Battle of Kham Duc - Prelude

Prelude

From their base area positioned between Highway 14 and the Đăk Mi river, elements of the PAVN 2nd Division were planning for their attack on Khâm Đức and the surrounding outposts. The VC's 1st "Ba Gia" Regiment — commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Trí — was given the task of initiating the attack, including sweeping aside the small outpost of Ngok Tavak (Ngok Ta Vak). However, before the plan of attack was finalized, the VC remained hidden as to avoid detection by the South Vietnamese and their American allies. Consequently, during that period the GK.31 Anti-Aircraft Battalion was prohibited from opening fire on U.S. reconnaissance aircraft that flew over their area. At the same time, the GK.40 Engineer Battalion was told to conduct training on their new equipment, such as satchel charges, tear gas, and flamethrowers, before the deadline of early May 1968. The VC 1st Regiment Headquarters also made their preparations for the initial attack, by regularly sending out Local Force Montagnard units to conduct reconnaissance patrols around Ngok Tavak in order to observe enemy activities in the area.

Throughout March and April, allied intelligence was baffled by the movements of the units belonging to the North Vietnamese 2nd Division, and that was reflected in the information obtained by U.S. military forces. For example, the U.S. 1st Marine Division reported that the enemy's 2nd Division Headquarters, the 3rd Regiment, the 21st Regiment, and the VC's 1st Regiment were within the vicinity of Khâm Đức, Thượng Đức, and Hội An, respectively. In contrast, information released by the U.S. 27th Marines Regiment showed the presence of the 3rd and 21st Regiments near Goi Noi Island, whereas the 2nd Division Headquarters was reported to be in the Que Son Valley. Despite the lack of accurate information, allied intelligence generally agreed the North Vietnamese might begin attacking isolated outposts and units as their next course of action. Subsequently, on 4 May 1968, the Americal Division made amendments to their Golden Valley Plan, the plan for the relief and reinforcements of CIDG camps, to enable the deployment of the 1st Battalion, 46th Infantry Regiment, 196th Light Infantry Brigade to support Khâm Đức.

To counter a possible major North Vietnamese attack, the U.S. military began taking steps to reinforce Khâm Đức. Starting on 9 April, the U.S. 70th Engineer Battalion was flown in from Pleiku, about 160 kilometers (99 mi) to the south, to repair and upgrade the airfield for sustained use by C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. By 8 May, the U.S. Air Force had airlifted about 400 tonnes of cargo into Khâm Đức, including two bulldozers, by a C-124 Globemaster. In addition, 33 U.S. Marines from Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 13th Marine Regiment were also deployed to support the defenders at Ngok Tavak. From 16 April, the Marines artillerymen used Khâm Đức as a staging area where they could assemble their entire detachment, which included two 105mm howitzers, ammunition, and supplies. On 4 May, 33 Marines, along with 35,380 kilograms (78,000 lb) of equipment and supplies, were lifted into Ngok Tavak by helicopters. Meanwhile, towards the end of April, the VC 1st Regiment received orders to leave their base and take positions in the valley on the western side of Ngok Tavak, and wait there until the attack signal was given. The 40th Battalion — commanded by Major Đặng Ngọc Mai — spearheaded the assault.

The outpost of Ngok Tavak was manned by the 11th Mobile Strike Force Company since March 1968. Earlier in the year, Company C, 5th Special Forces Group in Đà Nẵng came up with a plan to supplement the intelligence agencies in the Khâm Đức area, by deploying a Mike Force Company to operate south of the Special Forces Camp; subsequently, the 11th MSF Company was selected for the task. The unit was led by three members of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam (AATTV): Captain John White and Warrant Officers Frank Lucas and Don Cameron. The Australian-led unit included eight U.S. Special Forces and 173 South Vietnamese and Nung CIDG soldiers, and they were joined by 33 U.S. Marines on 4 May. Since their arrival, White and his men had set up camp on top of the hill feature in Ngok Tavak. They also made improvements to the camp's defensive perimeter, which included an old minefield left by the French. Despite their preparations, in the days leading up to the battle, the unit was plagued by a number of problems with their defense.

Even though the Marine artillerymen of the 2nd Battalion, 13th Marines Regiment were supposed to support the Ngok Tavak garrison, their arrival created significant logistical issues for Captain White. Due to the poor condition of the road that connected Ngok Tavak and Khâm Đức, where most of the ammunition was stocked, the Marines had to rely on transport aircraft to bring in ammunition supplies. However, due to high demand and scarce resources, the U.S. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing simply did not have the flexibility to provide the support required by the soldiers at Ngok Tavak. Furthermore, only 31% of the Marines' heavy-lift aircraft was available for operations. The lack of logistical support was exemplified by the manner in which the 105mm howitzers were deployed; when the Marines arrived at Ngok Tavak, White ordered the Marine detachment to place their howitzers on a downhill position outside the camp's perimeter, as the hill-top position was still covered by trees, making the position of the howitzers a non-ideal location for security.

In an effort to bolster the strength of White's 11th MSF Company, Shungel sent a mortar platoon of about 35 Montagnard CIDG out from Khâm Đức to reinforce the small garrison at Ngok Tavak during the last days of April. It was intended that the Montagnards would provide local security for the garrison, when the 11th MSF Company was out on patrol. Mistrust developed between White's men and the Montagnard soldiers, because the latter was known to contain VC infiltrators. On 28 April, elements of the PAVN 2nd Division received a message which stated that ‘scouts’ were ready to cause confusion and disruption in the allies' defensive plan around Khâm Đức. The Montagnards were placed outside the camp’s perimeter, where they roamed freely inside the Marines' area during the days before and after the arrival of the howitzers. On 9 May, the Montagnards decided to return to Khâm Đức, but shortly afterwards they turned back to Ngok Tavak, claiming they had been ambushed by an unknown enemy unit. White and his Nung soldiers were skeptical about the claim, as they believed the story about an ambush was a lie and that no real fighting had occurred. As a result, White insisted that the Montagnards stay outside his perimeter.

From early May, the VC's 1st Regiment began to tighten its noose around the Ngok Tavak position. On 6 May, a platoon-sized patrol from Ngok Tavak made contact with VC units about 1 kilometer (0.62 mi) south of the garrison. On the evening of 7 May, enemy soldiers were believed to have set off trip flares, which prompted the Nung soldiers to hurl grenades at the perimeter. On 8 May, White ordered the Marines to pull their artillery guns inside the defensive perimeter, so they could better defend their position from the top of the 738-meter (2,421 ft)-high hill feature. The Marines spent the entire evening of 8 May taking the first howitzer completely apart in order to take it up the hill. That night, enemy soldiers set off trip flares and again the Nung soldiers threw grenades in response. On 9 May, Captain Chris Silva flew to Ngok Tavak to discuss the reliability of his troops with his Australian counterpart, but was prevented from returning to Khâm Đức due to poor weather. On that day, the second howitzer was dragged into the garrison, so the Nungs and Marines both guarded the perimeter of Ngok Tavak. Infantry protection was provided by the 1st and 2nd Nung platoons, which held the eastern side of the garrison, while the suspect Montagnard CIDG soldiers guarded the eastern entrance. Overlooking them were some Marines of Battery D, 2nd Battalion.