Americal Daily News Sheets information
for 23 INF DIV
F/8 CAV
176 AHC
For date 690116
23 INF DIV was a US Army unit
F/8 CAV was a US Army unit
176 AHC was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation RUSSELL BEACH
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. 17 Sunday January 17.
CHU LAI (AMERICAL IO) - Major contact with an NVA force southwest of Quang Ngai City, and the first big step forward in Operation Russell Beach highlighted increased enemy contact in southern I Corps yesterday.
Americal Division forces reported killing nine NVA and 21 VC, detaining 29 enemy suspects, and capturing 11 individual weapons and 7200 pounds of rice.
An enemy ambush turned into an all-night battle between three companies of the 3-1 Inf. and an unknown-size enemy force near a small village six miles southwest of Quang Ngai City. Seven NVA were killed, four weapons taken, and 22 suspects detained.
Other units of the 11th Inf. Bde. killed five VC, captured two weapons, and detained seven VC suspects.
The 3-1 Inf.'s ordeal began late Wednesday night when Co. B was pinned down by heavy machinegun and rocket fire in an enemy ambush sprung as an NVA prisoner of walked Co. B into a hail of fire while ostensibly leading the way to a rice cache.
Cos. C and D moved in immediately to relieve the pressure by flanking the village and bottling up enemy troops. Air Force planes circled overhead to provide all-night illumination as isolated action continued.
At dawn, an area sweep began, and Co. B reported killing 5 NVA. Co. D reported killing two and capturing three AK-47 rifles and a 7.62mm pistol. Co. C detained 21 enemy suspects, and Co. D nabbed one. Americal units had not killed as many NVA in one day since Dec. 27.
A large supply of documents and assorted military equipment was captured along with an enemy map of the Quang Ngai City area. Scattered incidents continued there yesterday.
Elements of the 4-21 Inf. killed two VC 20-21 miles west of Duc Pho and took a K-44 rifle. Co. A, 4-21 Inf. recovered an AK-47 rifle from the spot where it had killed a VC the night before.
A/1-20 Inf. and a 1-20 recon unit each killed a VC near Mo Duc. Co. A also detained three VC suspects in the area, and B/1-20 Inf. stopped four southeast of Mo Duc.
"Blue Ghosts" of F Trp., 8th Cav. logged their sixth VC kill in two days in a contact 10 miles west of Quang Ngai City.
After another morning of aid to refugees leaving the Batangan Peninsula area, target of a gigantic assault by Americal, Marine, Navy and ARVN forces, a platoon of A/4-3 Inf. crossed the Song Diem Diem to begin the first in-depth probe of the enemy stronghold. Co. A's thrust came shortly after noon and was supported by artillery fire and gunships of the 176th AHC which raked the small island to which the platoon moved on rubber rafts. Another element of Co. A joined C/5-46 Inf. on the shore to provide ground cover for the crossing. The platoon reached it's objective, a treeline, on the island and conducted a search of the area. Thirty-nine enemy suspects were turned up in the probe, and several enemy fortifications and underground refuges were destroyed. Co. A killed one VC with small arms fire at 1250 hours and, 30 minutes later, found two more VC killed in the artillery barrage. Later in the afternoon, D/4-3 Inf. found an M-1 carbine in a cave and B/5-46 Inf. was given two M-1 rifles by three VC turned Chieu Hoi.
Cos. A and D, 4-3 Inf. found and evacuated 3400 pounds of rice to the refugee holding center behind the cordon.
A 176th AHC ship, piloted by 1LT William T. Koehler, killed two VC in the operational area while carrying members of the Psyops team assigned to encourage refugee evacuation of the area.
As of 1600 hours, 2449 refugees had passed through Americal check points along the 11 1/2 mile cordon line formed by the 4-3 and 5-46, and Marine and ARVN units. Troops on line concentrated throughout the morning on tightening positions for the main sweep toward the sea.
Scattered contacts have produced 10 VC killed and three individual weapons captured by Americal elements in the operation. Joint force totals show 21 VC killed and six individual weapons taken.
Elsewhere in the 198th Inf. Bde. area, "Aero Scouts" of the 123d Avn. Bn. killed an NVA running six miles southwest of Tien Phuoc, and the recon unit of the 1-52 Inf. engaged two VC, killed one, and captured and AK-47 rifle and documents 6 1/2 miles southwest of Tam Ky.
Led by three companies of the 3-21 Inf., units of the 196th Inf. Bde. killed one NVA and nine VC, and captured one weapon and 3800 pounds of rice.
B/3-21 Inf. killed three VC in two contacts 9 1/2 miles west of Tam Ky. Co. C killed two in separate firefights 13 miles northwest of Tam Ky, and Co. A engaged three and killed two in one incident 13 miles west of Tam Ky.
An element of the 1-46 Inf. spotted two VC in the open and killed them 18 miles northwest of Tam Ky; and F Trp., 17th Cav. saw three NVA running southwest, killed one with small arms fire, and captured his AK-47 rifle 21 miles west of Tam Ky.
F Trp. also moved 73 Vietnamese from the same area to the refugee center at Que Son.
C/2-1 Inf. and B/4-31 Inf. discovered 2000 and 1800 pounds of rice, respectively, and Co. C added 300 pounds of salt.
C/1-1 Cav. engaged and killed a VC 15 miles northwest of Tam Ky in the only incident reported in the 1-1 area.
Three Americal Division soldiers were killed, and four were wounded and evacuated for medical treatment, according to an initial report.
Comments: 1LT Koehler, William T.; 176 AHC pilot; ;
The source for this information was NEWS6901.AML & AVN supplied by Les Hines
Additional information is available on CD-ROM.
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Last updated
01/05/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023