Mang Yang Pass was the eastern end of our Area of Operations. Colonel Barrou and several men were taken as prisoners of war. Please take a moment to review my edit . Also worth a short stop is the bridge over the Dak Ya ayun river just west of the Mang Yang pass. Here The Viet Minh sprung a major ambush on the French force, who for their survival fled south into the jungle. Also included are a Photo of the edge of the Mang Yang Pass and the Daily Staff Journal specific to the … in Mang Yang Pass. On June 24, 1954, the entire unit left An Khe in a long convoy on Road 19. I was with the 538 engineers land clearing we would yo-yo down the mountain pass and shave all the tops of the hills mostly remember the giant dragonflies they were all over the pass I was there 69 and 70. Your email address will not be published. I went through the Pass in late 1968 and remember the remains of French (Renault?) M114 155 mm howitzer captured in 1954 in the Battle of Mang Yang Pass M1938 122mm howitzer used by People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) Brigade 52 to attack the ARVN base in Minh Long District in 1974 M1939 37mm anti-aircraft gun used by PAVN Regiment 573 it apparently shot down an A-37 in Tiên Phước District on 17 March 1975 Monty, thanks for sharing. As part of the general deterioration of the GVN side, MACV had decided to strengthen the security of Highway 19 by … I was never told that I had to join up with a convoy escorted by heavily armed escort vehicles. This was the site of the last major battle of the French Indochina War. VC and PAVN troops would often stage ambushes or at least place snipers that would harass the passing convoys. But arguably the most accurate location description would be the Battle of Dak Po. Today, a large monument to the Viet Minh stands at the site 15km west of Anh Khe. On the south side of this road lay the rusted hulks of the French debacle of June 1954. Lots of great info there.This is a long term project for us so we will keep adding information over time. It ended with no friendly casualties, just some holes in the tanker gasoline truck, which the soldiers plugged with wood pegs. There is not a monument on the site as we know of. Hundreds of them. My Montagnard counterpart spoke German, as well as French, Vietnamese, and seven dialects of Montagnard, with no formal education. 2nd Group of 10th Colonial Artillery Regiment. While walking through the defoliated area alongside Hwy. Mang Yang Pass and Dak Po KM15 mark. from the pass, high-flying B-52s from Guam had blasted Mang Yang with bombs the … New!! 100 to abandon their isolated position in the Central Highlands. Primary service involved, Vietnamese Army. Hi, this is steve eberhard again. This is a great web site you have created, just right for my mindset, thank you. Mang Yang Pass. He joined the Blackhawks who were guarding the Mang Yang Pass. The Mang Yang pass was the main choke point along QL19 between Pleiku and An Khe, located about halfway, convoys had to negotiate this narrow and steep pass as they supplied the large bases in Pleiku. 100) was a regimental task force unit of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps which was assembled as a convoy. Thank you for your nice comment. it is 7 km from km22. The monument at the ambush site is on the south side of the road on the small pass. Thank you for your service, brother. I spent 3 months with Alpha Company 2nd Battalion 35th Infantry Cacti Blue. Taking us through the Mang Yang Pass on QL 19, where so many convoys rolled through on their way to Pleiku from the coastal city of Quy Nhon, down to the Km 15 mark west of An Khe where the French Mobile Group was ambushed in 1954. This company was ambushed west of Mang Yang Pass and suffered several losses. The French Group Mobile 100 abandoned An Khe and tried to retreat to the safe haven fortress of Pleiku. i only had a shotgun driver and we both carried our M16 weapons. We have recently added some more pages to the III Corps and IV Corps sections. Through the Mang Yang Pass. I am happy you have discovered the amount of material we have on the website. Location, Mang Yang Pass Description: This battle began when the VC ambushed and destroyed a large South Vietnamese convoy in the Mang Yang Pass. I have a couple photos I could send to you taken at LZ Schueller. Hey, not much to say. “Mang Yang Pass,” Dirks said. Coincidentally, it was 7 klicks east of the pass that I had my first close call. On June 24, 1954, G.M. Later, a new camp designated A-231, opened of 12/11/67, at Tieu Atar, in Darlac Province, ? I will make sure to check out your website. Vietnamese communist forces had operated in this area during the previous decade in the First Indochina War against the French, winning a notable victory at the Battle of Mang Yang Pass in 1954. One of friendly fire out of Camp Radcliff and another of a pipeline that was hit on the Pass. The plane hit several tombstones and flipped over. Thanks Thomas.More is definitely coming. Mang Yang Pass was a frequent place for enemy ambushes. Background Traveled Mang Yang Pass, convoys and march orders, many times from Pleiku to An Khe,. One Vietnamese civilian truck was between us and the rear gun truck. Fun times. And yes, aware of the French Legions massacre there in ’54 and stories of ghosts that were heard throughout the pass. I was there at the end of your tour, working the pass daily as a “spook.” I would have been the guy in a lone ARVN marked jeep with my “yard” interpreter and dog collecting counterintelligence info for convoy security. Best wishes for Christmas and the new year. rider was a kid named Zuber. Mang Yang Pass was a frequent place for enemy ambushes. The Headquarters Company had only 84 men left out of an original 222. The thing I remember most other than loading all the desk and chairs form our office in 4th Division headquarters was that the French (and Germans I guess) soldiers killed there were burried standing up facing France. We are about to re-structure the content a bit to make it easier to find. Rumor Battle Pass LoL Wild Rift – Seorang data miner game LoL Wild Rift yaitu Canserole baru saja membocorkan jika game MOBA mobile tersebut akan merilis fitur battle pass di tahun 2021 mendatang. But there was something else. Stephen. Three hours out of coastal Qui Nhon, the vehicles pulled into Mang Yang pass—favorite ambush point for the Viet Cong on the 100-mile highway to Pleiku. From the top of the mountain overlooking the pass, we could look north to see the rows-and-centers grave sites of the French Foreign Legion soldiers that were buried there. In the meantime I stood there not moving a muscle for the better part of two hours until the EOD team arrived and removed several dozen of those little bastard Bouncing Bettys, all of them live. Click the image below to read the story from our visit: Together with veterans, we tell the story of the Song Be City Airstrip. Ambush site is not 7 km from mang yang pass. In this attack the enemy was armed with Chinese copies of the latest Soviet family of in­ fantry weapons: SKS rifle, AK assault rifle, and RPD light machine gun, as well as a copy of the new Soviet RPG-2 antitank rocket launcher. I may be doing a trip from Saigon to Hanoi this summer; let me know if there’s anything I can recon for you! On the top of the hill one is presented with a great view of the surroundings in all directions with the Mang Yang Pass in the west. [4] The Viet Minh 96th Regiment suffered more than 100 KIAs in comparison.[3][5]. Battle of Mang Yang Pass 5 years, 3 months, 2 days ago. Two weeks later, they were annihilated. That is quite a story. 3rd Squadron of 5th “Royal Poland” Armored Cavalry Regiment. 100 received orders to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to Pleiku, some 80 kilometers away over Route Coloniale 19. Fun times, exciting. Thank you for visiting our website. Dec 1968. During 2021 we will also make sure to add article from plenty of more locations around the country as we can start travel again. armored vehicles still visible from Hwy 19. my shotgun w [3] The remnants of G.M. Coordinates This article about a location in Gia Lai Province, Vietnam is a stub. 79th Battalion (less) (two infantry companies). Your email address will not be published. P.S. 100 ("Mobile Group 100" or G.M. The Mang Yang Pass is located about 22 kilometers west of An Khe town and the ambush site is located 15 kilometers west of An Khe. This French armored unit was ambushed on June 24, 1954 by elements of the Viet Minh 803rd Regiment. Please note though that we are not veterans, we are modern day history travelers, we have connected with many veterans over the years and many of them are of great help, giving advice and making sure we get our facts straight as we write the articles. Thank you also for visiting our website, I hope you enjoy reading our articles and looking at the pictures. Battle of Mang Yang Pass - Ambushes Ambushes On June 24, 1954, G.M. The 43rd Colonial, the 1st and the 2nd Korea Battalion which numbered about 834 men each, was now mustered at roll call with 452, 497, and 345 men respectively. Battle of Mang Yang pass for the usual composition of a groupement mobile; Last edited on 30 July 2020, at 21:36. Many Yang pass is 22 km west of An Khe town. I was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade minesweeper team. Mang Yang Pass & Pump Station 8: Map of section of Higway 19, centered on Pump Station 8 and also showing the infamous Mang Yang Pass as well as LZ Action. At the top of the Mang Yang Pass, and clearly visible from as far away as Bridge 26, was the French Military Cemetery where the bodies of the members of Groupment Mobile 100 are buried. A severe switchback in the An Khe pass became known as the “Devil’s Hairpin.” During one slow, hot and dusty climb up An Khe Pass, I spotted one of my men driving while … 100 received orders to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to … Possibly you were called upon to provide fire on my markers as well. The Battle of Tong Pass, also known as the Battle of Weinan, was fought between the warlord Cao and a coalition of forces from Guanxi between April and November 211 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He flagged down a convoy escort who called the EOD guys out of Radcliff. To clear the V.C. We had our sweep every morning on Hwy 19 towered Pleiku preparing areas for the convoys to pass. Dec 1968. At the road marker 'Kilometer 15' the column was ambushed by Viet Minh troops belonging to the 803rd Regiment and suffered heavy losses. We went to work every morning on Hwy 19 towered Pleiku preparing areas for the convoys to pass. I remember the full auto hot M-16 casings pouring down the back of my shirt from my Montagnard interpreter as I was driving and shooting to the left, or south. Along the edge of the narrow road were massive craters. “’Ambush Alley.’ See over there?” He pointed to a mountainside to the north. For date 650215. I’ve rarely looked for Vietnam stuff on the internet, but just found yours. Content is available under CC BY-SA 3.0 unless otherwise noted. Our team started in March 68 doing our sweeps on that ground. Click the image below to read our story and watch the video: Follow us down the steep jungle covered ridges where the real battle of Hamburger Hill took place. Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Vietnam articles missing geocoordinate data, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Battles and operations of the First Indochina War, http://www.troupesdemarine.org/traditions/histoire/gm100_indochine_1954.pdf, "Dossier" in French Marine Troops' official website, THE VALLEY OF CROSSES - French and the Mang Yang Pass, There was another Dien Bien Phu in 5th Military Region, Binh Dinh Newspaper (Có một Điện Biên Phủ ở Liên khu 5, Báo Bình Định), https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mang_Yang_Pass?oldid=4509491, Việt Minh victory; French forces managed to escape with heavy casualties, 2 battalions + 2 weapon companies of 96th Regiment, 700 troops, Korea Regiment, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Korea Battalions formed from the elite veteran UN. Yours is the first website with many a comment and comments on the area I spent a year of my life. Here The Viet Minh sprung a major ambush on the French force, who for their survival fled south into the jungle. The G.M.s (Groupement Mobile) were designed as self-sustaining motorized regimental task force unit modeled after the U.S. Army’s World War II regimental combat teams. I hope to get back there one day and spend even more time documenting more places. Along the road a number of camps were established such as LZ Schueller and LZ Action to protect the convoys and keep the enemy at bay. 100 lost 85 percent of vehicles, 100 percent of artillery, 68 percent of signal equipment and 50 percent of weapons. I’m glad I didn’t know about the ghosts. Only a few soldiers and none of their vehicles made it past here. It was a never ending mission for the U.S. forces to protect the convoys from Quy Nhon via the An Khe Pass and The Mang Yang Pass up to Pleiku. This company was ambushed west of Mang Yang Pass and suffered several losses. When the operation into Cambodia ended, I moved over to the east side of Radcliff providing CI for base security until the 4th Infantry’s flag was lowered in Dec 1970. When the survivors finally arrived at Ban Me Thuot the following day, there were only 107 men remaining out of 452, of those 53 were wounded, in addition a further 47 vehicles were lost. I’ve rarely looked for Vietnam stuff on the internet, but just found this enormous site today. The Battle of Mang Yang Pass is also known as the Battle of An Khe and it was a major defeat for the French by the Viet Minh. A good day to contemplate and stumbled upon this website. I didn’t know then about the 1954 ambush and the ghost stories. We were also ambushed just west of the pass in our team Jeep, after we caught up to an American convoy that had a fuel truck damaged by a mine. That road from Pleiku towards Mang Yang, An Khe and eventually Quy Nhon is filled with history. I was told there were 1800 graves, and mostly Germans, as they had joined their old enemy’s Army after WW II, having no homes or jobs to go home to. It included the elite veteran UN Bataillon de Corée who fought in the Korean War at Chipyong-ni, Wonju and Arrowhead Ridge. Even better! They would also cover the pump stations for the oil pipeline that supplied Pleiku. Two weapon companies (mortars, recoilless guns and bomb-launchers). This time they were forced to fight a pitch battle near the town of Mang Yang at a bridge across the Dak Ya-ayun river. Steve, thank you for your comment. That battle is briefly referenced in the “We Were Soldiers” movie. Now it was the 108th Regiment poised to strike the column. References. Both the An Khe and the Mang Yang passes were a series of zigzagging steep climbing turns. https://namwartravel.com/dak-po-km-15/Driving east through the Mang Yang pass in March 2015. VC and PAVN troops would often stage ambushes or at least place snipers that would harass the passing convoys. Anxious to avoid a second disaster like the siege at Dien Bien Phu, the French Chief of Staff ordered G.M. Three days later on July 20, 1954, a battlefield ceasefire was announced, and on August 1, the armistice went into effect, sealing the end of the French Indochina and soon the departure of the French administration and Expeditionary Corps which was completed by 1956. Hi Stephen. It was one of the bloodiest defeats of the French Union together with the battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the battle of Cao Bang in 1950. I hope you found it informative. Location, Mang Yang Pass Description: As part of the Battle of Mang Yang Pass, on the 20th the VC assaulted FOB #1 and FOB #2 manned by the A-4 SF Det CIDG units from An Khe. Pass-Through Certificates: Battle of Mang Yang Brass Tweet Battle of Mang Yang Pass: Be the wittiest tweeter, texter, and writer wherever you go! Our team started in March 68, doing our sweep on that ground. 100 ("Mobile Group 100" or G.M. The road is in relatively good condition and there is not too much traffic. I live in Saigon and sometimes take motorcycle trips to lesser known sites. We’ll add more over time, we have a few more II Corps locations coming up soon also. The legendary battle at LZ X-Ray took place in the remote Ia Drang valley in November 1965. Groupement Mobile No. Anxious to avoid a second disaster like the siege at Dien Bien Phu, the French Chief of Staff ordered G.M. We went there and walked the battlefield Click the image to read our story. 100, now with G.M. Not sure your description of mang yang pass, km15 is accurate. Thanks again. It was one of the bloodiest defeats of the French Union together with the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and the Battle of Cao Bằng in 1950. 40th Battalion (three infantry companies). The Battle of Mang Yang Pass is also known as the Battle of An Khe and it was a major defeat for the French by the Viet Minh. The ambush took place at the km 15 marker. Rumor Battle Pass LoL Wild Rift Di Tahun 2021 In 1954, the Battle of Mang Yang Pass occurred in Mang Yang. After the five day battle the French had only 84 men left out of the original 222 that went into this pass. Just right for my mindset, thank you. The battle was initiated by Cao Caos western expansion, which triggered uprisings in Guanxi. in Mang Yang Pass. Too young and stupid to think how dangerous this pass was. Please verify. Today, the drive through the pass down to An Khe and all the way out to Quy Nhon by the coast is a beautiful and easy ride. The Battle of Mang Yang Pass is also known as the Battle of An Khe and it was a major defeat for the French by the Viet Minh. On June 24, 1954, G.M. District. At noon, swarms of Viet Minh encircled the lead elements of the convoy. 7 kilometers east of the Mang Yang Pass at the Kilometer 15 site on the 24th June 1954 the French Mobile Group 100 force were in a controlled retreat from the east highland plains from Anh Khe to the town of Pleiku. By June 28 the French were only 30 kilometers from Pleiku and had entered an area of plains with tilled fields and villages bordering the road when signs of an ambush began to appear. Battle of Mang Yang pass for the usual composition of a groupement mobile; Last edited on 30 July 2020, at 21:36. Was reminiscing this afternoon, here at my home in Palmdale, Ca. I am happy you made it out. Barded Wire: Barded Wire: Notice the Vietnamese village close by. In the Tet Offensive, “we were hit by the North Vietnamese … This company was ambushed west of Mang Yang Pass and suffered several losses. This flight was a low level Visual reconnaissance/Convoy Cover heading West into the Pass. FSB Burt – the camp that inspired the final battle in the movie Platoon. Ambushes. I’m impressed with your visit in 2015 to hollowed grounds, gathering more memories, information and capturing nice modern photos. On June 29, the remains of 1st Korean Battalion was ordered to take part in Operation Forget-Me-Not to open Route Coloniale 14 between Pleiku and Ban Me Thuot which was over 96 kilometers away. Who would’ve known we could meet on the web this way after all these years. There were quad .50 calibers on the front and rear gun trucks of the convoys. This was the site of the last major battle of the French Indochina War. I have just modified 3 external links on Battle of Mang Yang Pass. Who would’ve known we could meet this way after all these years. : In this attack the enemy was armed with Chinese copies of the latest Soviet family of in­ fantry weapons: SKS rifle, AK assault rifle, and RPD light machine gun, as well as a copy of the new Soviet RPG-2 antitank rocket launcher. 100 received orders to abandon its defensive positions at An Khe and fall back to Pleiku, some 80 kilometers away over Route Coloniale 19.