The Battle of Kham Duc was a major battle of the Vietnam War. The event occurred in Khâm Đức, now district capital of Khâm Đức District, then in Quảng Tín Province, from 10–12 May 1968. During the Tet Offensive of 1968, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 2nd Division tried to capture Đà Nẵng, but they were defeated in the Battle of Lo Giang by elements of the U.S. 1st Marine Division and the 23rd Infantry Division. PAVN General Chu Huy Mân disengaged from the fight on the outskirts of the city, and pulled the 2nd Division into the mountains to rest, rebuild, and prepare for the next major operation. The US and allied defenders of the Special Forces camp at Khâm Đức, a small district in the north of Quảng Tín, were chosen as the next target for the 2nd Division. Although the Special Forces camp had never been an obstacle to the constant infiltration of PAVN troops around it, the North Vietnamese hoped to attract major US reinforcements away from the lowland populated areas, kill or capture them and film the battle, presumably to make it look like a US Điện Biên Phủ on the eve of the 1st Paris peace conference.
The United States military lost twelve aircraft during the Battle of Kham Duc, including this CH-47 Chinook that was shot down while attempting to land on the airfield
U.S. soldiers of Company A, 70th Engineer Battalion, waiting to be airlifted out of Khâm Đức, in a ditch beside the runway.
The wreckage of Major Bucher's C-130
The only photo ever to capture actions leading to a Medal of Honor; Lieutenant Colonel Joe M. Jackson's C-123 (top of photograph) prepares to evacuate the last three men (on runway, right) from Khâm Đức, on 12 May 1968.
The Americal Division was an infantry division of the United States Army during World War II and the Vietnam War.
Mortar crew of Company B, 132nd Infantry, Americal Division at Bougainville, 10 March, 1944.
Brigadier General William A. McCulloch, Assistant Division Commander, Americal Division in the South Pacific. 23 November 1943.
Americal Division colors ceremony, Chu Lai, 27 October 1967
Americal Division in Tam Kỳ – Armored cavalry assault vehicles (M113) with anti-RPG screens - March 1968