Army Reporter information
for 101 ABN
308 CAB
1 ARVN DIV
1/502 ABN

For date 680518


101 ABN was a US Army unit
308 CAB was a US Army unit
1 ARVN DIV was a Vietnamese Army unit
1/502 ABN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation CARENTAN II
Thua Thien Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Thong Duong Son
Description: The following is an edited version from the weekly Vietnam Communique column in the 18 May 1968 issue. Units of the 101st Airborne Division combined with the Panther Company of the 1st ARVN Division and a Popular Forces unit to kill 217 enemy in two days of battle. The action part of Operation Carentan II, began as the Panther Company conducted a cordon operation around the hamlet of Thong Duong Son, four miles NW of Hue. The hamlet was suspected of containing an NVA battalion. As the ARVN infantrymen advanced toward the hamlet, they received intense small arms and 57mm recoilless rifle fire. They returned the fire while four companies from the 1st and 2/501st Inf and 1/502nd Inf moved into the area to block off possible routes of escape. Heavy fighting continued throughout the day and into the night and artillery poured heavy concentrations of fire into the hamlet along with gunship crews of the 308th CAB. The second afternoon, the Panther Company moved into the village under the cover of artillery and gunships. The enemy continued to return fire with small arms and rocket grenades, but the fighting lasted only a short time. As the infantrymen swept through the village they counted 208 NVA and VC bodies and captured four crew-served weapons. Allied casualties for the battle were light. Paratroopers began to penetrate the village from the north. Some moved in on the ground while others were helilifted in to tighten the cordon. The airborne troopers drew heavy small arms, automatic weapons and RPG fire as they advanced. Artillery and tactical airstrikes pounded the enemy positions. This latest sweep netted the paratroopers more killed raising the total bodycount for the two-day battle to 217.

The source for this information was 6805AR.AVN supplied by Les Hines


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023