Pacific Stars and Stripes information
for CIDG
For date 700426
CIDG was a Vietnamese Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Kontum Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Dak Seang
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "56 Reds Slain Near Dak Seang."
Saigon (S&S Vietnam Bureau) - Communist troops launched a fiery ground attack on the Vietnamese 42nd Inf. Div. operating less than two miles northwest of Dak Seang, a Vietnamese military spokesman said Friday. South Vietnamese troops with the help of artillery and air strikes threw back the attack, he said, killing 56 Reds in the area near the Dak Seang Special Forces camp, 90 miles southwest of Da Nang in the mountains west of Hue, the U.S. Command reported. The fight began at 3:45 Wednesday morning when Screaming Eagles from the 1st Bn., 501st Inf., saw a trip flare flash just north of their position, an Army spokesman said. Within moments Red soldiers opened up with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms on the American position while an unknown number of enemy sappers began hurling satchel charges, the Army spokesman said. After a short return volley from the Screaming Eagles, the Reds fled. But three hours later enemy gunners began charging the camp, the spokesman said. Again the American troops fought off the attack - this time with the help of artillery strikes. At dawn, seven dead North Vietnamese Army soldiers were found on the battlefield. The spokesman said one U.S. soldier was killed and 16 wounded in the attacks. Later, Wednesday, 1st Marine Div. reconnaissance troops moving in an area 23 miles south of Da Nang spotted and killed five Reds then moved on to the west to find and kill another enemy soldier, the U.S. Command reported. In the swamps southeast of Saigon, a reconnaissance platoon from the Rung Sat Special Zone Wednesday morning killed nine members of a Red platoon, the Vietnamese spokesman reported. Later a Regional Force company on the north edge of the swamps killed six enemy soldiers in a brief fight. No government casualties were reported in either fight by the Vietnamese spokesman. In other action reported by the U.S. command:
- Troopers from the 1st Brigade, 5th Inf. Div. (Mech.), in a night defensive position 98 miles northwest of Da Nang received less than 45 rounds of 82mm mortar fire before helicopter gunships pummelled the suspected enemy firing position. U.S. casualties were reported as light.
- An element of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Air Cav. Div., uncovered a supply cache and Red cemetery 78 miles north of Saigon. Ammunition, bicycles and two tons of rice were estimated by military officials to have been in storage for less than a month.
- A helicopter gunship from the 1st Cav. took fire from enemy troops 57 miles north-northeast of Saigon, strafed the position and later sighted six bodies.
- Enemy gunners lobbed an undetermined number of 82mm mortar rounds at U.S. support facilities at Lai Khe, former home of the 1st Inf. Div., resulting in light U.S. casualties.
The source for this information was 7004pss.avn supplied by Les Hines 02/02/2000
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Last updated
02/03/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023