Battle of Ong Thanh

The Battle of Ong Thanh was a battle of the Vietnam War that occurred on October 17, 1967. During this little known battle, the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry (the "Black Lions"), were ambushed and subsequently decimated by a well-entrenched and prepared National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), or Viet Cong, regiment outnumbering the Americans almost 10-to-1. In 1967 U.S. commanders in the battlefield were under pre... more

The Battle of Ong Thanh was a battle of the Vietnam War that occurred on October 17, 1967. During this little known battle, the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry (the "Black Lions"), were ambushed and subsequently decimated by a well-entrenched and prepared National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF), or Viet Cong, regiment outnumbering the Americans almost 10-to-1. In 1967 U.S. commanders in the battlefield were under pressure to engage the NLF and destroy them in decisive battles. Under such pressure, many U.S. officers were dismissed as a result of their failure to engage the NLF in large operations. The 2-28th Infantry was no different; in 1967 Lieutenant Colonel Terry de la Mesa Allen, Jr. took command of the battalion after many of the units' officers were dismissed from their post. The lack of contact had much to do with the NLF's reluctance to fight large-scale battles, where superior American firepower would prove decisive. Instead NLF units often... less