Battle of Kontum - Main Battle of Kontum

Main Battle of Kontum

On May 13 Hawk's Claw pilots noticed signs of a large build up to the north. The defenders waited. At 2230 hours that night there were reports of lights moving down Route 14.

With captured document stated that the attack would take place at 0400 on May 14, Col. Truby suggested to Vann that they order an air strike in preparation. However, the heavy PAVN artillery build up that had signaled attack at Tan Canh and the FSBs was absent. Even so, air support was requested.

By 0400 hours the defenders waited. Nothing. Another captured document indicated the attack had been moved back to 0430. Again, no attack. Finally the defenders realized that PAVN intelligence would be operating on Hanoi time. At 0530 as predicted, the attack began.

The PAVN attacked Kontum without the heavy artillery preparation that had been used at Tan Canh and drove straight down Route 14. The 48th PAVN Regiment and 203rd Tank Regiment attacked the city from the northwest. The 28th PAVN Regiment came from the north and the 64th and 141st PAVN Regiments attacked from the south.

The ARVN artillery began targeting the T-54 tanks moving down Route 14. This targeting separated the supporting PAVN infantry from their tanks and allowed the ARVN tank killers to do their work. Two T-54s were destroyed by teams with LAWs.

The sky was overcast and TACAIR was not able to operate. However, Hawk's Claw had arrived on the scene from Camp Holloway in Pleiku. Their helicopters and Jeeps had TOW missiles, a new armament which was powerful enough to penetrate a T-54. They found the PAVN tanks before they could find cover in the jungle and destroyed two more tanks. By 0900 hours, the attack had been stopped.

The PAVN continued their rocket and artillery fire throughout the day. Then at 2000 hours on the 14th, the PAVN launched a second attack, putting heavy pressure on the north, west and south.

There were two B-52 strikes scheduled and Col. Truby asked Vann if those strikes could be used to target the PAVN battalion that was already very close to their lines. The two forces were now close enough for hand-to-hand combat.

Col. Truby called Lt. Col. Tom McKenna, senior advisor to the 44th ARVN Regiment, and told him to pull his men back and to have his troops find deep foxholes. As the hour for the B-52 strike approached, ARVN troops laid down cover fire to allow those in close proximity to the PAVN forces to be pulled back. At the same time the ARVN 44th was holding its own against the PAVN along its perimeter with the aid of Spectre and helicopters.

The two B-52 air strikes were close enough that as McKenna stated, "it was like they came from the center of the earth – just like the bowels of the earth exploding." The PAVN forces pulled back having suffered significant casualties. On May 15, the PAVN attack continued, but the 44th held its positions assisted by tactical air support.

On the night of May 16, PAVN pushed the 53rd from its positions and the perimeter was partially penetrated. Col. Ba blocked the nose of the penetration by ensuring that the 53rd's reserve force was put in proper location; but he did not want to move an additional blocking force through Kontum at night.

There was considerable risk that enemy units would break through the lines and capture the city. A new B-52 strike was requested for the base of the penetration. This request was denied by the MACV staff because the intended strike area was too close to a small village shown on the map.

After considerable debate and analysis by the advisory staff, Col. Truby remembered a technique taught at Ft. Leavenworth and suggested to Col. Ba that the troops at the nose of the penetration be withdrawn 500 yards despite the obvious difficulty of such a nighttime maneuver. This would clear the threat to the town.

Truby and Ba convinced Vann that if the ARVN forces could be pulled back during the cover of darkness, their safety concerns could be met. The request was approved by II Corps and MACV and the new strike was adjusted by the B52 in flight while ARVN artillery continued heavy fire to hold enemy forces in place.

The strike was delivered on schedule with devastating results as NVA forces had massed to break the perimeter defense. The attack had been stopped and numerous tanks destroyed. The strike was decisive, for the first time since Tan Canh, the PAVN momentum had been broken. The three weakened PAVN divisions regrouped in the jungle surrounding Kontum.