January 31, 1968
The day that the NVA started the Tet
Offensive.
The 2-12th was in Dau Tieng having
been involved with Operation
Yellowstone which involved War
Zone C and the surrounding area of
Dau Tieng.
When the action began in Saigon,
the 2-12th was on the move.
Operation Saratoga was a 2nd
Brigade, 25th Division operation that
had begun on 7 December 1967
while the 2-12th was in the 3rd Bde
and participating in Operation
Yellowstone. When the battalion
came under the operational control
(OPCON) of the 2nd Brigade on the
1st they became a unit in Saratoga.
The 3rd Brigade's 2-12th Infantry
became OPCON to the 2nd Brigade
and flew 20 miles south-southeast to
a landing zone (XT631180) west of
the Filhoi Rubber Plantation, and a
couple of klicks north-northwest of
Cu Chi base camp. This move was
precipitated by the movement to the
Saigon area of both battalions of the
27th Infantry in their reaction to the
opening shots of Tet 68. Upon
landing, the 2-12th busied itself with
building a night laager and operating
base (XT628180) in the rice paddies
some 1 1/2 miles northwest of the
wire at Cu Chi base camp and settled
in for the night.
For the next four days, the
companies worked the surround
areas of northern Cu Chi looking for
the enemy.
On the morning of February 5th, Co C air assaulted into Ap Phouc Thoi (XT677124) south of Cu Chi. After moving a mile-and-a-half due east Charlie Company made contact at Ap Phouc Hung (XT694125), a village with an ARVN compound to the north and a road system that ran south to the villages in the vicinity of Ap Cho on Highway 1. At 1:25 p.m. Charlie Company had 1 WIA, by 2 p.m. the company had suffered 8 wounded and 4 dead. Two hours latter 2 VC fired on Company C resulting in no casualties. A sweep of the firefight area revealed 34 enemy killed - either by Co. C or supporting artillery, gunships or air strikes.
On February 6th after performing another combat assault in the morning, at 1:15 p.m. the companies were fully engaged in the vicinity of XT695122, with sporadic contact continuing until nearly half past five. Enemy forces were engaged by the companies organic weapons with the support of artillery, gunships and air strikes resulting in 15 VC KIA (BC) - seven of them credited to the 2/12th Infantrymen who lost eight wounded and two killed.
February 7th, Co.'s A, C and D flew south from the NL above Cu Chi to a landing zone one kilometer soth-southeast of yesterdays contact site. Co. A moved a short distance south of the landing zone and began to construct a new battalion night laager in the vicinity of Ap Phu Loi at XT698113. Meanwhile, Companies C and D searched the last two days contact site and found three Viet Cong bodies.
Up north, Company B was busy tearing down the old night laager northwest of Cu Chi and moving to a billit on the base camp.
Shortly before midnight, elements of the 2-12th Inf engaged at (XT698114) - just east of Ap Phuoc Thoi (2) - some two klicks north of the highway as it passes through Tan Phu Trung/Ap Cho (or) some four klicks north of the Hoc Mon bridge. The 3-4 CAV sent a flare ship to support the 2-12th, whose call sign "Flame 3" at 38.10FM.
On February 6th after performing another combat assault in the morning, at 1:15 p.m. the companies were fully engaged in the vicinity of XT695122, with sporadic contact continuing until nearly half past five. Enemy forces were engaged by the companies organic weapons with the support of artillery, gunships and air strikes resulting in 15 VC KIA (BC) - seven of them credited to the 2/12th Infantrymen who lost eight wounded and two killed.
February 7th, Co.'s A, C and D flew south from the NL above Cu Chi to a landing zone one kilometer soth-southeast of yesterdays contact site. Co. A moved a short distance south of the landing zone and began to construct a new battalion night laager in the vicinity of Ap Phu Loi at XT698113. Meanwhile, Companies C and D searched the last two days contact site and found three Viet Cong bodies.
Up north, Company B was busy tearing down the old night laager northwest of Cu Chi and moving to a billit on the base camp.
Shortly before midnight, elements of the 2-12th Inf engaged at (XT698114) - just east of Ap Phuoc Thoi (2) - some two klicks north of the highway as it passes through Tan Phu Trung/Ap Cho (or) some four klicks north of the Hoc Mon bridge. The 3-4 CAV sent a flare ship to support the 2-12th, whose call sign "Flame 3" at 38.10FM.
SIX DAY FIGHT - February 8-13th
122 VC DEAD
3RD BDE -- After battling an estimated battalion of Viet Cong for six consecutive days, elements of the
3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div drive the enemy from the village of Tan Hoa, two kms east of Cu Chi.
The 2nd Bn, 12th Inf "White Warriors," under the command of LTC Dean Tice, continued to fight the
enemy daily aided by air strikes, artillery and gunships. Weakened by the continued pounding by the
U.S. Forces, the Viet Cong were forced to leave their maze of tunnels, spider holes and bunkers within the village.
A total of 122 enemy were killed and five Viet Cong suspects detained during the bitter fighting. Eleven American soldiers died in the six day period. The six day battle began shortly after helicopters dropped elements of Delta company on a landing zone near the village. The infantrymen immeadiately came under heavy fire from automatic weapons and rocket launchers. For the following five hours the White Warriors steadily pushed into the widespread village which was honeycombed with spiderholes and complex tunnel systems.
1Lt Ronald Hendricks, first platoon leader of Delta company commented about the complex system of tunnels; "Charlie would fire at you from one spiderhole concealed in a hedge row, crawl through a tunnel to a new position and open up again. It made it rough to pinpoint his location, but once we did, we put it to him."
LTC Richard Simpson acting battalion Commander in the absence of Tice, said the men did a magnificent job. The battalion went through a new phase of fighting the Viet Cong. They went against a larger force, well dug in, and by the hard effort of every PFC and SGT, they took the Village. Those are the men that did the job. According to intelligence officers, the enemy was well armed with fully automatic weapons of every caliber the VC are known to employ. They had an abundant supply of ammunition.
For the next two days, the battalion sweeps the are, but there is negative contact.
122 VC DEAD
3RD BDE -- After battling an estimated battalion of Viet Cong for six consecutive days, elements of the
3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div drive the enemy from the village of Tan Hoa, two kms east of Cu Chi.
The 2nd Bn, 12th Inf "White Warriors," under the command of LTC Dean Tice, continued to fight the
enemy daily aided by air strikes, artillery and gunships. Weakened by the continued pounding by the
U.S. Forces, the Viet Cong were forced to leave their maze of tunnels, spider holes and bunkers within the village.
A total of 122 enemy were killed and five Viet Cong suspects detained during the bitter fighting. Eleven American soldiers died in the six day period. The six day battle began shortly after helicopters dropped elements of Delta company on a landing zone near the village. The infantrymen immeadiately came under heavy fire from automatic weapons and rocket launchers. For the following five hours the White Warriors steadily pushed into the widespread village which was honeycombed with spiderholes and complex tunnel systems.
1Lt Ronald Hendricks, first platoon leader of Delta company commented about the complex system of tunnels; "Charlie would fire at you from one spiderhole concealed in a hedge row, crawl through a tunnel to a new position and open up again. It made it rough to pinpoint his location, but once we did, we put it to him."
LTC Richard Simpson acting battalion Commander in the absence of Tice, said the men did a magnificent job. The battalion went through a new phase of fighting the Viet Cong. They went against a larger force, well dug in, and by the hard effort of every PFC and SGT, they took the Village. Those are the men that did the job. According to intelligence officers, the enemy was well armed with fully automatic weapons of every caliber the VC are known to employ. They had an abundant supply of ammunition.
For the next two days, the battalion sweeps the are, but there is negative contact.