BY: SOURN SEREY RATHA & BP
The CBU were supposed to clear the passage for the 1,100 Khmer Krom soldiers to assault Son Tay Prison by killing or maiming most of the enemy. When the two HH-53s “Apple 01 - 02” had landed and disgorged the bulk US assault forces respectively the “Greenleaf” command group of 22 Green Berets led by Col Arthur “Bull” Simon and the “Redwine” support group of 20 Green Berets led by Lt Col Elliott Bud Sydnor, Capt Thach Hén told in communication radio to his US relay communication radio officer and Capt Chau Dara that the HH-53 “Apple 01” of Col Bull Simon had landed in a wrong place.
A few minutes after the F-4D had dropped three CBUs:
(1) Capt Chau Dara led his Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 of 300 men to assault Son Tay Prison from the Western side;
(2) Then Capt Thach Hén and Capt Yip Tep led their Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers to occupy the emplacement left by Chau Dara battalion and then followed from behind the Kanseignn Sar Battalion 149 commanded by Chau Dara to assault Son Tay Prison.
When, Capt Chau Dara saw the HH-3 “Banana 01” crashed inside Son Tay Prison, Capt Chau Dara and Capt Nao Eng thought the helicopter HH-3 “Banana 01”was shot down by North Vietnamese soldiers.
Capt Chau Dara had seen American POWs captured in forest by North Vietnamese troopers. And he had seen before, when the North Vietnamese soldiers captured the American pilots, the North Vietnamese troopers routinely and ferociously tortured the captured American prisoners.
For this reason, Capt Chau Dara assaulted and ran full speed to rescue the helicopter HH-3 “Banana 01” crews. They did not run in line one behind another. They ran to envelop the Prison from all the Western side as quickly as they can. In principle, he might lose some soldiers to Vietnamese booby traps but not so many if they follow the well known procedure to avoid booby traps, by following in locked steps the precedent ones.
The North Vietnamese defense of Son Tay Prison was organized systematically in two lines: (1) As first line of defense, 38 trenches were dug near the Prison walls and (2) Hundred and hundred of booby traps holes were dug and well camouflaged at about 100-200 meters from the Prison walls as second line of defense.
The Kanseign Sar Battalion 149 was overwhelmed by the fire barrier of the North Vietnamese security guards of the 38 trenches defense perimeter outside the Son Tay Prison.
In a few minutes Cambodian Battalion 149 lose two third of her effective to the booby traps and fire wall barrier from the 38 trenches because they speed up and ran very quickly as they can to rescue the crashed HH-3 “Banana 01” crews.
If the objective was to overrun Son Tay Prison, they would sneak inside and kill all the guard by surprise by using all the arms they brought in. As they were coming to assault the Son Tay Prison, their procedure was to avoid Vietnamese booby traps. They would not fall so many in the hundreds booby traps around Son Tay Prison if hey had not ran full speed to rescue the HH-3 Banana 01 crews. Kanseign Sar strike forces were decimated.
Then about one hundred of Chau Dara battalion survivors who came out of the booby traps areas and can run ran and assaulted in full speed Son Tay Prison.
This time, bad luck stroke again, they ran on the unexploded CBU’s bomblets dropped by the F-4D Falcon. In fifteen minutes, all the remaining of Khmer Krom Battalion 149 was exterminated by the CBU’s unexploded bomblets, safe nine. Only nine came out alive from the killing zone created by hundreds and hundreds Vietnamese booby traps, the North Vietnamese fire wall barrier and the three CBU’s bomblets.
16. According to the CIA order, firstly Chau Dara Battalion assaulted the Son Tay Prison, then, Capt Thach Hén and Capt Yip Tep must lead their Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers to occupy Chau Dara battalion’s emplacement.
Almost seven hundred meters separated the two Cambodian Special Forces assault battalions.
The US F-4D Falcon pilot informed Capt Thach Hén that there were North Vietnamese defense trenches lines between Thach Hén Battalion 137 and Son Tay Prison.
About several thousands North Vietnamese forces in the trenches, and underground in charge of the defense of Son Tay Prison with all they can throw in the battle annihilated the Khmer Kroms Battalion 137 led by Capt Thach Hén.
Capt Thach Hén battalion assault fell on that North Vietnamese trenches perimeter defense line.
This explained also why the F-4D bombed with three CBUs that very close area to Khmer Krom battalions. The F-4D tried to help the Khmer Krom Capt Thach Hén Battalion 137. The F-4D Falcon intended to crush with three CBUs the North Vietnamese forces line of defense inside the trenches. But the three CBU spread their hundred of bomblets which would kill also a lot of Cambodian soldiers.
The CBU’s bomblets, the North Vietnamese booby traps, and the overwhelming NV counterattack annihilated the Cambodian battalion 137. In about fifteen minutes all the 800 soldiers of Capt Thach Hén battalion 137 were killed. They all die atrociously.
Capt Chau Dara heard so well the bullets hitting the bodies, almost no missing bullets. Every bullet hit several bodies; this will create a special sound, a very special macabre sound. The two sides, Vietnamese and Cambodian were so close to each other. The slaughtering was total. He heard cries and death moans of his arm brothers. The slaughtering lasted only about fifteen minutes. Then a murderous silence felt over that night. All Capt Thach Hén Khmer Krom Battalion 137 were exterminated. Only nine from Capt Chau Dara Battalion 149 survived but all injured.
The Northern and Western sides of Son Tay Prison were infested of hundred and hundred Vietnamese booby traps. Hundreds of new ones were intertwined with hundreds of the old ones. Our Khmer Special Forces acknowledged the new booby traps from the old ones by the freshness of the remaining foods left behind in the trenches nearby. But Cambodian Special Forces would not lose so many soldiers to the booby traps if they would not be inducted in errors to believe they have to run to save the helicopter HH-3 Banana 01 crews.
Without doubt, the sacrifice of Cambodian Special Forces had stopped and delayed the North Vietnamese troop reinforcement at least thirty minutes.
Indeed, at least, first, the North Vietnamese reinforcement needed fifteen minutes to annihilate the Khmer Krom Battalion 137 of 800 soldiers commanded by Thach Hén and second, they needed also at least fifteen minutes to cover the one mile distance from that point of battlefield to reach Son Tay Prison gate, the landing zone of the HH-53s Apple 01-02.
The American raiding force, that’s the 56 Green Berets and the two helicopters HH-53 Apple 01-02, had been on the ground only 27 minutes.
The sacrifice of Cambodian Special Forces had played without doubt an important role in delaying the reinforcement of North Vietnamese troops which would surround the 56 Green Berets and block their extraction by the two helicopter HH-53 Apple 01 and 02.
17. Why the 56 Green Berets were not injured with the booby traps? Following the same logic, the Southern Son Tay Prison was infested with hundred and hundred of booby traps too. But thank to the vertical insertion within 100 meters of the Son Tay Prison walls. This explained why the 56 Green Berets raiders were not injured by the booby traps.
Rows after rows of “villager houses” close to Son Tay Prison were in reality the North Vietnamese military casern but very well camouflaged as villager houses. Those rows of houses housed several hundreds soldiers equipped with the complete armaments. They formed the first manned line of defense of Son Tay camp.
In reality, the “Secondary School” was the prisoner interrogation center, to sort the prisoners. Once the prisoners were sorted, they were sent to incarceration facility underground.
Capt Thach Hén, Capt Chau Dara, Capt Chhin Saray and Capt Yip Tep and Capt Nao Eng knew so well that the situation was extremely tough.
But everybody had confidence in Capt Chau Dara to lead them all to the safety because Chau Dara knew very well the battleground. He knew where to hide and escape.
18. Under the chaos, the 56 Breen Beret raiders withdrew and were lifted by the two HH-53s “Apple 01 and Apple 02” and flying back to Thailand. At 02:36 the first helicopter extraction was made, followed by the second at 02:45. .
The American raiding force had been on the ground only 27 minutes. By 03:15 the American raiding force was out of North Vietnam, and landed back at Udon at 04:28, five hours after launch.
It was a brilliant victory well coordinating and well timing for the US Armed Forces, even without the freed prisoners.
All the 56 Green Berets were returned home safely. Only Sgt LeRoy Wrigth of the “Blueboy” team had the ankle fractured when the HH-3 made a risky crashed landing inside So Tay Prison.
For their actions, members of the Son Tay Rescue Operation “Kingpin” received 6 Distinguished Service Crosses, 5 Air Force Crosses, and 83 Silver Stars, including all members of the ground force. The successful demonstration of capability in Operations Kingpin was in part responsible for the creation of a joint United States Special Operations Command in 1987. President Nixon was very satisfied of the Operation Kingpin.
The Operation Kingpin was a great success according to the press, and political leaders.
19. Underground Son Tay Prison. Son Tay Prison was in reality a facility built three meters deep underground in the shape of a star pointed to the eight cardinals, and at the center with the dimensions 40 meters x 60 meters. At every eight point star triangle of three meters side was prisoner-cells. The guards blindfolded the prisoners and turned them around several times to disorient them before sending them to the prison cells. (Be Continue @ 5/5 End)
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