Hill 875 - Nov. 1967

[Draggingtree]

Hill 875 - Nov. 1967

Vietnam War - Nov. 1967. The fight for an 875 meter high hill becomes a fight for survival and only proves how costly a war of attrition can be. This is when the American public questioned whether the sacrifice was worth the effort or whether the goal of keeping South Vietnam free from communism was worth all that blood and treasure. 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2017 by Draggingtree

[Draggingtree]

1967

Battle of Dak To begins

In some of the heaviest fighting seen in the Central Highlands area, heavy casualties are sustained by both sides in bloody battles around Dak To, about 280 miles north of Saigon near the Cambodian border.

The 1,000 U.S. troops there were reinforced with 3,500 additional troops from the U.S. 4th Division and the 173rd Airborne Brigade. They faced four communist regiments of about 6,000 troops. The climax of the operation came in a savage battle from November 19-22 for Hill 875, 12 miles southwest of Dak To. The 173rd was victorious, forcing the North Vietnamese to abandon their last defensive line on the ridge of Hill 875, but the victory was a costly one because the paratroopers suffered the loss of 135 men, 30 of whom died as a result of an accidental U.S. air strike on U.S. positions. In the 19 days of action, North Vietnam fatalities were estimated at 1,455. Total U.S. casualties included 285 killed, 985 wounded, and 18 missing.     http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-dak-to-begins#