Southern Cross information
for 196 BDE 23 INF
71 AHC
D/1/1 CAV
For date 700703
196 BDE 23 INF was a US Army unit
71 AHC was a US Army unit
D/1/1 CAV was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation FREDRICK HILL
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Tam Ky
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Div Recap: Heavy action near Tam Ky" by SP4 Stephen Frazier (Americal IO).
CHU LAI - The soaring temperatures of Southern I Corps in June did not stop regulars from the Division's three brigades as they accounted for 184 soldiers killed. Heaviest action remained in the area 22 miles northwest of Tam Ky in Operation Fredrick Hill. Soldiers of the 196th Infantry Brigade operating in that area were accredited with 60 enemy soldiers killed. In operation Geneva Park the 5th Battalion, 46th Infantry was lead to a sizeable ordnance cache by a rallier. Elsewhere in Operation Iron Mountain action was sporadic as the 3rd Battalion, 1st Infantry and the 123rd Aviation Battalion teamed up for 7 enemy killed in a single action. Fredrick Hill Friday found elements of the 196th Infantry Brigade in areas nine miles and twenty-one miles west of Tam Ky where they killed 3 NVA who sprang from a basecamp leaving a considerable cache behind, and uncovered an abandoned enemy basecamp in which 8 NVA were buried. Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Artillery was credited with the 8 NVA killed. Saturday morning lasted a long eight hours for elements of the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry as they found an enemy base camp 21 miles northwest of Tam Ky. The infantrymen began taking fire as they neared the jungle-hidden complex, immediately retaliating with their own small arms fire. Six NVA were killed before it was decided support was needed. Helicopter gunships from the 71st Assault Helicopter Company strafed the enemy positions who in the meantime had unloaded a barrage of 25-30 mortar rounds on the exposed Americans. The enemy throwing caution to the wind sprang from their entrenched positions and tried to encircle the Americans while the strafing continued. A Sabre gunship from Delta Troop, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry killed one NVA during this more. Blue Ghost gunship also in on the action spotted another large group of NVA moving towards the Americans. The choppers raked the area killing three more enemy as another airstrike silenced the mortars. Meanwhile a sister element from the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry who was in the area was called on. They moved forward placing heavy fire on the area. Finally the NVA were silent. The sister element assaulted the camp finding 23 enemy soldiers killed. Three-fourths had been killed by small-arms fire. Twelve bunkers had been destroyed. A PF patrol and an American advisor got together on Sunday evening to kill ten VC. SGT Richard Anderson, Tacoma, Wash., from Echo Recon, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry played an instrumental part, serving as a forward observer he spotted two squads of VC. His reaction was to call in gunships, killing three. Later Sergeant Anderson and the PF were to come face to face with two other squads of VC. "I am sure they were sappers," said SGT Anderson, "because we discovered satchel charges, explosives and a CHICOM grenade after they fled our fire." Later in the day a forward element of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry found a cave full of rice yielding a total of one tone. Another one hundred pounds of polished rice was found nearby. Later in the week an element of the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry, found a cache of fifteen RPG warheads and boosters 20 miles northwest of Tam Ky. They were found in a poncho off the trail. As the week closed an element of the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry, was credited with ten NVA killed from a fire-fight earlier in the week. An element of ARVN soldiers found the bodies and accredited the kills to the Americans. The action took place 23 miles west of Tam Ky.
The source for this information was 7007_324_scr supplied by Les Hines 12/23/2000
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Last updated
12/23/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023