Southern Cross information
for 196 BDE 23 INF
3/21 INF 23 INF
For date 700605
196 BDE 23 INF was a US Army unit
3/21 INF 23 INF was a US Army unit
Primary service involved, US Army
Operation FREDERICK HILL
Quang Tin Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Tam Ky
Description: The following is an edited version of an article titled "Division Recap Late May costs enemy 207" by SP4 Dennis Selby AMERICAL IO.
CHU LAI - In support of Operation Frederick Hill, the heaviest action of the week occurred within the 196th Infantry Brigade with soldiers killing over 100 enemy in scattered fighting. Shortly after noon, Charlie Company from the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry teamed up with a Marine gunship in locating and killing six Viet Cong. Operating 14 miles northwest of Tam Ky, the men of Charlie Company came under fire. Pinpointing the enemy location, the men maneuvered to engage the enemy at closer range. At 30 yards, they were pelted with CHICOM grenades. The Marine gunship was in the vicinity and by following the instructions of Infantrymen, it rocketed the enemy position. After the helicopter had fired all of its ammo, the "Gimlets" swept the area and found the six enemy dead and three AK-47 rifles. A row of practice targets told the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry that the enemy had been in the area recently. Minutes afterwards, the soldiers saw nine NVA in the fading afternoon light. They slowed their approach and opened fire on the enemy. At least 25 figures rose from hiding and scrambled away. Moving in the Americal troops found nine enemy dead. At day break recently, the third platoon of Delta Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry swept a suspected enemy location 21 miles northwest of Tam Ky. They came across a vacated hooch area which yielded a 2,000 pound cache of unpolished rice stored in 100-pound bags. The rice was extracted to LZ Karen. A combined effort by Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry and F Troop, 17th Cavalry made Army tactics work with tailor made results recently. The two 196th Infantry Brigade units accounted for 25 enemy killed and seven individual weapons captured in an operation 11 miles northwest of Tam Ky. Bravo Company was acting as a flushing element along a river with F Troop blocking either side when a force of 20-30 NVA enemy soldiers were spotted as soon as the Charger units were set up. As the enemy soldiers were avoiding the infantryman's thrust, they found themselves within 50 yards of F Troop's flanking movement. The cavalrymen engaged the enemy with automatic weapons fire killing eight and wounding one. Five more enemy were detained in the fierce skirmish. F Troop also captured an AK-50 rifle, two AK-47s, one carbine and eight full magazines of ammunition. Ten CHICOM grenades were destroyed. "It was amazing just how well it all worked," said PFC James Brandal from Albers, Ill. He is serving with Bravo as a rifleman. "Our plan worked perfectly."
The source for this information was 7006_320_scr supplied by Les Hines 12/14/2000
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Last updated
12/25/2000
Date posted on this site:
05/13/2023