Battle of Tra Binh Dong

Battle of Trà Bình

Date	February 14–15, 1967
Location	Trà Bình village, Trà Bồng District, Quảng Ngãi, South Vietnam
Result	South Korean victory

Belligerents

North Vietnam

Viet Cong

South Korea

South Vietnam

Commanders and leaders

Unknown commander

Jeong Kyung-Jin

Strength

2,400+

294

Casualties and losses

South Korean claim:
246-306 killed and 2 captured
38 weapons captured

15 killed
33 wounded

The Battle of Trà Bình (Vietnamese: Trận Quang Thạnh;Korean: 짜빈동 전투 Tjabin-dong) was probably the most famous battle fought by the South Korean Marines during the Vietnam War. It was fought in the Trà Bình village, Trà Bồng District, in February 1967. The battle took place after a Viet Cong defector, a former commander of a training camp, revealed that the North Vietnamese Army were planning an attack on the ROKMC's 11th Company. On February 14, the North Vietnamese 40th and 60th Battalions moved into their positions in the forest surrounding the perimeter of the South Korean 11th Company. The regular VPA battalions were also supported by one VC local force battalion from Quang Ngai. With their troops built up around the area, the Communist forces planned to cut all communication lines and wipe out the South Korean forces in the area.

At dawn on February 15, the battle began with the Viet Cong attempting to cut through the wires of the South Korean base. The South Korean marines were dug in and waiting with requests for air-support. Due to foggy weather, the supporting AC-47s could not engage the Viet Cong, so the South Koreans only had artillery support. When the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had penetrated Korean positions, heavy fighting followed. Initially, the outnumbered South Koreans, though vastly superior in firepower, were pinned down, but the ranks of the Communist forces soon started to break up as the South Koreans counterattacked. When the fighting ended, South Korean forces reported that 246 enemy bodies had been left behind on the battlefield. In addition, they reported retrieving three flamethrowers, five anti-tank rocket launchers, two machine guns, 28 rifles, 100 pieces of dynamite, and over 6,000 rounds of ammunition.

Vietnam People's Army

One VC local force battalion

Republic of Korea Marine Corps

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