Battle of Dak To

Battle of Dak To
Part of the Vietnam War
Machinegunner of the 173rd Airborne Brigade on guard in preparation for the final assault on Hill 875, located 15 miles southwest of Dak To.
Date 3–23 November 1967[1] Location Dak To, Kon Tum Province, South Vietnam 14°39′4″N 107°47′55″E / 14.65111°N 107.79861°E / 14.65111; 107.79861 (Dak To) Result See "Aftermath"
Belligerents
United States  South Vietnam	North Vietnam Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
MG William R. Peers BG Leo H. Schweiter	Hoàng Minh Thảo (Military) Trần Thế Môn (Political)
Strength
16,000	~Four Regiments ~6,000
Casualties and losses
361 killed 15 missing 1,441 wounded[2][1] 40 helicopters lost[3] Two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, one F-4C fighter lost 73 killed 18 missing 290 wounded[2] Total: 434 killed 33 missing 1,771 wounded PAVN/VC claim 4,570 killed or wounded 70 aircraft destroyed 52 vehicles (incl. 16 tanks) destroyed 18 artillery pieces and 2 ammunition depots destroyed 104 guns and 17 radio sets captured[4]	US body count: ~1,000–1,664 killed[5] ~1,000–2,000 wounded 275 individual and 94 crew-served weapons recovered[6]

The battle of Dak To (Vietnamese: Chiến dịch Đắk Tô - Tân Cảnh) in Vietnam was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between 3 and 23 November 1967,^[1] in Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The action at Đắk Tô was one of a series of People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) offensive initiatives that began during the second half of the year. PAVN attacks at Lộc Ninh (in Bình Long Province), Sông Bé (in Phước Long Province) and at Con Thien and Khe Sanh, (in Quảng Trị Province), were other actions which, combined with Đắk Tô, became known as "the border battles". The post hoc purported objective of the PAVN forces was to distract American and South Vietnamese forces away from cities towards the borders in preparation for the Tet Offensive.

During the summer of 1967, engagements with PAVN forces in the area prompted the launching of Operation Greeley, a combined search and destroy effort by elements of the U. S. 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade, along with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 42nd Infantry Regiment, 22nd Division and Airborne units. The fighting was intense and lasted into late 1967, when the PAVN seemingly withdrew.

By late October U.S. intelligence indicated that local communist units had been reinforced and combined into the PAVN 1st Division, which was to capture Đắk Tô and destroy a brigade-size U.S. unit. Information provided by a PAVN defector provided the allies a good indication of the locations of PAVN forces. This intelligence prompted the launching of Operation MacArthur and brought the units back to the area along with more reinforcements from the ARVN Airborne Division. The battles on the hill masses south and southeast of Đắk Tô became some of the hardest-fought and bloodiest battles of the Vietnam War.