Key Facts
- Date
- February 14–15, 1967
- Duration of battle
- ~4 hours
- PAVN/VC attacking force
- Regimental-sized (40th & 60th Battalions + 1 VC local battalion)
- Defending unit
- 11th Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd ROKMC Brigade
- U.S. ANGLICO advisors present
- 2 (LCpl Jim Porta & LCpl Dave Long)
Strategic Narrative Overview
The PAVN and VC forces penetrated the 11th Company's defensive perimeter on two separate occasions, forcing close-quarters and hand-to-hand combat throughout the engagement. South Korean Marines employed every available weapon to repel the attackers. Two U.S. Marine ANGLICO advisors, Lance Corporals Jim Porta and Dave Long, killed enemy infiltrators, coordinated air and naval gunfire support, participated in a counterattack to restore the perimeter, and assisted wounded personnel during the four-hour battle.
01 / The Origins
A Viet Cong defector—formerly a commander of a PAVN training camp—revealed that North Vietnamese forces were planning a concentrated attack on the South Korean Marine Corps 11th Company stationed at Trà Bình village, Trà Bồng District. Despite this intelligence, the attacking forces marshalled successfully, with the PAVN 40th and 60th Battalions, reinforced by a VC local force battalion from Quang Ngai province, encircling the perimeter during the night of February 14, 1967.
03 / The Outcome
The 11th Company successfully defended its position, repelling the regimental-sized assault by dawn on February 15, 1967. The PAVN and VC forces failed to overrun the outpost or sever communications as planned. The battle became one of the most celebrated actions of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in Vietnam, highlighting the effectiveness of combined South Korean and U.S. fire support coordination against a numerically superior attacking force.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
2 belligerents
Jim Porta (LCpl, USMC ANGLICO), Dave Long (LCpl, USMC ANGLICO).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.