Battle of Kham Duc - Background

Background

1968 marked a decisive turning point in the history of the Vietnam War. Towards the end of January, regular units of the Vietnam People's Army and the Viet Cong (VC) initiated large-scale attacks on Saigon and all 34 provincial cities of South Vietnam. Several major towns, villages, and allied military installations throughout the country were also attacked during the same period. In doing so, the North Vietnamese and their southern VC allies violated the Tết holiday truce, which had enabled South Vietnamese military personnel to go on leave. Subsequently, the combined PAVN forces were able to achieve the element of surprise, and quickly gain ground in various parts of the country. Despite early victories, the PAVN could only sustain their offensive for several weeks, or a few months in parts of South Vietnam where they were closest to their bases in Cambodia and Laos. Ultimately, North Vietnamese and VC units were gradually driven out from Saigon and the provincial cities.

In I Corps Tactical Zone, the North Vietnamese military had mixed successes against allied military forces. On 7 February 1968, a North Vietnamese infantry contingent armed with satchel charges, tear gas, and flamethrowers, and reinforced with Soviet-made PT-76 amphibious tanks, successfully breached the wires of the Lang Vei Special Forces Camp. The combined American, South Vietnamese, and indigenous Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) personnel absorbed more than 300 casualties while trying to hold their positions. During the battle Lieutenant Colonel Daniel F. Shungel — Commander of Company C, 5th Special Forces Group — had to fight his way out of the camp in order to escape the North Vietnamese attack, until rescued by a relief task force led by Major George Quamo. At Khe Sanh, located about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) east of Lang Vei, the U.S. 26th Marine Regiment was able to hold their ground against a multi-division North Vietnamese assault. During the siege U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine fighter-bombers dropped 40,000 tonnes of bombs on North Vietnamese positions, while B-52 bombers unleashed more than 60,000 tonnes of ordnance on areas where the North Vietnamese were believed to have concentrated their forces.

In the same period, the PAVN 2nd Division under the command of General Giáp Văn Cương clashed with elements of the Americal Division, the U.S. 1st Marine Division, and the South Korean Brigade in their attempts to capture Đà Nẵng. However, due to mixed up signals between the PAVN 2nd Division and other VC units the North Vietnamese were defeated. After 9 February, the PAVN 2nd Division seemed to be withdrawing from the battlefield, so Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. Commander of III Marine Amphibious Force ordered his troops to continue their attacks on the retreating forces. In the aftermath of the battle for Đà Nẵng, U.S. military commanders in I Corps held different views on the fighting ability of the PAVN 2nd Division. Major-General Samuel W. Koster claimed losses sustained by the PAVN 2nd Division had "impaired its future effectiveness", after his units allegedly killed more than 1,000 enemy soldiers in the month of January alone. In contrast, Major-General Donn J. Robertson told his superiors that the 2nd Division may have several uncommitted units they could deploy for future operations, which was a threat to the remaining South Vietnamese units and a U.S. Marine battalion in the region that had sustained significant losses of their own.

Whether the PAVN 2nd Division had been rendered ineffective or not was uncertain, as U.S. military intelligence did not know the whereabouts of the enemy unit or their intentions. Since January 1968, the North Vietnamese had been fighting continuously with U.S. and other allied military forces in I Corps, so their resupply capabilities were overstretched, and their soldiers were not given the opportunity to rest before the Tet Offensive. Thus, following the failed attack on Đà Nẵng, North Vietnamese General Chu Huy Mân, Commander of Military Region 5, made the decision to pull the 2nd Division into the mountains where they could rest, resupply, and integrate their replacement manpower before going on the offensive again. Mân ordered Cương to split the 2nd Division into two fighting arms; one regiment would tie down the Americans in the Que Son Valley, while the rest of the division would withdraw to their base areas near Laos, to link up with the 70th Transport Regiment. Then, their next target would be Khâm Đức and the surrounding areas; Mân told his senior officers that they would attack Khâm Đức to force an American retreat.

Khâm Đức was situated in the northern section of Quảng Tín Province, South Vietnam, in I Corps Tactical Zone. It sat beside National Highway 14, which paralleled the international border with Laos, and it was surrounded by high mountains on all sides. The Special Forces Camp was named after the main village which was located about 800 meters (2,600 ft) to the northeast, and was constructed about mid-way along a 6,000 foot asphalt runway. Before his assassination, President Ngô Đình Diệm had used Khâm Đức as a hunting lodge, so an airfield was constructed there for Diệm's use. The Khâm Đức Special Forces Camp was under the responsibility of Detachment A-105, United States Army 5th Special Forces Group; the camp functioned as a training centre for CIDG personnel, reconnaissance of enemy movements, and combat operations. The village had 272 inhabitants, most of whom were dependents of the South Vietnamese and Montagnard CIDG soldiers. Ngok Tavak, located about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) southwest of Khâm Đức, was an observation outpost for Detachment A-105. Following the loss of Lang Vei, Khâm Đức was the last remaining Special Forces camp adjacent to the Ho Chi Minh Trail in I Corps. In May 1968, both Ngok Tavak and Khâm Đức were overrun by PAVN forces and American, Australian and South Vietnamese forces had to retreat after being defeated.