Battle of Dak To

A U.S. soldier calls for a medic to help a wounded friendly as the 1st Battalion, 503rd U.S. Infantry battles for Hill 882, southwest of Dak To, November, 1967.

Date	November 3–22, 1967
Location	Dak To, Kon Tum Province, Republic of Vietnam
Result	U.S./South Vietnamese tactical victory North Vietnamese strategic victory

Belligerents

Commanders and leaders

William R. Peers

Hoang Minh Thao (military)
Tran The Mon (political)

Strength

16,000

~Four Regiments
~6,000

Casualties and losses

United States:
361 killed
15 missing
1,441 wounded
South Vietnam:
73 killed
18 missing
Few hundred wounded
40 helicopters lost
Two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, one F-4F fighter lost.

US estimated: ~1,000–1,664 killed
~1,000–2,000 WIA

Coordinates: 14°39′4″N 107°47′55″E / 14.65111°N 107.79861°E / 14.65111; 107.79861 (Dak To)

The Battle of Đắk Tô was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between November 3 to 22, 1967, 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. North Vietnamese attacks at Lộc Ninh (in Bình Long Province), Song Be (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 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, heavy contact with PAVN forces in the area prompted the launching of Operation Greeley, a combined search and destroy effort by elements of the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade, along with the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's 42nd Infantry Regiment and Airborne units. The fighting was intense and lasted into the fall, when the North Vietnamese seemingly withdrew.

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Wikipedia