The 4th Marine Battalion
and the battle of Binh Gia 30-12-1969
Major Tran Ngoc Toan
* General situation :
Binh Gia was a village of Phuoc Tuy Province (previous name: Ba Ria). In 1954, Ba Ria was one of the VC gathering points for the VC to board boats heading to the North. Meanwhile, 1 million northerners were fleeing to the South. A number of them settled in the town of Phuoc Tinh, which is close to the sea. Others - particularly those who originated from Thanh Hoa and Nghe An, settled in Binh Gia since 1955. Most of them were Catholics.
The Binh Gia village was organized like a strategic hamlet, and lied on both sides of the interprovince route 327. The surface of this road was covered in stones. The village was protected by a bamboo hedge, minefields and traps with grenades, and was 4km from the Duc Thanh district. In the west of Binh Gia was Ngai Giao, and east of it was Quang Giao rubber forest, with the Ray river running from the north to the south of the forest. Following the river in a south-westerly direction, one would meet Xuyen Moc, which was an unsafe village. The VC used to use this place as their departing place to attack Binh Giaï
Binh Gia lay in the east, about 67km away from Saigon as the crow flies. It was 18km away from Phuoc Le, and 38km away from Vung Tau. Its main route of circulation was the interprovincial route 2, which joined National Route 1 and National Route 15, and passed by Bien Hoa city.
* Sequences of operation :
To celebrate the 4th birthday of NLF, the VC Company 445 of Ba Ria locals attacked the Binh Gia strategic hamlet which had been safeguarded by 2 Patoons of Safety Forces in the morning (3/12/1964). At the same time, battalion 1, regiment Q761 encircled and shelled the district. Two days later, Colonel Tran Thanh Chieu, assistant of General Cao Van Vien, from MR III Headquarters, ordered Ranger Battalion 30 to be airlifted to a LZ southwest of Duc Thanh, and from there to start opening an operation to emancipate Binh Giaï The conflict was rather violent. The enemy was weakened and they retreated.
On 8/12, the VC Company 445 was reinforced by an infantry company and then returned to attack Binh Gia for the second time. At the same time, VC eastern region headquarters sent battalion 3, regiment Q761 and battalion 5, regiment Q762 to attack the Dat Do district. Their artillery battalion 80 shelled both the Xuyen Moc and Duc Thanh districts and also the ARVN training center Van Kiep, to support the above mentioned attacks. The VC units were repelled and their shellings caused unremarkable damage.
On 9/12, Armor Battalion 3, Regiment 1 opened an operation to deblock Inter-Province Route 2. Four days later, on its return to its base, Armor Battalion 3 was caught in an ambush of VC Regiment 762 at Binh Ba, 600m from Cau River. All 14 M113 APC were destroyed, and Captain Ngoc, the battalion commander, was killed in action
Years later, Armor Brigadier General Ly Tong Ba recounted that the fighting had been violent. Cavalrymen had fought resolutely. At the beginning, 3 APC had been destroyed. The remaining M113 had been rearranged into a steel circle and had fired short range rockets at the enemy. US bombers, jetfighters and helicopters then intervened; causing heavy casualty losses for the VC.
* The 4th Marine Battalion participation in battles :
One day after Armor Battalion 3 was ambushed; the 4th Marine Battalion - then being a reserve force for III Corps - was lifted by helicopter to the west edge of Binh Gia village to release VC pressure and to clear the battlefield at Binh Baï
The helilift extended from early in the morning until dusk. Only one Company was helifted at a time. The VC had not reaction. After gathering as a whole, the Battalion was deployed in formation and advanced towards Binh Ba. When the Battalion moved across Binh Gia, civilian residents lighted torches or lamps to illuminate both sides of the road. They greeted the Marines, offering fruit, candies and biscuits, their greeting of such warmth that everybody felt comforted and enthusiastic when they proceeded to the battlefield, even though it was already dark. After leaving the village and reaching inter-province route 2, the Battalion changed direction towards Phuoc Tuy province, with a widened advancing formation (one on each side) to both rubber plantations, which had been already abandoned for a long time because of a lack of safety. After 1 hour, in the darkness of the night, the Battalion Commander gave an order to stop and to position overnight inside the rubber plantation. There was no sign of the VC throughout the night. Early next morning, the 4th Marine Battalion continued in the southern direction. After some kilometers the spearheading troops detected the place where the Armor Battalion 3 had been ambushed the previous day. A number M113 APC was charred lying on the side of the road, next to the rubber plantations. VC had dismantled all heavy weapons of those APC. Bodies of cavalrymen were robbed of uniforms, shoes and socks, by the VC. Cavalrymen's personal firearms were still there lying on the battleground. There still was the odour of gunpowder and charred bodies. The 4th Battalion stopped, deployed and gathered the cavalrymen's bodies and put them on the sides of the route, waiting to be transported to the province of Phuoc Tuy.
At noon, the Battalion opened the road to Phuoc Tuy. The enemy had withdrawn out of the ambush area.
The next day, the Battalion opened the route, north of National Route 15, from Phuoc Tuy to Long Thanh. No VC activities were noted. From Long Thanh the Battalion continued its movement towards the flooded Rung Sat. Here there was only a small skirmish.
The following day, the battalion was transported by GMC trucks to Di An base. It was an old base of an artillery unit, about 3km west of Cay Lon T junction. Each day, the Battalion sent a company to Bien Hoa airport to become a ready force for III Corps.
On 22/12, a NVA Cargo ship carrying 44 tons of weapons landed at Loc An. The most notable guns were the CTC personal firearms, AK 47 rifles, K50, RPD machine guns and the B40 anti-tank rockets. These weapons were immediately distributed to NVA participating in this campaign.
In the night of 28/12/1964, NVA companies 445 and 2 of battalion 1, regiment Q761 returned to attack Binh Gia for the third time, and they used 75mm recoilless rifles as weapons against the Duc Thanh district. The next morning, the 38th Ranger Battalion was helilifted to a barren heath, southwest of Duc Thanh to remove the enemy pressure at this district. Rangers advanced in 3 prongs which were all encountering the enemy. The latter had digged trunches and built bunkers, ready to assault ARVN reinforcements. In the occurrences of such a situation, the 33th Ranger Battalion were sent there to reinforce. The enemy had ambushed at the landing zone, causing heavy losses to this unit. The battalion commander and one company commander were killed.
The next day, the 30th Ranger Battalion was helilifted to southwest of Binh Giaï This helilift met no enemy resistance. But during the whole day the 30th Battalion was attacked strongly and could not make contact with the remainder of Battalion 38, although they were helped by civilians inside the church of Binh Gia strategic hamlet.
The 4th Marine Battalion was the last reserve force of III Corps and was ordered to quickly move to Bien Hoa airport. A fleet of US helicopters had been waiting there. The battalion had about 550 fighters:
* Major Nguyen van Nho: Commanding Officer
* Captain Tran Van Hoan: Executive Officer
* Company Commanders were:
- 1st Lieutenant Tran Ngoc Toan (Company 1).
- 1st Lieutenant Do Huu Tung (Company 2).
- 1st Lieutenant Nguyen Dang Tong (Company 3).
- 2nd Lieutenant Trinh Van Hue (Company 3).
* US advisors: Major Eller and 1st Lieutenant Bradly
Company 1 of 1st Lieutenant Toan jumped first, at a landing zone north west of Binh Gia village. Some young men of the village voluntarily showed the company the minefield and grenade traps which had been set up by Binh Gia residents and local forces to hinder the entry of NVA.
However, Company 1 was careful not to advance immediately but to deploy widely to protect the safety of the landing zone for the following helilift of the Battalion. After the landing had been accomplished, the Battalion Commander gave the order to deploy in an advancing formation and to move towards the target. Company 1 widened its formation and aimed at the church of Binh Gia to advance. The whole battalion rapidly stormed forward. Only nearly half an hour later, the 4th Marine Battalion made contacts with both Ranger Battalions 30 and 38. From this springboard, the two prongs of Marine and Ranger succeeded in repelling the enemy out of Binh Gia village. Villagers cheered while gun sounds continued to clatter. They did not care about the danger. They rushed out to cooperate with the troops in the dislodgement of NVA. At late afternoon that day, Binh Gia village was completely set free. The priest of the village asked the villagers to kill cows to invite troops for a celebration feast. More than 100 Ranger survivors had wounds in their bodies after 2 days of fighting with the NVA whose number had been 3 or 4 times more numerous. In fact, the 30th Ranger Battalion was still surviving mainly due to the support and the help of the Binh Gia villagers.
During that night, NVA returned to attack in the southeast of the village. Villagers detected them, rang bells and drummed loudly to alarm everybody. Finally they were repelled by troops and villagers.
Major Eller the chief advisor of the 4th Marine Battalion had requested helicopter gunships to enter the area and give support by air strikes.
Early in the morning of 31/12/1964, the US Marine Advisory Team in Saigon sent Captain D. D. Cook and 3 NCO of the US Marine 3rd Division positioning in Okinawa, to the 4th Marine Battalion to observe the Vietnam battlefields.
US Captain Cook, a signal corps officer was assigned to go with 1st Lieutenant Tran Ngoc Toan's company. The previous night while pursuing the enemy during their retreat, a US gunship had been destroyed in Quang Giao rubber forest, next to Xuyen Son village. The 4th Marine Battalion Headquarters organized a briefing and informed officers about an order of the III Corps. The Battalion was to perform an operation to find out information about the helicopter and its 4 member crew.
Company 2 of 1**** Lieutenant Do Huu Tung spearheaded the entry into Quang Giao. The distance measured on the map was about 2km. It was a loose forest, with low hills and a deserted rubber plantation. That Company had 120 Marines, and they were deployed in formation and advanced towards the target. About 1 hour later, through a radio ANPRC10, 1st Lieutenant Tung reported that the helicopter with 4 US crew members, whom were already killed, had been found. At the same time, from the direction of the target, firearm clattering sounds, grenades and artillery explosions reverberated in Binh Giao village. The enemy had encircled Company 2 but the latter was effectively combating and trying to hold the enemy feet. In this fighting, 2 of the 6 Second Lieutenants (of Class 19 Dalat Military Academy) who had been newly assigned to the 4th Battalion, were killed. They were 2nd Lieutenant Vo Thanh Khang (top of the class) and 2nd Lieutenant Nguyen Van Hung. US aircraft participated very actively. The Battalion Commander - Nguyen Van Nho, reacted swiftly. He ordered the whole Battalion to go to the rescue. The route between Binh Gia and Quang Giao was the selected route. Company 1 was on the left, Company 3 of 1st Lieutenant Trinh Van Hue on the right and Company 4 of 1st Lieutenant Nguyen Dang Tong in the rear. The Battalion Headquarters and the Commanding Company were in the miñle. The Companies widened their deployment, searching inside the rubber forest.
The first boys of Company 1 made contacts with Company 2. I continued to let my boys advance further until I met 1st Lieutenant Do Huu Tung. We were so glad. Tung told me that NVA had been very numerous, wearing Nam Dinh yellow uniforms camouflaged with twigs and leaves. They had used 82mm mortars to massively shell them before charging towards Company 2.
We received orders to advance very carefully. We saw in the deserted rubber plantation with chest-high-level tiger grass shadows of some NVA. I had to give orders to my boys to refrain from pursuing them, for the fear of falling inside their ambushes. In the miñle of the rubber forest, I saw Vo Thanh Khang's and Nguyen Van Hung's bodies. They had just received their Platoons the day before! Next to them were the downed gunships and 4 US bodies.
The Battalion Headquarters ordered us to stop and deploy, waiting for the arrival of the Medevac helicopter. It was about 2:00pm of 31/12/1964.
About 1 hour later, a US helicopter from Vung Tau arrived and landed at the edge of the forest. They only took the 4 US bodies and just took off. There were about another 15 Vietnamese Marines bodies packed in ponchos being left there, waiting for another helicopter arrival. But no helicopter was seen until 4:00pm. Major Nho had to order Companies 4 and 2 to carry those bodies by foot to the Binh Gia village.
When all preparations for the Medevac was accomplished, the first volley of NVA shelling fell on the 4th Battalion's position. The enemy fired continuously with mortars and 75 mm recoilless rifles. A number of rounds exploded on top of rubber trees, causing the branches to wildly fall down. After their barrages, NVA from all 4 directions charged. The 4th Battalion fought back and stopped many NVA human waves. They used "Encircle and Cut" tactics. The combat became increasingly violent. Both sides stuck to each tree trunk, to each mound edge. It was a real close combat. NVA consisted of about 1 regiment. They came out of a thick forest in front of us and charged like a flood. After half an hour of fighting, Major Nguyen Van Nho, the Battalion Commander, and Dr Truong Ba Han, were killed. Captain Tran Van Hoan - the executive officer - was wounded in the chest. His bodyguard, a truthful ethnic Nung solider, placed him on his back. With his rifle and rucksack on one shoulder, the bodyguard ran carrying Captain Hoan piggyback to Binh Gia village. Only when the bodyguard put his Commander down he realised that the officer had already died. Sinking in a heartbroken state, he knelt next to the officer's body, for about an hour, in front of the admiring and lamenting eyes of the villagers.
Major Eller had been wounded when approaching Quang Giao and had been evacuated. 1st Lieutenant Bradly replaced him to guide US air strikes. He survived the Binh Gia battle and was promoted "on the battlefield" to Captain.
Back to the battle in Quang Giao rubber forest, the NVA continued to assault waves after waves. They used horns and shouts of charge to try to intimidate Marine Companies. Marines hid behind rubber tree trunks for combat. A number of Marines were wounded by the NVA’s first volley of shelling. The defensive line of Company 4 in the north direction was breached. From a hill in the rubber forest, I looked downwards and saw VC local forces and NVA in kaki yellow uniform which had been camouflaged with twigs and leaves. They charged forward after each barrage of shelling, but was still unable to pierce the defensive lines of the other Marine Companies. The enemy pressure was increasing. 1st Lieutenant Hue ordered Company 3 to move uphill to reinforce and to fight side by side with Company 1. During this movement 1st Lieutenant Hue was wounded in the abdomen, and then a clip of NVA machine gun took his life. Second Lieutenant the executive officer of Company 3, was also wounded in the leg while he was directing Platoon 1 of 2nd Lieutenant Tran Huy Tin and Platoon 3 of 2nd Lieutenant Lam Van Xuan. The defensive line of Company 1 was reinforced to the edge of the forest.
Captain D.D. Cook, the US signal officer who had been accompanying Company 1 was also wounded in the thigh. I took my personal bandage out, and bandaged his wound. Then I told Private 1st class Nguyen Van Hai to support Captain Cook and to try to return to Binh Gia village. They managed to leave the battlefield safely but were later encircled and captured by NVA at the edge of the forest. While being led away during the night, Private 1st class Hai managed to untie himself and to escape to Binh Gia the next day.
(Later NVA confirmed that Captain Cook had been kept successively in different prison camps in the South and had died. US considered him as Missing In Action and continued to promote him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel)
The fighting continued on the low hill. VC attacked on the back of Companies 1 and 3. The machine gunner of Company 3, by himself loaded his gun (because the gun loader had been killed), and continuously fired at NVA. Their formation ruptured and became disordered.
Marines still held their ground before NVA waves of charge, although a great number of officers and the ranks had been killed or wounded still lying there. My company medic (US word for nurse) Nguyen Em, was busy running here and there, coming to the rescue, bandaging wounds for friends. He did not care about bullets. But finally he also died in the thick net of NVA bullets.
After 2 hours of fierce fighting, the curtain of the night suñenly fell down, covering the thick forest and the Quang Giao rubber plantation. During that 2 hour period, I used my AR15 which had been introduced by the US into Vietnam for testing for the first time, to shoot at the NVA, one after another. Finally, I was wounded at my right leg. I had no more of my personal bandages, but at that moment, I seemingly had no concern about it.
Darkness was quickly total. The bullet nets of both sides interlaced with each other. A number of my Company under-officers and soldiers retreated from the forefront line and informed me that all 4 platoon leaders and many soldiers had been killed. 1st Sergeant Nguyen Van Khien, the vice platoon leader of Platoon 3, looked around, counted heads and told me: Our company, now only had more than 20 around here.
Being unable to contact the Battalion Headquarters, I had to firmly decide to open an escaping path to the edge of the plantation, and then to retreat to Binh Gia. I informed all survivors about my decision. Then everybody simultaneously stood up, fired running forward. Since I had been wounded on the right leg, I ran limping. But then, suddenly from an unknown direction, a second bullet hit my left thigh. My whole body swayed and forwardly fell down. Corporal Nguyen Tu, my RTO carrying the radio set to frequency Battalion, cried out in pain and also fell down next to me. I quickly removed the radio out of his shoulder and fired at it with a clip to destroy it. Private 1st class Khanh, my other RTO, squatted down next to me and nervously asked: "1st Lieutenant! Are you okay? Let me carry you piggyback and run".
I pushed onto his shoulder and said: "I am severely wounded. You run to Binh Gia village and leave me here."
Khanh earnestly pleaded with me: "I can't abandon you here! Let me carry you on my back!"
Guns sounds were incessantly clattering. I answered as if I was shouting: "Run! Run away!"
All gun sounds suñenly ceased. It was a terrifying silence. The space seemed as if it was condensed. I heard NVA calling one another. There were footsteps walking towards me. I held my breath, simulated death and lay immobile next to the body of Corporal Tuï A NVA used his foot to kick on my body and then fired a clip of K50. Fortunately, bullets just slid on my left chest skin superficially, and caused the shirt of my uniform to be partly and slightly burned. I still faked death, lying motionlessly. Then I heard NVA calling each other to retreat. Their footsteps became further and further away, giving the silence back to the forest. Insect voices suñenly became louder, forming a tragic musical piece. The desolate forest was extraordinary eerie. It seemed that all fears, anxieties and emotions had disappeared. I felt all of a suñen very and completely calm. All I had to do then was to crawl away, the further the better. There were some illuminating flares, dropped by aircraft, in the distance. I guessed it was in the direction of Binh Giaï That was the light which gave direction to many Marines getting lost in the forest. Throughout the day, I had no meal, no water. My strength dried up, but my stamina still grew. The instinct of survival was a force against all weakness of the body. I attempted to lean on my rifle butt, to stand up. But I could not, because the intense pains of my lower limbs. I fell down again. But I still had my hands. I tried to sit up, tore from my undershirt some strips and used them to clumsily bandage my two wounds. Then I crawled forward in the direction of the illuminating flares.
After two days and three nights, I had my AR15 with 15 last canisters. I had crawled through the forest to the eastern area of Binh Gia village.
On the 3/1/1965, Airborne Battalions 1 and 3 were helilifted to the east of Binh Gia to perform an operation to pursue retreating NVAÙs. Meanwhile, the 7th Airborne Battalion was opening the route from Phuoc Le to Binh Ba, and to collect friendly unit's bodies. In the banana trees garden at the edge of Binh Gia village, I heard voices of friendly troops, but I could not call. My throat was like being blocked by something. I used both of my hands to clap as strongly as possible on a banana tree trunk. An Airborne squad advanced towards me. They lifted me up by hands. An Airborne surprisingly said: "This Marine still has his firearm with him".
The one who was bending to lift me up also terrifyingly uttered: "Both of his legs are wounded and disintegrating with an odour of dead rats"
Someone then ordered like a commander: "Anyone of you carry him piggyback to the route. The Marine group in charge of collecting bodies and wounded was coming from over there”.
I then was evacuated by helicopter to a South Korean military hospital in Vung Tau. The Marine underofficer in charge of my Company office could not recognize me, although he had tried to insinuatingly walk between soldiers' wives and children to the litter which had been carried by 2 South Korean medics and on which I had been. I was transformed into an unrecognizable shape. My face which had been bruised and full of blood was cut by thorns of brambles into an irregular crisscross pattern. I could not pronounce a single word but my mind was still lucid. I gave a sign to a South Korean female nurse requesting a piece of paper and a pen. (Only later I knew that she was 1st Lieutenant Cho Do Lin).
I wrote "I am 1st Lieutenant Tran Ngoc Toan, military serial number 60A 701 163, of the 4th Marine Battalion. I was wounded on 31/12/1964 at Binh Gia. Please inform my unit. Thank you"
Total casualties of the operation:
* Killed In Action:
- 11 officers, 18 underofficers, 83 soldiers = 112.
* Missing In Action:
- 2 officers, 10 underofficers, 70 soldiers = 82.
* Wounded In Action:
- 5 officers, 15 underofficers, 100 soldiers = 120.
Out of 112 killed in action, 18 were retrieved and then buried by their own families. Others were buried with full military protocols on an area behind Van Kiep training centre. There was a tombstone with the following inscription: "Resting place for 94 heroes of the 4th Marine Battalion. They sacrificed their lives on 31/12/1964 at the Binh Gia battle."
Major Tran Ngoc Toan
No comments:
Post a Comment