Dak To Analysis
The Battle of Dak To: A Battle Analysis of Dak To, Central Highlands of Vietnam 1967
In early February 1954, a decisive battle occurred that preluded the final battle of Dien Bien Phu, of the French Indochina war. Communist Viet Minh forces launched simultaneous attacks in the Central Highlands along the Laos Vietnam border on small French outposts. Within a week all French forces retreated from the Highlands and was seen as a big step in the Communist Insurgency. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 85) The Vietnam War was the first major conflict for the United States to fight on an asymmetric battlefield. Clashes were split between the large and organized forces of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) of North Vietnam, and South Vietnam’s Communist Guerillas …show more content…
With the PAVN forces increase in the area, the entirety of the 173rd’s three Infantry Battalions, along with the 4th ID and South Vietnam’s Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) 42nd Infantry Regiment and 8th Airborne units began another search and destroy mission on November 3rd, Operation Macarthur. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 87-88) The first day of the battle showed a change in PAVN’s defensive planning positions, building upon heavily fortified and concealed positions on multiple hills surrounding Dak To. They built the strong networked fighting positions so they support one another with in-direct fire and receive re-supply from the Cambodian border. To counter this, the US and ARVN forces would seize the hills on foot, applying direct and in-direct fires on the PAVN forces, until forcing a defeat or retreat. Even with the US forces seizing ground, they were taking heavy casualties in the process. During the attacks in the foothills, PAVN rocket batteries targeted the US Dak To Airfield. During the entirety of the Dak To offensive, the regular artillery and rocket fire was the closest the PAVN forces came to capturing Dak To. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 87) These skirmishes went for weeks inciting heavy casualties on both sides, and US and ARVN forces seizing most of the key hills over watching Dak To. PAVN forces losing ground began to retrograde forces to their command elements position on hill 875, and receiving more reinforcements coming from
In early February 1954, a decisive battle occurred that preluded the final battle of Dien Bien Phu, of the French Indochina war. Communist Viet Minh forces launched simultaneous attacks in the Central Highlands along the Laos Vietnam border on small French outposts. Within a week all French forces retreated from the Highlands and was seen as a big step in the Communist Insurgency. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 85) The Vietnam War was the first major conflict for the United States to fight on an asymmetric battlefield. Clashes were split between the large and organized forces of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) of North Vietnam, and South Vietnam’s Communist Guerillas …show more content…
With the PAVN forces increase in the area, the entirety of the 173rd’s three Infantry Battalions, along with the 4th ID and South Vietnam’s Army of the Republic of Vietnam's (ARVN) 42nd Infantry Regiment and 8th Airborne units began another search and destroy mission on November 3rd, Operation Macarthur. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 87-88) The first day of the battle showed a change in PAVN’s defensive planning positions, building upon heavily fortified and concealed positions on multiple hills surrounding Dak To. They built the strong networked fighting positions so they support one another with in-direct fire and receive re-supply from the Cambodian border. To counter this, the US and ARVN forces would seize the hills on foot, applying direct and in-direct fires on the PAVN forces, until forcing a defeat or retreat. Even with the US forces seizing ground, they were taking heavy casualties in the process. During the attacks in the foothills, PAVN rocket batteries targeted the US Dak To Airfield. During the entirety of the Dak To offensive, the regular artillery and rocket fire was the closest the PAVN forces came to capturing Dak To. (Sandstrum A., 1985, p. 87) These skirmishes went for weeks inciting heavy casualties on both sides, and US and ARVN forces seizing most of the key hills over watching Dak To. PAVN forces losing ground began to retrograde forces to their command elements position on hill 875, and receiving more reinforcements coming from