SON TAY Rescue Operation Kingpin is where American CHEAT Cambodian (1/5)

By: SOURN SEREY RATHA & BP
Cambodian Action Committee for Justice & Equity (CACJE)

Contact: sournsereyratha@gmail.com

Abstract: One thousand and one hundred Cambodian Special Forces had sacrificed their life in Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin, on November 21st , 1970. They fought bravely against the North Vietnamese division to protect from the Northwestern and Western sides the American Assault Forces which attacked and overran Son Tay Prison.

They were all killed on battleground safe nine.

Without doubt, the Cambodian Special Forces sacrifice had disrupted and stopped the North Vietnamese forces counterattack against the American Assault Forces which subdued Son Tay Prison for a delay time long enough to secure the extraction of the American assault forces.

Indeed, the American assault forces were on the ground for 27 minutes including the extraction by helicopters. During 27 minutes, they attacked victoriously Son Tay Prison, subdued it, opened the Prison cell doors and took off by helicopters, then, returned safely to their Thailand Udon base.

Without the sacrifice of Cambodian Special Forces, the North Vietnamese Forces counterattack would end up by surrounding and annihilating or at least blocking the extraction of the 56 Green Berets and the two helicopters HH-53s Apple 01 – 02 which were the entire American Assault Forces on the ground.

Dear All Readers,

1. On behalf of the three Cambodian Special Forces survivors of Son Tay Rescue Operation known by the code name of Operation “Kingpin”, We write this story to remind the unforgettable sacrifice of one thousand and one hundred (1,100) brave and dedicated Cambodian Special Forces soldiers who were killed in that famous Operation “Kingpin” to rescue the Son Tay American POWs. Indeed, the following was their

MISSION:

On November 21st, 1970, the D-Day,
Cambodian Assault Forces: two Cambodian Special Forces denominated as (a) KANSEIGN SAR Battalion 149 of three hundred soldiers commanded by Capt Chau Dara and (b) the KHMER KROM Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers led by Capt Thach Hén.

CIA Maj. Ed Neal had ordered these two Cambodian Battalion Assault Forces to attack Son Tay Prison from the Western and the Northwestern sides. Attack the North Vietnamese troops outside the Prison. Don’t go inside the Prison.

KANSEIGN SAR Battalion 149 was the Cambodian Special forces formed uniquely of Khmer Krom (Cambodian indigenous of Preah Trapeang province, South Vietnam, but living in Cambodia) equipped and financed by the US.

KHMER KROM Battalion 137 commanded by Capt Thach Hén was a Khmer Krom Special Forces, constituted of 800 soldiers including eight females, Khmer Krom (Cambodian indigenous of Bassac province, South Vietnam living in South Vietnam) equipped and financed and supervised by the US.

H-Hour was November 21st, 1970, 02:18, the starting hour of Rescue Operation Kingpin to assault Son Tay Prison to free the US POWs.

A few minutes before the H-Hour, Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 commander Capt Chau Dara still knew nothing about the American assault forces to overrun Son Tay Prison.

He did not know about the formidable USAF air support.

Indeed, 116 aircraft (28 Forces USAF Primary Aircraft with 148 personal on Objective Area, 29 Forces Support Aircraft and 59 Force Navy Aircraft Diversion) participated in the mission Kingpin.

He knew about the Son Tay American Assault Forces of Operation Kingpin only a few minutes before the Rescue Operation Kingpin had started effectively.

That night, the Cambodian Special Force raiders lay down on their back watching the stars. They saw with their naked eyes for the first time the surrealistic image of the MC-130 “Cherry 01” flying in convoy pulling the five helicopters HH-53s Apple 01-05 and the helicopter HH-3 Banana 01 following from behind.

Indeed, because of large different speeds, the maximum speed of the five heavily loaded HH-53s “Apple 01 - 05” and especially the HH-3 “Banana 01”was far behind the 250 knots low speed of the leading MC-130 “Cherry 01” Combat Talon; these six helicopters had to fly in speed “draft” behind the MC-130, much as racing drivers and cyclist drivers do to increase speed and conserve fuel.

Only at that precise moment, with their naked eyes, they saw the American forces flying in to attack Son Tay Prison.

Sure, the 56 Green Berets had accomplished a formidable job, but humbly and with humility, added Capt Chau Dara: If the Cambodian Special Forces commander got the go of the CIA Maj. Ed Neal, Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 of three hundred elite soldiers, alone, that night, had enough forces to successfully attack, and overrun Son Tay Prison, then, free all the POWs.

Until today, the Son Tay Cambodian commanders of Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin still believe that, by surprise, they can successfully execute all the three sequential operations alone: attack, overrun and free the POWs.

The surprise is the supreme factor of success. Three hundreds Kanseign Sar elite forces would succeed to rescue all prisoners because only ninety North Vietnamese soldiers assured inside the guard of Son Tay Prison at that November 21st, 1970 very early morning (02:18 a.m.).

The surprise is: A Cambodian looks like a Vietnamese, that’s the fundamental basis of the surprise that night. Wearing the Vietnamese uniform and Vietnamese cask a Cambodian soldier looks like exactly a Vietnamese Bo Doi’ (VN soldier).


2. It was the CIA Maj. ED NEAL who conceived, financed and equipped and ordered the Cambodian component of Operation “Kingpin”.

Capt Thach Hén, Capt Thach Kay and Capt Chau Dara were former Buddhist monks. Hén was a Primary School’s teacher in Kompong Thom, Cambodian province, not far from Pol Pot primary school. Capt Thach Hén knew so well Pol Pot because he taught the class which was two miles far from Pol Pot Primary School. Hén and Kay spoke fluently the English.

Capt Nao Eng and Capt Chhin Saray spoke fluently the English, French, Lao, Vietnamese and Chinese.

These officers had worked for the CIA for dozen years already.

But only Capt Chau Dara was assigned by the CIA to infiltrate the North Vietnamese Army. The CIA selected from a pool of three thousand Khmer Krom 43 soldiers, then, trained them and sent them to infiltrate the North Vietnamese Army. A few years later, from the 43, only five survived. The others were killed by the war, malaria, the B52s bombing, and denunciation. Capt Chau Dara was among the five survivors.

3. The Fundamental Simple Cambodian Plan of Son Tay Rescue Operation.

The Cambodian plan was very simple. Since there were only ninety North Vietnamese Security guards inside Son Tay Prison, that early morning of November 21, 1970, they would infiltrate and strike by surprise the Son Tay Prison with all the arsenals they brought in with them and kill all the ninety North Vietnamese security guards.

They expected the surprise would be total because they succeeded already to insert on D-Day minus three, one thousand one hundred (1,100) Cambodian special force soldiers around the northwestern and the western side of Son Tay Prison, within a strike distance of one mile from the Son Tay Prison walls.

They would assault, overrun, then free all Son Tay POWs, American and Cambodian, and then profiting the chaos created by the attack they would lead all those freed POWs to the forest on the opposite Song Con River bank and then they would escape to Cambodia toward the helicopter extraction zone.

Maj. Ed Neal, CIA retiree, died in Dallas, Texas, in the mid 1980s.

4. In all the aftermath publication about the Son Tay Rescue Operation Kingpin there was no trace of the participation of Cambodian Special Forces KANSEIGN SAR and KHMER KROM Battalions in that awesome Operation Kingpin.

However, the truth is: one thousand and one hundred Kanseign Sar Cambodian Special Forces, Khmer Krom soldiers had fought bravely against North Vietnamese Army divisions.

Indeed, when fifty-six Green Berets were lifted by helicopters on November 20th , 1970 from Udon Royal Thailand Air Base in Northern Thailand to assault the Son Tay Prison to free 75+ American prisoners, two Cambodian Battalions were already on the ground, and well positioned to strike and ready to attack and overrun Son Tay Prison: (a) the KANSEIGN SAR Battalion 149 was on the Western side within 500 meters from Son Tay Prison walls and (b) the KHMER KROM Battalion 137 was on Son Tay Prison Northern side, within less than one mile from Son Tay walls.

As the Blueboy assault team led by Army Captain Richard J. Meadows, in the Jolly Green HH-3, crash-landed on time at 02:18 and as planned into the center of Son Tay prison, the only casualty a crew member with a broken ankle, the Cambodian KANSEIGN SAR Battalion 149 led by Capt Chau Dara, according to the CIA Maj. Ed Neal order, assaulted violently Son Tay Prison from the Western side. Then the Khmer Krom Battalion 137 should follow and assault from behind the Kanseign Sar Battalion 149. (Be Continue @ 2/5)