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~ 720th Military Police Battalion Vietnam History Project ~ |
Operation OVERTAKE |
1970 Timeline |
Participating Commands |
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This Page Last Updated 2 April 2018 |
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Original OVERTAKE Wall Map |
Area Map
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CLICK ON TO ENLARGE |
CLICK ON TO ENLARGE
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15 January, 0120 hours A 720th MP Battalion, V100 Armored Commando Car conducting a southbound Overtake Night escort crewed by SGT Harris, SP/4’s Charles R. Smith, and Nickolas Cramer, was ambushed. An enemy RPG B-40 round struck the roadway under the V100. The ambush occurred just past the Philco Ford motor pool near the Thu Duc intersection. No return fire was directed at the enemy due to the close proximity of civilian housing and lack of further enemy fire. |
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Personal Reflection |
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"The rear gunner was SP/4 Nick Cramer, I was in the turret and SGT Harris was the driver. We were about to continue the double run...one convoy leaving Bien Hoa Airbase heading towards the Newport Docks and one leaving the Newport Docks heading towards Bien Hoa Airbase. From 2330 hours (11:30 PM) to 0100hours (1:00AM) was the most vulnerable time as only one convoy would travel, and only one convoy was permitted on the roadway at a time. |
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As our convoy rolled out at approximately 0100 hours our gun-jeep was not with the convoy. I called back to the radio operator of the jeep and they said they were experiencing some unknown problems but were on the way. I informed then we would hang back until they caught up with the convoy. I heard the jeep engine roaring as it came up on out left side. Just as it passed us there was a large explosion that shook our V100. I looked down into the turret and the inside was all lit up. We lurched forward about 25 feet and stopped dead. Our radio communications and the engine were out of operation. SGT Harris ordered us to stay in the V100 in case of small arms fire. We trained our machine guns to the west and watched for flashes but none came. In about 5 minutes the 615th MP Company patrols and I believe one of our escort jeeps from the convoy came back for us. The RPG was intended for the gun jeep, missed it and bounced off the road into our engine. SP/4 Cramer and SGT Harris both were injured but I was not." SP/4 Charles R. Smith, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, December 1969-November 1970. |
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Personal Reflection |
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"I was the radio net control operator for Overtake. I was supposed to be the IC (In Charge) of jeep #3 but the assigned radio operator was ill, so they put me on the radios. Our radio room was located in the Provost Marshal Office at Long Binh Post. There were three radios in the radio room, one for the two Overtake convoys, one for the Philco Ford motor pool, and one for Ben Hoa artillery. SGT Harris called in that they were hit by an RPG round. I believe it hit underneath the V100 and knocked out the electrical systems. I don't recall much damage to the vehicle. SP/4 Jack (John) McKellog was the IC of Jeep #3 in that escort. I am sure he had a bird's eye view of the ambush. I don't recall who else was assigned to that convoy escort. It was a time when we had a lot of replacements. I do recall that an MP officer from the 615th tried to call in a fire mission into Ben Hoa Arty that would have landed on our convoy. I am pretty sure it was at the Thu Duc intersection. I don't recall the name of our Duty Sergeant that night but he and I called the mission off because the rounds would have landed on or near our guys. There was only one RPG fired and no small arms fire." SP/4 George Lahargoue, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, December 1968 to January 1970. |
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26 January, 2300 hours Gun-Jeeps conducting an Overtake Night escort were ambushed by an enemy force of unknown size. The enemy fired small arms, automatic weapons and RPG rounds resulting in the wounding of one MP, and minor damage to one gun jeep and its M-60 machine gun. One civilian commercial contract vehicle was also struck by an RPG round and the Vietnamese driver was wounded. Return fire was directed at the enemy positions with unknown results. |
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Personal Reflection |
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"This was an escort return run from the Newport Docks to Bien Hoa. The RPG went through the passenger window of the civilian truck and blew off one of the drivers legs. The MP’s in the gun jeep were, Ronald D. Tyler, I believe a SP/4 at the time, PFC Thomas Ramlet was on the M60 Machine gun but I do not remember the third MP. PFC Ramlet was wounded in the action. Ronald Tyler ran to the contractors truck and pulled out the Vietnamese civilian driver while under small arms fire. Our escort unit was notified of the ambush while we were eating at Bien Hoa. We were told to go to the scene of the action but before we could arrive we were called off. I believe the 615th MP Company patrols made it there to assist. I also believe Tyler later received an award for his actions. SP/4 Charles R. Smith, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, December 1969 to November 1970. |
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2 February In the early morning darkness a twenty-five vehicle convoy of supply trucks and fuel tankers returning from the Newport Docks to Long Binh Post was ambushed by a well entrenched enemy force of unknown numbers on Highway 1A (#316) at the midway point. Several truck drivers and two A Company MP’s were wounded in the fire fight. |
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The enemy opened fire from both sides of the roadway with small arms, automatic weapons and RPG’s. Several trucks were immediately disabled and the drivers wounded. The A Company Operation OVERTAKE escort of 12 MPs, consisting of three gun jeeps and a V100, immediately moved into the kill zone and returned suppression fire. Several of the MP’s disregarded the heavy enemy fire, dismounted their vehicles and went to the aid of the wounded truck drivers moving them to safety. The fire fight raged on while the MP gun-jeeps with their M60 machine-guns and the V100 with it’s twin 73’s continued to exchange fire with the enemy positions awaiting an ARVN response team to come to their support. Once the ARVN support elements arrived the enemy fled their positions and retreated back into the darkness. Several truck drivers and two A Company MPs were wounded in the fire fight. Later several Members of the MP escort were awarded medals of valor and purple hearts for their actions that night. The MP’s that worked that escort were, SSG Ronald J. Poplos, V100 NCOIC who was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Valor, and others yet identified. |
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6 February PFC Joseph Robert Hardee was a gun jeep commander assigned to the Bien Hoa, Newport escort as part of an A Company Overtake Night escort. In the dark of the night a Vietnamese national who was driving one of the supply trucks managed to sneak it out of the convoy onto a back road where it was unloaded by Black Marketer's. When the truck pulled out onto the main highway to rejoin the convoy it struck the MP gun jeep. PFC Hardee, the passenger, died instantly, the M-60 machine gunner PFC Charles Whyte, and the driver SP/4 David M. Erwin, were both severely injured but recovered. |
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720th Is Reassigned From Operation OVERTAKE |
28 March The 557th Military Police Company subordinate to the 95th MP Battalion assumed responsibility for staffing Operation OVERTAKE from A Company, 720th MP Battalion. The mission was given to the 557th MP Company in a consolidation move. The 557th MP Company (Long Binh Post) secured ten patrol jeeps and four V-100’s along with thirty MPs from the 300th MP Company, and twenty-five men reassigned from the 1st Infantry Division. The 300th MP Company was also subordinate to the 95th MP Battalion Headquartered on Long Binh Post. |
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The OVERTAKE program was very successful and almost eliminated completely the diversion of cargo from the convoys. During the two year period of March 1968 through June 1970, over 5,500 OVERTAKE convoys were escorted. During this time cargo diversion thefts were almost completely eliminated and when they did occur the immediate and aggressive response by the military police escorts and their Vietnamese counterparts resulted in the majority of the cargo being recovered.
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SP/4 Smith
SP/4 Lahargoue
If you participated in this escort and can provide any information, personal stories, or photographs of the V100 other MP's that worked this escort, please notify the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of this page.
SSG Poplos
