Repost 2012: "The river was running red with blood.": THE 62nd BORDER RANGER CIDG CAMP LE-KHANH (POLEI-KLENG)

I posted a picture of the group, but it must have been removed as were others.

 Polei Kleng is the name of a hill, 22km northwest of Kontum, the further most city in the central highlands of south Vietnam.  In June 1966, US Special Forces built a CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group) camp on the hill top and named it Polei Kleng (A-241).  The Vietnamese called it Le Khanh This camp functioned as a blockage to stop the enemy expansion and pressure into the city of Kontum.  On the 31st of August 1970, the camp was transferred and converted to the 62nd Border Ranger battalion and placed under the command of the ARVN Ranger High Command.

        During the Easter Offensive, the NVA launched a massive attack, crossing the three-border (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) area, destroying the RVN 22nd  division and captured the town Tan Canh, Dakto.  The Airborne defensive line around the hills in the southwest of Tan Canh collapsed. Camp Le Khanh was the last resistance outpost against the advancing NVA forces into the city of Kontum, therefore the communists must flatten the camp at all costs.

    Within one week, the NVA bombarded thousands of 82mm, 122mm shells into the camp.  On the 7th of May, they increased the level of bombardment from 8:00pm until midnight, then attacked from the eastern flank.  The rangers held their positions, pushing back many waves of attacks.  Until 6:00am, the communists stopped their attack for regrouping, leaving more than 300 dead around the defensive perimeter of the CIDG camp.

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