Pacific Stars and Stripes information

For date 680516


Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Kham Duc
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "9 Aircraft Lost As Allies Give Up Surrounded Post." Saigon (UPI)-Allied forces abandoned the U.S. Special Forces camp at Kham Duc to the North Vietnamese at a heavy cost in lives and equipment, military spokesmen disclosed Tuesday. The surrender of the strategic camp to the Communists resulted in the loss of five helicopters and four airplanes, one of which was known to be loaded with Vietnamese soldiers and their dependents. Perhaps as many as 120 men women and children were aboard the U.S. Air Force C130 Hercules which was shot down about one mile from the Kham Duc airstrip, U.S. spokesmen said there apparently were no survivors. Brig. Gen. Jacob Glick, U.S. Marine Corps operations chief in Vietnam, termed the evacuation of the camp a "smashing victory for the allies." The camp had been surrounded by Communist troops, he said. Glick reasoned that surrender of the outpost would permit U.S. forces to bomb the area with tactical air strikes and B52s. "The camp had served its purpose by sighting a major enemy movement," Glick told newsmen. "It no longer had any military or political significance." U.S. spokesmen said 25 Americans were killed and 96 wounded. Two C-130 transports, an A1E Skyraider fighter-bomber, an observation plane, and five helicopters were shot down by ground fire. There were no casualties in the other aircraft shot down by Communist ground fire, spokesmen said. Glick said at least 300 North Vietnamese were killed in ground attacks on the camp, about 47 miles west of Tam Ky and 350 miles north of Saigon in Quang Tin Province. B52s flew at least 20 strikes against the outpost during the past 72 hours, U.S. military sources said. One mission set off more than 100 secondary explosions, indicating strikes on Communist ammunition and fuel supplies. In other developments:

The source for this information was 6805pss.avn supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023