1968  Time Line ~ Tay Ninh ~ Cu Chi Convoy
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~
This Page Last Updated    8 July 2008
WANTED: Photographs of the Tay Ninh / Cu Chi Convoy MPs and vehicles from all tours. Use the Email link above to contact the History Project Manager.
18th Bde.
720th
 
The supply run becomes even more critical during the Tet New Years Communist Offensive.
 
31 January-18 February Communist forces launched attacks from their Cambodian sanctuary against Tay Ninh and Cu Chi. Their intent was to occupy both cities. At this time the daily supply runs of fuel and ammunition became even more critical.
 

27 March, 1600 Hours At 4:00PM, SFC Richard L. DeHart, B Company, notified this office that the Tay Ninh Convoy (departed 26 March) returned to Long Binh Post. The convoy was held overnight at the Tay Ninh Base Camp due to enemy activity in the area.

     The convoy personnel were quartered in the Vietnamese Police Station, Tay Ninh. After getting up this date the B Company escort personnel policed the area inside and out. At 1000 hours, [10:00AM], upon arrival at the convoy marshaling area their vehicles were searched because a Vietnamese Police Lieutenant stated that two grenades, 2 poncho liners, one holster, one bayonet and one set of plastic glasses were missing from their police station. The search met with negative results.
 
26 June B Company dropped from the rotation in the convoy assignment when the Battalion reorganized the mission in the Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR). All A & C Company duties in the TAOR were reassigned to B Company.

My Typical Day  SP/4 Larry J. Kimbrough, B Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, April 1968 to June 1968, and 557th MP Company, 95th MP Battalion, June 1968 to March 1969.
 
6 July Completion of the new Phu Cong Bridge located 15 miles north of Saigon greatly improved the route time on the convoy run. Now the convoy could skirt the city limits of Saigon and avoid the mass traffic congestion. This however didn't go unnoticed by the local Viet Cong forces. At least once a year the bridge was destroyed or severely damaged disrupting the convoy route.
 
The Largest Convoy Ambush During The War
 

25 August The largest U.S. convoy ambush ever to take place in Vietnam occurred in the area of Go Dau Ha on Highway QL-22.

     The 88th North Vietnamese Regiment set up a mile and-a-half long "kill zone" along both sides of Highway QL-22 and ambushed the 81 vehicle convoy on its way to Tay Ninh. The battle which lasted through the evening and into the next morning resulted in numerous casualties on both sides before the three battalions of NVA were finally driven from the field. The C Company convoy escort team suffered 1 KIA and 6 WIA.
 
12 September, 1030 Hours At 10:30 AM an unknown size force of NVA ambushed the 59 vehicle convoy while it was proceeding towards Tay Ninh on Highway QL-22 at Grid Coordinates XT317351, Michelin Rubber Plantation. The NVA opened fire on the lead march unit with rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons fire halting the remainder of the vehicles on the roadway unable to pass through the kill zone. One C Company MP was wounded, other U.S. losses consisted of 1 KIA and 5 WIA.
 
16 September, 1415 Hours At 2:15PM the south bound Tay Ninh Convoy received Viet Cong sniper fire at Grid Coordinates [map location] XT313355. SP/4 Murphy of C Company, stated that his element received approximately 5 to 6 rounds of small arms fire from the right side of the road. The fire was not returned, the convoy continued, there were no injuries or damage reported.
 
The Phu Cong Bridge
 
6 November Viet Cong sappers destroyed a major portion of the Phu Cuong Bridge a crucial link in the main supply route of the Tay Ninh Convoy for the allied forces west of the Saigon River on Highway 8A. Elements of the 65th Engineer Battalion were directed to construct a pontoon float bridge across the 700-foot-wide river. With the assistance of ARVN engineers and other allied units they completed the new temporary span in less than 26 hours after the incident, and on 7 November, convoy and civilian traffic was proceeding as normal.