siege of Ben Het and Dak To CIDG camps information
for CIDG

From date 690505 to 690629


CIDG was a Civilian Irregular Defense Group unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Kontum Province, II Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Ben Het
Description: During this period the NVA 28th and 66th Regt besieged both CIDG camps at Ben Het and Dak To. This was during the heavy monsoon season which made helicopter operations difficult. While the 42d ARVN Regt took the brunt of the battlefield activity, the CIDG camps were continuously rocketed and mortared throughout the period. Near the end of June, the roads leading into Ben Het were cut off by repeated ambush and the NVA moved into dug-in positions around the airstrip in an effort to block all resupply. Aircraft were forced to run gauntlet of heavy ground fire and movement inside the camp was hindered by accurate sniper fire. On the 27th and 28th the CIDG discovered two NVA tunnel complexes under their North Hill and their outer wire. North Hill was abandoned and bulldozed down to practically halif its original height. The siege was lifted in July after ARVN operations confirmed that the NVA had withdrawn into Cambodia.

The source for this information was Green Berets at War P:284


Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org


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Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023