A Close-Run Thing - Battle of Suoi Tre - Campaign Series Vietnam 1948-1967

Jason Petho
21 March, 1967
[Suoi Tre, Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam]:
[H2H/SIDE A][HIS][CSL]:

Late in 1966, intelligence gathered near the capitol indicated a major attack was planned on Saigon originating from the Iron Triangle, north of the capitol. The Iron Triangle was a historic enemy staging area dating back to the Viet Minh conflict with the French. To deal with this threat, a force of 30,000 American and South Vietnamese troops invaded the area and disrupted the enemy’s planned assault on the capitol. This first major operation of the year was called Operation Cedar Falls, which began on 8 January 1967 and lasted twenty days. This cleared the table for a major operation that had been planned for a year, a major invasion of the base of operation in War Zone C under the guise of Operation Junction City, a search and destroy mission by American military forces in Tay Ninh Province of South Vietnam.

Phase I of Junction City would commence on February 22nd with five U.S. brigades forming a horseshoe shaped cordon in the western half of War Zone C. During Phase II, II Field Force elements would focus their attention on the eastern portion of War Zone C and finally during Phase Ill, the units involved would be reduced to a Brigade-size operation in the vicinity of Tay Ninh city. With the operation well under way and into Phase II, March 19th saw the 3rd/22nd Infantry and 2nd/7th Artillery were helicoptered into an elliptical clearing that would become Fire Support Base GOLD close to Suoi Tre, near the center of War Zone C.

As the three lifts of choppers touched down, five heavy command-detonated charges were set off by the Viet Cong in the tiny clearing. Three helicopters were destroyed and six more damaged with a toll of 15 killed and 28 wounded. Company B/3rd/22nd Infantry was assigned the eastern portion of the defensive perimeter with Company A occupying the western half with the batteries of 2nd/7th Artillery around the perimeter. The 2nd/12th Infantry landed at FSB GOLD and moved to the northwest. Operating to the south was a mechanized task force consisting of units from 2nd/22nd Infantry and 2nd/34th Armour. The Viet Cong 9th Division was tasked with the destruction of FSB Gold and had sent the reinforced 272nd Regiment to accomplish the mission.

On the morning of March 21st, the first enemy mortar round had impacted on the doorstep of a company command post; seconds later another exploded outside battalion headquarters. In all, an estimated 650 mortar rounds fell while the Viet Cong advanced toward the perimeter as machine guns and recoilless rifles joined the attack. Within minutes the entire perimeter came under heavy attack by waves of Viet Cong emerging from the jungle and firing recoilless rifles, RPG2 rockets, automatic weapons, and small arms.

When word reached the armoured task force of the attack, they reacted immediately, but were held up at the Suoi Samat as there was only one suitable crossing point. It was a race against time for the task force to relieve the beleaguered Fire Support Base.

[ALL, NO VV][CSEE, Variable Objectives][1.00]