Americal Daily News Sheets information
for 23 INF DIV
176 AHC
F/8 CAV
123 AVN

For date 690112


23 INF DIV was a US Army unit
176 AHC was a US Army unit
F/8 CAV was a US Army unit
123 AVN was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Chu Lai
Description: The following is an edited version from the Americal Daily News Sheets Vol. 3. No. 13 Sunday January 13. CHU LAI (AMERICAL IO) - Although the body count dipped slightly, the enemy took a beating in his own backyard as units of the 196th Inf. Bde. moved into three base camps to destroy fortifications and confiscate sizable stores of ammunition and equipment to highlight activity in southern I Corps yesterday. Americal Division forces reported killing one NVA and 24 VC, finding five NVA bodies, capturing three individual weapons and 5800 pounds of rice, detaining two VC suspects, and relocating 193 Vietnamese refugees. Cos. C and D of the 2-1 Inf. discovered the base camps, and units of the 3-21 Inf. and 4-31 Inf. totaled 11 of 17 VC killed in the 196th Inf. Bde. area. All 193 refugees moved, and five NVA bodies and 4800 pounds of rice found were also credited to the 196th. At 0958 hours, C/2-1 Inf. discovered a base camp 18 miles northwest of Tam Ky in a mountainous jungle area and destroyed 15 hootches and 15 bunkers. Captured were three 12.7mm anti-aircraft gun barrels, 80 .51 caliber rounds, an M-2 carbine stock, a crossbow, machine-gun cleaning equipment, and documents. At 1225 hours, D/2-1 Inf., operating 27 miles northwest of Tam Ky under 1LT James R. Sanders (Arvada, CO), located another base camp in a thick jungle area. Seven bunkers were destroyed, and 80 more .51 caliber rounds, a bangalore torpedo, five flashlight batteries, two NVA canteens, clothing, and documents were taken. At 1450, Co. D struck again three miles nearer Tam Ky to find a camp serving as an apparent NVA commo station. Sixty-nine bunkers, 20 hootches, and two tunnel complexes were destroyed. Among items captured were nine NVA field phones, two portable switchboards, a PRC-10 radio, two NVA 45-volt batteries, a commo repair kit, 20 NVA uniforms, six NVA rucksacks, six NVA gas masks, 10 M-79 rounds, and 100 pounds of rice. Cos. A, C, and D of the 3-21 Inf. killed six VC in five incidents in an area 14-16 miles west-northwest of Tam Ky. Elements of the 4-31 Inf. killed four VC in the same general area and one southwest of Tam Ky. C/3-21 Inf. killed one VC running in a rice paddy at 1400 hours and, 20 minutes later, killed two more and captured enough food, still warm, for five people. Cos. A and D killed single VC in brief firefights. One element of the 4-31 Inf. killed two VC while the recon unit and Cos. B and C killed one apiece. All the incidents involved small firefights, except that of Co. B which caught three VC with hand grenades in a tunnel and killed one. F Trp., 17th Cav. discovered five VC killed by artillery fire in the previous 24 hours in a rice paddy 15 1/2 miles northwest of Tam Ky. Eight hours later and 2 1/2 miles further away, Co. C, 2nd Inf. found the bodies of five NVA killed in air strikes in mid-December. The other VC killed was by a "Blue Ghosts" gunship of F Trp., 8th Cav., also 15 1/2 miles northwest of Tam Ky. F Trp., 17th Cav. and B/4-31 Inf. moved four groups of refugees from 23 and 28 miles northwest of Tam Ky respectively. F Trp. relocated 104 to Nui Loc Son and 72 to Que Son, while Co B moved 17 to Nui Loc Son. Co B also found and sent to Nui Loc Son 4800 pounds of rice taken from two hootches 28 miles northwest of Tam Ky. Other 196th units reported finding items including a bear trap, two shotgun barrels, a U.S. bayonet, an 81mm mortar, 250 M-60 rounds, and eating utensils for 40 men. Four incidents, two involving gunships, accounted for four VC killed in the 198th Inf. Bde. area where two VC suspects were also detained. An "Aero Scout" of the 123d Avn. Bn. killed a VC 14 miles southwest of Tam Ky, and a gunship of the 176th AHC killed a VC 5 1/2 miles southwest of Binh Son at 0635 hours. B/1-52 Inf. called in artillery to kill on VC 10 miles southwest of Tam Ky, and B/5-46 Inf. engaged and killed a VC and detained one VC suspect five miles southeast of Binh Son. Infrequent action in the 11th Inf. Bde. area resulted in one NVA and one VC killed, three individual weapons captured, and 1000 pounds of rice found and destroyed. B/1-2 Inf. was involved in both kills 2-2 1/2 miles northwest of Duc Pho. At 0900 hours, Co. B engaged and killed the VC and later found an NVA buried in a shallow grave near a stream. He was uniformed and had been killed by small arms fire in the previous 24 hours. C/3-1 Inf., working four miles southeast of Quang Ngai City, discovered a hut containing two K-44 rifles, an M-1 rifle, 1000 pounds of rice, and a Japanese radio amplifier. "Blue Ghosts" gunships got their second and third VC kills of the day in the 1st Sqdn., 1st Cav. area. At 1450 hours, one VC was killed 5 1/2 miles west of Tam Ky and, at 1530, the other was killed seven miles north of Tam Ky. One Americal Division soldier was killed, and 13 were wounded and evacuated, according to an initial report.

The source for this information was NEWS6901.AML & AVN supplied by Les Hines

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Last updated 01/05/2000

Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023