Battle of Prek Klok II The Battle of Prek Klok II occurred on March 10 , 1967 , during Operation Junction City when American military forces were conducting a search and destroy operation against the Viet Cong forces in Tay Ninh Province west of the capital of South Vietnam , Saigon . During the course of the operation they had already had a significant engagement in the Battle of Prek Klok I . During the night , Artillery Fire Support Patrol Base II at Prek Klok was attacked by two communist battalions , resulting in a short battle . This was the second major battle of Operation Junction City . The communists started by mortaring the base and launching anti - tank fire at the armored personnel carrier s ( APCs ) surrounding the base . Attacks came from the north and east , followed by an infantry charge out of wooded areas from the southwest . With the help of air strikes from nearby planes , as well as artillery and ample supplies flown in by helicopter , the Americans easily repelled the communist attack , which consisted of two battalions . The Americans killed 197 communists but lost only three of their men . Background and preparations . On the evening of March 10 , the 2d Battalion ( Mechanized ) , 2d Infantry ( minus Company B ) , commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Edward J . Collins , was securing the perimeter of Artillery Fire Support Patrol Base II located at Prek Klok on Route 4 , 20 kilometers north of Nui Ba Den . Inside the circular " wagon train " perimeter of the base were the headquarters , and B and C Batteries of the 2d Battalion , 33d Artillery under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles D . Daniel , as well as elements of the 168th Engineer Battalion . The engineers were engaged in building a Special Forces and Civilian Irregular Defense Group camp and airfield in the area . The point of the CIDG was to involve local villagers from minority religious and ethnic groups in anti - communist defense efforts in isolated rural areas . Nui Ba Den had long been a stronghold for guerrilla fighters for over a century . During the 19th century , the area was a favored organizing area and hideout for rebel movements opposed to the ruling Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam . It was heavily used by religiously - motivated peasant movements that were usually led by millenarian self - styled mystics . This continued into the 20th century as these new religious movements were often able to quickly gather supporters through claims of supernatural powers and promises to defeat French colonialists . The rugged terrain and dense foliage made the area ideal for guerillas and the communists had entrenched themselves there in recent times . The 2d Battalion ' s armored personnel carrier s ( APCs ) were placed at 50 - meter intervals around the base perimeter . The areas between the tracks were protected by foxholes manned by infantry , engineers , and artillerymen . Just after sunset , the troops on the perimeter fired their weapons to test their readiness and put on a show of force to the communists in the vicinity . Ambush patrols and listening posts left the perimeter of the base for their sentry positions in the surrounding jungle for the night . At about 20 : 30 , men of an A Company listening post to the east of the perimeter , while moving into position , reported seeing and engaging three Viet Cong with unknown results . Collins placed the battalion on 75 percent alert and artillery harassing fires continued . Attack . At 2200 the Viet Cong commenced a heavy mortar attack on the circle of American troops . Within two minutes , the Americans began to respond through heavy mortar platoons led by Sergeant First Class Kenneth D . Davis . In all , Davis and his men fired a total of 435 rounds during the battle . In a period of half an hour , around 200 rounds of 120 - mm , 82 - mm , and 60 - mm communist mortar fire exploded inside the base . The Viet Cong also employed 75 - mm . recoilless rifles and RPG2 antitank weapons against the perimeter of the base . Several tracks were hit and 20 US troops were wounded and helicopters were brought in to evacuate the injured . As soon as the mortar barrage ended , Colonel Collins directed all his units to conduct a reconnaissance by fire of the area 200 – 600 meters beyond the perimeter . After the reconnaissance by fire ended , two communist battalions launched a ground attack from the east into the positions held by A Company at about 2230 . During the attack , Staff Sergeant Richard A . Griffin of A Company ran from his sheltered position to resupply his comrades along the perimeter with ammunition . When the ground attack began , he returned to his machine gun and placed a heavy volume of accurate fire on the enemy . He was later awarded the Bronze Star with valor . The Americans at the camp called the 3d Brigade tactical command post at Suoi Da to request to provide close tactical air support , artillery , medical evacuation for the wounded , and ammunition resupply . Medical evacuation and resupply were provided by five Hueys and a light fire team . The helicopters made 64 sorties were flown into Bases I and II . With their landing lights on , the aircraft brought in 16 tons of supplies . One hundred tactical air sorties supported the American ground forces . In addition to the main infantry attack from the east , the Viet Cong launched smaller attacks from the northeast and southeast with recoilless rifles and automatic weapons one the A Company positions . Three of Company A ' s armored personnel carriers were hit by RPG2 rounds and one track received a direct hit from a mortar round . On the southwestern side of the American base , C Company was met by another communist attack head on . Moving parallel to the highway along the western side of the road , the Viet Cong ran across 500 meters of open ground towards C Company ' s positions from the southwest . Continuous fire from the Americans quickly overwhelmed the communists . The company never reported seeing more than a platoon of Viet Cong in the clearing , although many more communists fired from the woods . When the mortar attack started , the artillery defensive concentrations which ringed the entire perimeter of the base were fired . As the communist attacks commenced , adjustments in the aim were made toward and onto the attacks . Nearby US artillery units at Bases I and III as well as at Prek Klok base itself swept the area around the perimeter with over five thousand rounds , while the 3d Brigade ' s forward air controllers directed the air strikes . When the first US Air Force flight arrived in the area , Route 4 was declared a fire co - ordination line between the artillery and the aircraft . To the west of the road the artillery fired to stop the communist assault , while to the east American air power dropped bombs , rockets , and fired 20 - mm cannon fire . The massive and use of air strikes and artillery was the main reason for the eventual US victory . After an hour of heavy fighting , the main part of the Viet Cong attack had been repelled . Sniper fire continued as the Viet Cong withdrew , and it was about 04 : 30 that the communists stopped firing . Early morning ground and aerial observation of the area disclosed 197 enemy killed , while five wounded Viet Cong were taken prisoner , along with 12 weapons and some documents . The Americans lost 3 killed and 38 wounded . From the captured documents the attacking communist force was determined by the Americans to be two battalions of the 272d Regiment of the 9th Viet Cong Division .