Battle of Ong Thanh

The Battle of Ong Thanh was fought at the stream of that name (Ông Thành) on the morning of 17 October 1967, in Chơn Thành District, at the time part of Bình Dương Province, South Vietnam, today in Bình Phước Province.

During the first few months of 1967 the Viet Cong (VC) absorbed heavy losses as a result of large-scale search and destroy missions conducted by the United States Army. This prompted North Vietnamese leaders to review their war strategy in South Vietnam. In light of the setbacks which People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and VC forces had experienced in early 1967, PAVN General Trần Văn Trà suggested PAVN and VC forces could still be victorious if they inflicted as many casualties as possible on U.S. military units, hoping that the Americans would conclude that the war was too costly and withdraw from Vietnam. Thus, towards mid-1967 the VC 7th and 9th Divisions returned to the battlefield with the objective of inflicting casualties on U.S. military formations in III Corps. On 12 June the U.S. 1st Infantry Division launched Operation Billings to destroy elements of the VC 9th Division, which had built up strength north of Phước Vĩnh Base Camp in War Zone D. When the operation concluded on 26 June the 1st Infantry Division had lost 57 killed while the VC had lost 347 killed. In September, following a string of attacks on U.S. and South Vietnamese military installations by VC and PAVN troops, Major general John H. Hay decided to temporarily halt large-scale operations until the true intentions of PAVN/VC forces were known. During October the VC 271st Regiment moved into the Long Nguyen Secret Zone to rest and refit for their next major operation. At around the same time Hay launched Operation Shenandoah II to clear a section of Highway 13 which stretched from Chơn Thành to Lộc Ninh.

Starting on 28 September, elements of the 1st Infantry Division were air-lifted into positions around Long Nguyen, but initially only a few contacts were made with the VC. On 16 October, the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment found a major VC bunker system south of their night defensive position near the Ong Thanh Stream, and a short fire fight broke out. To avoid a long battle, the commander of the 2nd Battalion decided to pull back and made preparations for a frontal assault on the next day. On the morning of 17 October two rifle companies of the 2nd Battalion returned to the bunker system, but they were ambushed by the VC 271st Regiment which had deployed in anticipation of the American attack.