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1966 Battle of Lo Ke... Operation Cocoa Beach...
1966 Battle of Lo Ke... Operation Cocoa Beach...
Item # 725460
March 07, 1966
THE SPRINGFIELD UNION, Mass. March 7, 1966
* Battle of Lo Ke - Operation Cocoa Beach
* Lai Khê, Bình Dương Province, South Vietnam
The top of the front page, above the masthead has a banner heading: "5000 Allied Troops Battle No. Viet Force" with subheads. (see images)
Complete with 24 pages, light toning at the margin, nice condition.
background: The Battle of Lo Ke, fought on March 5, 1966, was a fierce engagement during Operation Cocoa Beach where the 1st Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry (the "Black Lions") successfully repelled a massive ambush by the Viet Cong 272nd Regiment within a rubber plantation near Highway 13. The battle began in the pre-dawn hours when a small 15-man patrol led by Second Lieutenant Robert J. Hibbs discovered a large enemy force advancing on the battalion's perimeter; Hibbs' decision to initiate a surprise strike disrupted the VC assault but led to a desperate, hours-long firefight involving intense close-quarters combat and heavy mortar fire. While the American forces eventually forced a retreat with the help of air strikes and the arrival of the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, the victory came at a high cost, including the loss of a resupply helicopter and the death of Lt. Hibbs, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for charging enemy machine-gun nests to save a wounded comrade.
Category: The 20th Century
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