Battle of Xa Cam My information
for 1 INF DIV
For date 660411
1 INF DIV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation ABILENE
South Vietnam
Location, Xa Cam My
Description: C/2/16th Inf, 1st Inf Div fought this battle 42 miles northwest of Saigon against the D800 VC Bn and killed 41 VC. They were hacking their way through the jungle against sporadic rifle fire when a short round burst in the canopy overhead. The Co halted to evacuate two KIA and 12 WIA unaware that they were only yards from the VC Bn base camp. AW and grenade fire suddenly swept their perimeter. During the night the soldiers desperately fought off three main charges as 1,086 rounds of artillery supported them. Reinforcements were pushed toward the beleaguered compnay but were forced to wait for first light before attempting a linkup. Early the next morning engineers and medical personnel reached the unit, descending through the jungle on "Jacob's ladders" from the rear of CH-47s. Only then were the engineers able to carve out a LZ for medevacs and reinforcements.
The source for this information was Turner 1st Inf P:49, Rise & Fall P:93-94
Rise & Fall = The Rise and Fall of an American Army: U.S. Ground Forces in Vietnam, 1963 - 1973 by Shelby Stanton.
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org
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Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023