fight for Hill 875 information
for 2/503 ABN
4/503 ABN
battle of Dak To
For date 671121
2/503 ABN was a US Army unit
4/503 ABN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation MACARTHUR
South Vietnam
Description: A new LZ was cut and for the first time the 173d ABN was able to lift out its wounded from the battle that started on the 19th. For seven hours Hill 875 was blasted with every artilley and air asset available. As the Americans formed for their assault, an NVA mortar barrage started. At 1500 the assault began behind a wall of arty but they quickly found mutually supporting bunkers built flush to the ground with up to 14 feet of protective dirt and logs. Ordinary grenades, flamethowers, LAWs, and RRs proved useless because the NVA had connecting tunnels. Twenty pound satchel charges or using grenades to ignite a concentrated napalm mixture poured into the opening proved to be effective. The NVA replied with RPGs and grenades. They even managed a counterattack on the rear and flanks of the American units. After clearing two trenchlines and closing to within 250 feet of the top of the hill, the assault halted as night approached. The Americans withdrew and Hill 875 was blasted with air and arty all night long and all the next day.
The source for this information was Rise & Fall P:166
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