The Battle of Do Xa
Captain Luong Xuan Loc
Do Xa was a treacherous mountainous area, lying in the border of three provinces, Quang Nam, Quang Tin and Kontum. It had been an impenetrable secret sanctuary of Viet Cong that this sanctuary was a great logistic store containing foods, weapons and ammunitions. It also had a VC military hospital and was a place for VC to rest.
To destroy it, the JGS established a plan to let I corps and II corps units deploy as blocking forces while using the Marine Brigade as the main force to attack. The Marine Brigade attacking force was composed of: The Brigade Headquarters, Battalions 2 and 4, Marine Artillery Battery A of first Lieutenant Doan Trong Cao, with 75mm cannons. All participating units were airlifted from Saigon to Quang Ngai, moving by road to Tra Mi airstrip, Quang Tin province, and airlifted to Da Xa by US Army H21 helicopters. In the first trip, each US Army H21 helicopter could carry eight Marines with firearms. Due to its weak strength and old condition, only five Marines with firearms were carried in the second trip. In the third trip, the US Army H21 helicopters were only capable of carrying five Marines.
My forward observer team had five people and was airlifted by a helicopter twice. Realising that the H21 helicopters were so weak, Marine Brigade headquarters requested that the higher authority ask USMC for assistance by letting the H34 helicopters carry troops. By 4:00pm, the helilift was accomplished as we positioned the landing zone for one night. The next morning, we advanced with the Marine Brigade Headquarters positioned on a mountain top.
Third Lieutenant Thanh and I were FO for the fourth Marine Battalion of Captain Bui, The Lan. I followed Group A of the Battalion Commander as Thanh accompanied Group B of the executive officer, Captain Ton That Soan. Battalion 4 advanced in two prongs; Group B on the top of mountains and Group A in the middle of mountains. One company moved in the mountain foot to protect the Battalion headquarters. The terrain was so dangerous. On one side it was the mountains; on the other side it were ravines. We had to follow the unique path created by a group of pioneers who had used knives to chop trees to create an opening, sometimes forcing us to slither under tree roots in order to walk through. After having occupied all targets without fighting, the battalion positioned to have a rest. It was likely that VC had withdrawn.
The Battalion Headquarters were positioned close to a big stream.
During the days staying in this place, we swam in the stream and the whole Battalion had fish to eat. The stream was full of fish and throwing only one grenade in it could supply the whole platoon with fish.
When the Battalion recommenced advancing, I smelt a very bad odour unaware of where it came from. Minutes later, I passed by a place close to a stream bank where I saw that the fetid smell originated from. It was a whole fish bone about two meters in length. It was only then that I realised that the fish in the stream could be as big as a sea fish.
We successively occupied targets, however there were some soldiers being wounded by booby traps.
We did not encounter the VC or experience any fighting. However, we destroyed all their logistics stores and dumps, as well as their rice, manioc and corn fields.
The second Marine Battalion had some small skirmishes. They also destroyed a large VC military hospital, seized many medications and equipment, and captured a VC military doctor and four nurses.
Since then, Do Xa was no longer a safe sanctuary of VC.
Captain Luong Xuan Loc
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