements of the ARVN 5th Infantry Division onboard. Their main mission was to reinforce the camp's beleaguered defenders. The Bell UH-1 Iroquois, commonly known as the Huey, was a multipurpose military helicopter, famous for its use in the Vietnam war. ... Hồ Chí Minh International Airport (also called Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport) is Vietnams largest international airport. ...

Anti-aircraft fire by VC small companies prevented heliborne reinforcements from landing as the South Vietnamese troops on the ground were taking heavy casualties. Later in the day additional reinforcements from the ARVN's 42nd Ranger Battalion were forced to land at Thuan Loi, where they clambered out and immediately exchanged fire, and fighting continued into the night. One US Battalion had landed at Dong Xoai airstrip but was not committed into battle by General Westmoreland. General William Westmoreland William Childs Westmoreland (March 26, 1914 – July 18, 2005) was a U.S. Army General who commanded American military operations in the Vietnam War at its peak from 1964 to 1968 and who served as US Army Chief of Staff from 1968 to 1972. ...

Conditions inside the Dong Xoai district continued to deteriorate with food, water, medicine and ammunition supplies running low. Dreading another night inside the camp, the decision was made to evacuate the district.

By the early morning of June 11 the Viet Cong had withdrawn and disappeared into the jungle leaving behind a battered ARVN force. The demoralised and panic-stricken ARVN suffered more than 800 killed, while the US suffered 35 casualties. June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ...

Aftermath

The heavy casualties suffered at Dong Xoai was another humiliation for the South Vietnamese government. Once again demonstrating the inability of the regular South Vietnamese Army to deal with the Viet Cong guerillas during the early phases of the conflict. 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 Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ...

Although the Viet Cong failed in their attempt to capture the district of Dong Xoai, they still managed to achieve the objective of inflicting damages on the best ARVN units. The Viet Cong melted away taking with them a tactical victory as well as more propaganda opportunities, according to the National Liberation Front the victory at Dong Xoai "added another glorious page to the history of the struggle of the South Vietnamese Liberation Army against the war of U.S Imperialist Aggression". National Liberation Front is a common name for guerrilla organisations fighting to free their country from foreign rule, or at least claiming to be such an organisation. ...

The Viet Cong 272nd Regiment was known as the "Dong Xoai Regiment" within the National Liberation Front in the aftermath of their military victory.

References

• Captured documents: History of the 272nd Regiment, 9th PLAF Division. 1968
• Dougan.C, Doyle.E, Lipsman.S, Martland.T, Weiss.S (1983) The Vietnam Experience: A Contagion of War. Boston Publishing Company, USA.

Link

• Dong Xoai: Seabees Earn a Special Place in Combat History