In 1967, North Vietnamese forces were determined to root out the American presence in western Vietnam, especially the central highlands, where large US Special Forces camps were a major obstacle to the flow of supplies through the “Ho Chi Minh Trail” to the south. The targets of the North Vietnamese were Ben Het camps about 8 km east of the border with Cambodia and Dak about 16 km east of the former.
To this end, the North Vietnamese staff poured thousands of men and heavy equipment into the area. The gathering did not escape the attention of the Americans who launched a wide clearing operation in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam (Operation “Greeley”) by combined forces of the US 4th Infantry Division, the 173rd Airborne Brigade and South Vietnamese units.
In late October, new information gathered that the North Vietnamese had been reinforced and were preparing to attack the same area again, prompting the Americans to launch a pre-emptive strike.
The ensuing Operation McArthur culminated in a bitter standoff in the Dak To area, the fiercest and bloodiest battle of the Vietnam War. For three weeks 16,000 Americans and South Vietnamese were engaged in a series of engagements with the forces of four regiments (about 7,000 men) of North Vietnamese soldiers and irregulars.
The same staff of the US 4th Air Force, under whose command the 173rd Airborne Brigade had once again been placed, took part in the battle. The battle developed into an infantry contest in mountainous and wooded terrain, where the action of the simple infantry rifleman was more valuable than artillery, air and tank support, areas in which the Americans clearly had the upper hand.
On the American side, 5 infantry battalions (1st, 2nd, 3rd, of the 8th Regiment, 1st and 3rd of the 12th Regiment and a reconnaissance company of the 12th Armored Cavalry Regiment) of the 4th Division, 3 paratrooper battalions (1st, 2nd, 4th of the 503rd Regiment) were involved ) of the 173rd Brigade with the support of the 335th Army Aviation Company, 2 armored cavalry divisions of the 12th and 8th Regiments respectively as well as the 23rd and 26th MIKE ( Mobile Strike Force Command ) companies of the green berets, the special forces operating in Vietnam. 6 battalions of the South Vietnamese Army also participated in the battle supported by 15 artillery companies and the US air force.
The battles around Hills 742 and 875 in particular are considered among the fiercest in Vietnam. Three Medals of Honor, the highest military award for valor and combat performance, were awarded for action at the Battle of Duck To by the Americans: Major Charles J. Watters Chaplain and Corporals John Barnes and Carlos Lozada who performed acts of heroism and were killed during the battle rescuing many of their comrades, indicative of the cruelty of the conflicts.
Although the Americans nearly annihilated the Vietnamese, the concentration and attrition of their own forces would deprive Khe Sanh of reinforcements, which would be besieged by 3 North Vietnamese divisions two months later.
