Battle of Ong Thanh The Battle of Ong Thanh was fought at the stream of that name on the morning of October 17 , 1967 , in Chơn Thành District , at the time part of the old Bình Dương Province , South Vietnam , today in Bình Phước Province . During the first few months of 1967 , the Viet Cong absorbed heavy losses as a result of large - scale search and destroy missions conducted by the United States Army , and it prompted North Vietnamese leaders to review their war strategy in South Vietnam . In light of the setbacks which North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces had experienced early in 1967 , North Vietnamese General Tran Van Tra suggested that North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces could still be victorious if they inflicted as much casualties as possible on U . S . military units , until America got tired and pulled out from Vietnam . Thus , towards mid - 1967 , the Viet Cong 7th and 9th Divisions returned to the battlefield again , with the objective of inflicting casualties on U . S . military formations in III Corps Tactical Zone . On June 12 , the U . S . 1st Infantry Division launched " Operation Billings " to destroy elements of the Viet Cong 9th Division , which had built - up strength around northern Phuoc Vinh . During that operation , American soldiers made only limited contact with the Viet Cong , but they claimed to have defeated enemy troops in two separate battles . When the operation concluded on June 26 , the 1st Infantry Division had lost 57 soldiers dead and 197 wounded . Then in September , following a string of attacks on allied military installations by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops , Major General John H . Hay decided to temporarily stop conducting large - scale operations until the true intentions of Communist forces were known . Towards October , the Viet Cong 271st Regiment marched into the Long Nguyen Secret Zone , to rest and refit for their next major operation . To disrupt the Viet Cong ' s resting period , General Hay launched " Operation Shenandoah II " to clear a section of National Highway 13 which stretched from Chon Thanh to Loc Ninh . Starting from September 28 , elements of the 1st Infantry Division were air - lifted into positions around Long Nguyen , but again only few contacts were made with the Viet Cong . However , on October 16 , the 2nd Battalion of the U . S . 28th Infantry Regiment found a major Viet Cong bunker system located south of their night defensive position near the Ong Thanh Stream , and a short fire fight broke out . To avoid fighting a long battle , the commander of the 2nd Battalion decided to pull back , and made preparations for a frontal assault on the next day . On the morning of October 17 , two rifle companies of the 2nd Battalion returned to the bunker system they had found the previous day , but they were defeated by the Viet Cong 271st Regiment which had set up an ambush in anticipation of the American attack . Background . In the first half of 1967 , United States military forces in Vietnam had inflicted heavy losses on the Viet Cong , both in terms of infrastructure and manpower , through major ground operations such as " Cedar Falls " , " Junction City " and " Manhattan " . For North Vietnamese military leaders such as Generals Vo Nguyen Giap and Nguyen Chi Thanh , the operations carried out by the Americans in South Vietnam had been disastrous for Communist forces . Furthermore , the military situation in North Vietnam also prompted North Vietnamese leaders to question their war strategy . In 1967 the United States expanded their " Rolling Thunder " bombing campaign , which enabled American airpower to destroy rather than just threaten Hanoi ' s limited industrial infrastructures . Consequently , North Vietnamese leaders feared that if the Red River dikes were targeted by the Americans , Hanoi and the surrounding farmlands would be flooded . At the same time , the North Vietnamese government was afraid the Viet Cong may split in order to accommodate a resolution with the Saigon government , because the U . S . - backed government in the South was showing no sign of collapse . Despite the unfavorable developments in South Vietnam , North Vietnamese General Tran Van Tra believed North Vietnam and the Viet Cong could still win the war if they pursued a strategy of attrition . In other words , the Communist would have to fight on for as long as possible , until the United States recognized that the war was unwinnable and would disengage from the conflict in Vietnam . To achieve that objective at the tactical level , Tra argued that North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces would have to destroy American military units , and cause as many casualties as possible until they got tired and left . Indeed , towards mid - 1967 General Thanh , who had the Viet Cong 7th and 9th Division at his disposal , was out to do just that . In June , U . S . military forces in III Corps Tactical Zone began to detect the build - up of Viet Cong troops in northern Phuoc Vinh located War Zone D . To stop a major enemy attack on Phuoc Vinh , Major General John H . Hay — commander of the U . S . 1st Infantry Division — launched " Operation Billings " with the objective of trapping three Viet Cong battalions in War Zone D . On the first day of the operation , the 1st Infantry Division was able march about into Phuoc Vinh virtually unopposed . On June 13 , the Americans claimed to have killed about 60 Viet Cong soldiers in their first major contact . On June 17 Lieutenant Colonel Rufus C . Lazzell and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion , 16th Infantry Regiment , was air - assaulted into a clearing known as Landing Zone X - Ray to search for the Viet Cong . At about 1 : 00 pm Lazzell ' s battalion was attacked by elements of the Viet Cong 271st Regiment , and the Viet Cong quickly penetrated the 1st Battalion ' s perimeters . However , with the support of artillery and helicopter gunships , Lazzell ' s men repelled repeated Viet Cong attacks for the loss of 35 killed and 150 wounded . On June 26 , " Operation Billings " concluded and the Americans claimed to have killed 347 enemy troops and captured one , at a cost of 57 U . S . soldiers dead and 197 wounded . In August , the Viet Cong was back in action again ; this time the 165th Regiment of the 7th Division targeted the Tong Le Chon Special Forces Camp , located southeast of the 1st Infantry Division ' s area of operations . Just after midnight on August 7 , the 165th Regiment attacked Tong Le Chon and was able to penetrate the Special Forces Camp , but was forced to flee after an ammunition bunker exploded . That night the Viet Cong assaulted the base several times more , but on each occasion they were repelled by artillery fire and close air - support . By September , the scale of Viet Cong and North Vietnamese activities in III Corps had perplexed the U . S . commanders of Military Assistance Command , Vietnam . In the meantime , however , Hay decided to put an end to large - scale operations which had proven to be unproductive , until the enemy ' s real intentions were known . Instead , Hay continued to commit his 2nd Brigade to pacification efforts in southern Binh Duong Province , while the 3rd Brigade provided protection for engineers clearing Highway 13 . Prelude . Following various engagements with the U . S . 1st Infantry Division during the previous months , Colonel Vo Minh Triet , commander of the Viet Cong 271st Regiment , was ordered to move his troops into an area known as the Long Nguyen Secret Zone , which was situated between National Highway 13 and the Michelin Rubber Plantation . It was located about northwest of Saigon , in Binh Duong Province . There , Triet ' s regiment was supposed to receive troop replacements and food supplies , to prepare for a major offensive against an unspecified target in War Zone D . In previous years , the Viet Cong 9th Division had often used the month of September and October to rest and prepare for their winter - spring offensives , and 1967 was no different . For that reason Hay was determined to disrupt the Viet Cong ' s resting period by launching " Operation Shenandoah II " , with the objective of clearing Highway 13 from Chon Thanh to Loc Ninh . On September 29 , Hay ordered Colonel George E . Newman — commander of the 1st Brigade — to place the 1st Battalion , 2nd Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalion , 28th Infantry Regiment , in the northern portion of Long Nguyen . On the next day , Colonel Frank E . Blazey , commander of the 3rd Brigade , was ordered to deploy the 2nd Battalion , 2nd Infantry Regiment and the 2nd Battalion , 28th Infantry Regiment to the southern half of the area . In the early stages of " Shenandoah II " , U . S . forces only made a few contacts with the Viet Cong . On October 2 , a South Vietnamese unit operating east of Highway 13 near Chon Thanh made significant contact with a large Viet Cong formation and absorbed heavy casualties . Enemy documents obtained by the South Vietnamese indicated they had clashed with a battalion - sized unit from the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment , sent to attack Chon Thanh in order to cover the movement of the 271st Regiment into the Long Nguyen area . Early in October , Viet Cong soldiers of the 271st Regiment had arrived in Long Nguyen but they could not obtain their much - needed food supplies , as a result of allied search - and - destroy operations which had created significant food shortages for Viet Cong units in the region . Triet then marched his starving soldiers southward toward the Ong Thanh Stream to link up with Rear Service Group 83 , but local Viet Cong units also lacked adequate food supplies of their own , so the 271st Regiment was forced to wait in the area for the arrival of rice and other essential supplies . Meanwhile , on October 4 the Lieutenant Colonel Joseph R . Stauffer ' s 1st Battalion , 2nd Infantry Regiment , made contact with a company - sized Viet Cong formation about south - west of Chon Thanh , and claimed to have killed 12 enemy soldiers . To pursue the retreating Viet Cong formation , Lieutenant Colonel Richard E . Cavazos — commander of the 1st Battalion , 18th Infantry Regiment — was instructed to conduct an air - assault into a clearing located about west of Stauffer ' battalion , in order to block enemy troops . Cavazos ' battalion landed unopposed , and they immediately set up their standard field position with wire entanglements to protect the base . On October 6 , the 1st Battalion ' s position was subjected to Viet Cong mortar bombardment ; even though the shells had caused little damage , Cavazos believed it was part of the enemy ' s final preparations for a major ground attack later that evening . At around 6 : 00 pm the rain began to fall and the Viet Cong started attacking the battalion ' s camp from different directions , but Cavazos ' men were able to hold their ground , with the support of artillery and mortar fire . By 12 : 00 am the fight was over , and U . S . casualties included 5 killed in action and 4 wounded . Three weeks later a captured Viet Cong soldier from the 2nd Battalion , 271st Regiment , revealed that his unit lost 59 soldiers killed and 56 wounded , in battle with Cavazos ' battalion . On October 8 , Hay pulled Stauffer ' s 1st Battalion back to Phuoc Vinh to act as the division ' s reaction force . Lieutenant Colonel Terry D . Allen — commander of the 2nd Battalion , 28th Infantry Regiment — was then ordered to depart from Lai Khe with three of his rifle companies ( Alpha , Bravo and Delta ) and air - lifted into a site about northwest of Chon Thanh village , and north - west of Cavazos ' 1st Battalion . Charlie Company was detached from Allen ' s 2nd Battalion to protect the supporting 15th Field Artillery Regiment . Two days later , Stauffer ' s battalion was deployed into new blocking positions , as Viet Cong units were believed to be moving toward the Michelin Rubber Plantation . On October 11 , Cavazos led two of his companies out on a northward probe , and they were immediately attacked by the Viet Cong . While under heavy fire , Cavazos ordered the lead company to pull back behind a perimeter formed by the second company . As the lead company fell back , artillery and air support were called in to pummel the Viet Cong ' s attacking formation . When the battle was over , 21 Viet Cong soldiers were found dead , whereas U . S . casualties for the day were 1 killed and 4 wounded . Shortly afterwards , Cavazos ' battalion pulled back to Phuoc Vinh for rest and refitting . By mid - October , Hay believed the Viet Cong ' s 271st Regiment had suffered a major defeat and was ready to withdraw from the Long Nguyen Secret Zone , so he was ready to terminate " Shenandoah II " . However , increased Viet Cong activity near the Ong Thanh Stream , where the 1st Brigade made most of its contacts , had indicated otherwise . Battle . On the morning of October 16 , Allen led two rifle companies ( Bravo and Delta ) of the 2nd Battalion out from their temporary night defensive position along the Ong Thanh Stream to patrol an area to the southeast , which was covered by thick jungle canopy . After marching for about , the battalion found a fortified Viet Cong bunker , so Allen ordered his men to pull back and directed airstrikes against Viet Cong positions . When the bombing runs were over , Allen ’ s men entered the camp and a firefight broke out with Viet Cong snipers firing down from trees in the surrounding areas . Again , Allen ordered his men to pull back and form a perimeter to protect their wounded soldiers , as artillery strikes were called in against Viet Cong bunker positions . The 2nd Battalion re - entered the camp , and they discovered the bodies of 17 dead Viet Cong soldiers . Allen ' s men then moved through the western end of the camp , and another fire - fight broke out with an estimated 60 Viet Cong soldiers . Later that afternoon Allen decided to break contact and return to base , to avoid fighting a battle that could last until the evening . In the meantime , however , he called in air - strikes to inflict further damage on the base camp of his primary target , the 271st Regiment . That evening Brigadier General William Coleman and other senior officers of the 1st Infantry Division visited the 2nd Battalion ' s camp , where they praised Allen ' s men for their efforts , and presented First Lieutenant Clark Welch — commander of Delta Company — with a Silver Star for his actions earlier in the day . Allen then decided to launch a full - frontal attack against the 271st Regiment ' s base camp , to determine if the enemy unit was still there . However , due to the lack of sufficient manpower , Welch suggested that Allen should either call off the assault or get more soldiers on the ground for the operation . Allen dismissed Welch ' s suggestions , and responded by giving Captain James George — commander of Alpha Company — the responsibility of leading the attack instead of Welch . Meanwhile , Triet ' s 1 , 200 - strong regiment was joined by 200 soldiers from the C1 Company of Rear Service Group 83 — under the command of Captain Nguyen Van Lam — and they set up a three - sided ambush and waited for the arrival of a reported U . S . battalion . At around 8 : 00 am on the morning of October 17 , the 2nd Battalion departed from their night defensive position with Alpha Company in the lead followed by the Battalion Command Group , and the tail of the formation was covered by Delta Company . Bravo Company stayed behind to protect the battalion ' s base , along with the mortar sections of Alpha and Delta Companies . In accordance with the 1st Brigade ' s policy , Allen personally led his unit out as part of the Battalion Command Group , although he preferred to supervise actions from a helicopter . For artillery support , Alpha Company was authorized to call upon the 105mm and 155mm howitzers located at Fire Support Bases Caisson V , Caisson III - S and Lorraine III . Allen ' s men marched southward from the base , with the intention of entering the enemy base camp from a slightly different direction to the west . Preceded by marching artillery fire , the 2nd Battalion stopped periodically to conduct cloverleaf patrols to their front , rear and both flanks . At 9 : 56 am the lead element of Alpha Company stumbled upon a northeast - southwest trail , which appeared to have been used within the last hour . The 1st Platoon Leader then requested and received permission to make cloverleaf patrols to the east and west of the trail . Almost immediately , the 1st Platoon sighted a Viet Cong soldier while scouting west of the trail and another group of Viet Cong soldiers soon appeared . George then ordered the 1st Platoon to set up a hasty ambush across the trail , but by the time they were in position the Viet Cong soldiers had disappeared and everything was quiet . About 10 – 15 minutes later , the 1st Platoon Leader reported that trees were moving , in addition to the sound of weapons clicking and the rattle of ammunition . In response , George ordered the 1st Platoon to reinforce their ambush position . While that was happening Alpha Company ' s right flank , which was covered by the 2nd Platoon , began to receive sporadic enemy fire . The rest of the 1st Platoon was then pinned down when the Viet Cong , from within concealed bunker positions , fired on them using captured M60 machine - guns . The Viet Cong steadily increased their fire which came in the form of various small arms , . 50 caliber and 12 . 7mm machine guns . Unable to communicate with the 1st and 2nd Platoons , George moved forward with the 3rd Platoon only to find his lead platoons held in their positions by enemy fire . A Claymore mine then exploded in front of Alpha Company ' s command element , killing the radio operator and severely wounding both George and his Forward Artillery Observer . At around 10 : 40 am gunfire had died down , but Alpha Company was virtually destroyed during 30 minutes of fighting , with the company commander wounded and the leaders of 1st and 2nd Platoons both killed . To break contact with the Viet Cong units which fired on Alpha Company from the western flank , First Sergeant Jose Valdez quickly organized an assembly area on the eastern side to round up the survivors . Shortly after the assembly area was established George , who was severely wounded from the Claymore explosion , turned his company over to Valdez . Allen then ordered Valdez to lead the survivors of Alpha Company northward to join the rest of the battalion . The survivors , mostly from the 2nd and 3rd Platoons of Alpha Company , were then ordered to withdraw through a perimeter formed by Delta Company . As the surviving elements of Alpha Company pulled back , Delta Company began to receive sporadic fire from their southern flank , so Allen ordered his command group to remain in place near a prominent anthill with the 1st and 2nd Platoons of Delta Company . The 3rd Platoon , on the other hand , was instructed to move forward to assist the wounded men from Alpha Company . As Viet Cong fire increased in intensity , the soldiers of Delta Company picked up the distinctive sound of a U . S . - made M - 60 machine - gun firing from the southern flank . Allen assumed that Alpha Company was approaching his perimeter , so he ordered them to cease - fire because he feared his rifle companies were firing on each other . However , the order was also passed down along the formation of Delta Company , which enabled the Viet Cong soldiers of the 271st Regiment to gain fire superiority . At around 11 : 35 am , Triet unleashed his 2nd Battalion which was placed in reserve during the battle , and they attacked Welch ' s Delta Company from three different directions . During that time Allen tried to request artillery support , but that had become impossible due to the close proximity between U . S . and Viet Cong soldiers . In a scene that had characterized the destruction of Alpha Company earlier , both Allen and Welch were wounded in battle as Viet Cong snipers fired down from the trees . Nonetheless , just before 12 : 00 pm , Allen instructed Delta Company to begin a northward march toward the battalion ' s base , and Bravo Company to move forward to cover the withdrawal . The withdrawal quickly descended into a scene of chaos , as U . S . soldiers scrambled to avoid heavy enemy fire . During the last moments of the battle , Allen was struck in the head by machine - gun fire which grazed his helmet , and was finally killed when another burst of machine - gun fire hit him . At around 12 : 20 pm Newman flew into Ong Thanh to assume command of the 2nd Battalion , while Coleman took control of the 1st Brigade . Meanwhile , Alpha Company had linked up with Bravo Company , which had taken up positions about to the south of the battalion ' s night defensive position with the task of assisting the wounded . At around 2 : 00 pm that afternoon , the 2nd Battalion ' s Charlie Company was airlifted into Ong Thanh from FSB Caisson V , as Bravo Company moved into the battle area to help evacuate the wounded . Coleman , who was coordinating the evacuation of U . S . casualties from a helicopter , decided to assemble the bodies of the dead in an area and protect it with artillery fire . By that stage , however , Triet ' s 271st Regiment had withdrawn from the battlefield , and medivac flights were only challenged by sporadic sniper fire . Aftermath . At around 12 : 00 pm Triet had already ordered his troops to disengage from the battle in the belief that all American soldiers had been killed , and also to avoid possible air - strikes from the fearsome B - 52 bombers . Although not every American soldier was killed as Triet had expected , the battle at Ong Thanh was nonetheless a costly affair for the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion , 28th Infantry Regiment . During two hours of fighting the 2nd Battalion lost 64 men killed in action , including Lieutenant Colonel Terry Allen and every member of the Battalion Command Group , as well as 75 wounded and 2 missing . For their efforts in the battle , 13 American soldiers were awarded the Silver Star , while Allen and Welch received the Distinguished Service Cross . Forward Observer Second Lieutenant Harold B . Durham , who was attached to the 2nd Battalion on the day from the 15th Field Artillery Regiment , was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions . Despite the losses that had been inflicted on the 2nd Battalion by the Viet Cong , the U . S . military told the media that the fight at Ong Thanh had resulted in a major American victory . However , American veterans who had survived from the ordeals of the battle are still adamant they were ambushed and were subsequently defeated by the Viet Cong ' s 271st Regiment . In addition , the figure of 103 enemy dead officially provided by the U . S . military may have been inflated , in order to emphasize the scale of the ' American victory ' . For retired U . S . Army Brigadier General James E . Shelton , who was then a major and served as an Operations Officer with the 2nd Battalion , the lack of reliable intelligence and overconfidence on the part of Allen as the battalion commander , were some of the factors that led to the disastrous outcome in the Ong Thanh battle . Furthermore , the American soldiers under Allen ' s command lacked fighting experience , whereas the Viet Cong soldiers of the 9th Division were among some of the best light infantry in the world with years of experience . The Viet Cong 271st Regiment , after their victory at Ong Thanh , withdrew back towards their base area near the Cambodian border . Meanwhile , the rest of the Viet Cong 9th Division was planning for a major attack on Loc Ninh , with the objective of capturing the district town and the Special Forces Camp . To accomplish their goals the Viet Cong deployed the 272nd and 273rd Regiments , reinforced with two battalions from the 165th Regiment and the Vietnam People ' s Army 84th Artillery Regiment . During the days before the battle , U . S . military intelligence had noticed the build - up of Viet Cong units around Loc Ninh . Hay , in response , planned to insert four battalions of the 1st Infantry Division and position them around Loc Ninh , thereby trapping the Viet Cong inside the town . On the evening of October 28 , the 272nd Regiment marched into position from the northeast , and the 273rd Regiment from west . At 1 : 15 am on October 29 , the 273rd Regiment began assaulting the Loc Ninh Special Forces Camp , but they were quickly repelled by U . S . - led Special Forces . At around 6 : 30 am the remaining elements of Bravo and Charlie Companies 2nd Battalion , 28th Infantry Regiment , were airlifted onto the Loc Ninh airfield , to set up a firebase at the field ' s south - western end . The soldiers of Alpha and Delta Companies were sent back to their Base Camp at Lai Khe to adjust to the losses they had suffered , and to be kept away from enemy activity .