PARTICIPATION OF THE 416TH BATTALION, 8TH BSR, PAVN 5TH DIVISION, IN THE ATTACK ON THE BAN SA NGAE AREA INCLUDING SUPPLY ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO THE ATTACK

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06157001
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: September 26, 2017
• Case Number: F-2012-01432
• Publication Date: April 21, 1984

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TOT: 211153Z APR 84
CONy�TTIAL NOFORN WNINTEL
211153Z
TO: PRIORITY NPIC, DIRNSA, DEPT OF STATE, DIA, TREASURY DEPT,
WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STAFF,
ZEN/CIA OFFICE OF CURRENT OPERATIONS,
USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI, CINCPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI, CDRWESTCOM FT
SHAFTER HI, COMIPAC HONOLULU HI, CINCPACAF HICKAM AFB HI,
COMSEVENTHFLT, I34F CLARK AB PI.
SERIAL:
PASS:
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
WARNING: INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.
REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL--WNINTEL--NOFORN
01ST:
COUNTRY:
SUBJ:
DOI:
SOURCE:
21 APRIL 1984
KAMPUCHEA/VIETNAM
PARTICIPATION OF THE 416TH BATTALION, 8TH BSR, PAVN
5TH DIVISION, IN THE ATTACK ON THE BAN SA NGAE AREA
INCLUDING SUPPLY ACTIVITIES PRIOR TO THE ATTACK
TEXT: 1. ON 7 AND 8 APRIL 1984, THE 416TH BATTALION, 8TH
BORDER SECURITY REGIMENT (BSR), PEOPLE'S ARMY OF VIETNAM (PAVN)
5TH DIVISION, RECEIVED ORDERS TO PREPARE FOR ANJ7FENSIVE AGAINST
THE KHMER PEOPLE'S NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (KPNLF) CAMP AT
BAN SA NGAE. ON THE MORNING OF 9 APRIL THE 416TH BATTALION
MOVED FROM THNAL DACH TO KANDOAL (TA 835475). ALL TROOPS WERE
SUPPLIES WITH A SEVEN-DAY RATION OF RICE, 250 ROUNDS OF AK-47
AMMUNITION, AND OTHER PERSONAL EQUIPMENT INCLUDING UNIFORMS,
MOSQUITO NETS AND BLANKETS. EACH SOLDIER WAS TOLD TO CARRY
FOUR LITERS OF DRINKING WATER, WHICH THEY HAD TO OBTAIN FROM
THE LOCAL POPULATION.
2. ELEMENTS OF THE 416TH BATTALION THAT WERE TO PARTICIPATE
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IN THE OPERATION INCLUDED THE 1ST COMPANY, THE 2ND COMPANY, THE
TRANSPORTATION PLATOON, THE MEDICAL UNIT, AND THE LIAISON UNIT.
IN ADDITION TO PERSONAL WEAPONS, ELEMENTS OF THE 416TH BATTALION
PARTICIPATING IN THE OPERATION WERE EQUIPPED WITH A TOTAL OF
ONE 82-MILLIMETER (MM) MORTAR AND ONE 82MM RECOILLESS RIFLE.
THE REMAINING 416TH BATTALION ELEMENTS, INCLUDING THE 3RD COMPANY,
WHICH WERE EQUIPPED WITH ONE 82MM MORTAR AND ONE 12.7MM MACHINE-
GUN, REMAINED TO PROTECT THE BASE OF THE 416TH BATTALION.
3. THE 416TH BATTALION TROOPS STAYED AT KANDOAL FOR SIX
DAYS AND THEN WERE ORDERED TO MOVE TO THMEI (TA 830485), BUT
WERE ORDERED TO LEAVE THEIR PERSONAL EQUIPMENT AT KANDOAL.
THE TROOPS THEN WERE ORDERED TO TRANSPORT BY FOOT 80 120MM MORTAR
ROUNDS FROM THMEI TO ROMEIT (TA 750485). THIS MISSION
TOOK ONE FULL DAY TO COMPLETE. THE TROOPS THEN RETURNED TO
KANDOAL, THE FOLLOWING MORNING THE TROOPS WERE GIVEN THREE-DAY
RATIONS OF RICE AND CANNED MEAT. GAS MASKS WERE GIVEN TO THE
CADRE. COMMENT: THE ENLISTED MEN WERE NOT GIVEN GAS
MASKS AND WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY PLANS
TO USE CHEMICAL WEAPONS OR OF THE EXISTENCE OF ANY
CHEMICAL WEAPONS.) ON 14 APRIL, THE
416TH BATTALION TROOPS BEGAN TO WALK FROM KANDOALTCLKOUK
ROMEIT (TA 784483). THEY ARRIVED AT KOUK ROMEIT AT ABOUT
1200 HOURS. AT A MEETING OF PAVN OFFICERS AT KOUKROMEIT, THE
PAVN 212ND BATTALION, 8TH BSR, WAS ORDERED TO ATTACK A POSITION
SOUTH OF BENG (LAKE) AMPIL. THE 620TH BATTALION, 8TH BSR,
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE 2ND COMPANY, WITH'ONE RECOILLESS RIFLE,
OF THE 416TH BATTALION WAS ORDERED TO ATTACK THE KPNLF POSITION
AT CHAS (UNLOCATED), HOWEVER, FOLLOWING THE MEETING, THE
2ND COMPANY TRAVELED WITH THE 416TH BATTALION FROM ROMEIT TO THE
NORTHWEST FOR ABOUT SIX KILOMETERS.
4. AT 1900 HOURS ON 14 APRIL, THE 8TH BSR STARTED TO MOVE
TOWARD THE AMPIL AREA, WITH THE 212ND BATTALION EQUIPPED WITH
A 120MM MORTA UNIDENTIFIED ROCKET LAUNCHER HEADING TOWARD
BOENG AMPIL. COMMENT: THE ROCKETS WERE ABOUT 1.5 METERS
LONG. THEY WERE LONGER AND SMALLER IN DIAMETER THAN THE H12
ROCKETS. THE.RCCKETS REPORTEDLY HAD A RANGE OF ABOUT SEVEN
KILOMETERS.) .
5. THE 174TH, THE 4TH AND THE 16TH REGIMENTS OF THE PAVN
5TH DIVISION ALSO PARTICIPATED IN THE AMPIL OPERATION. THERE
WERE THREE TRACK VEHICLES TOWING THREE 130MM ARTILLERY PEICES IN
KANDOAL ON 12 APRIL AND THERE ALSO WERE AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF
.TRUCKS TRANSPORTING AMMUNITION FROM THMA POK TO THMEI. NO FUEL
WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE BATTLE AREA. NO TANKS OR ARMORED .
VEHICLES WERE SEEN IN THE BATTLE AREA.
6. AT 0430 HOURS 15 APRIL, THE 620TH BATTALION ATTACKED
CHAS (UNLOCATED) AND AT 0530 HOURS THE 2ND COMPANY, 415TH
BATTALION, WAS ORDERED TO REINFORCE THE 620TH BATTALION IN AN
ATTACK ON HIGH POINT 37: AT 0900 HOURS ORDERS WERE RECEIVED
TO MOVE THE REMAINDER OF THE 416TH BATTALION TROOPS TO CHAS
AND SPEND THE NIGHT THERE. THE 416TH BATTALION ARRIVED AT CHAS
AT 1030 HOURS AND AT 1230 HOURS THE 2ND COMPANY REJOINED THE
416TH BATTALION AT CHAS. ON THE MORNING OF 16 APRIL, THE
416TH BATTALION RECEIVED ORDERS TO MOVE TO BDAY BDAU (UNLOCATED).
WARNING: REPORT CLASSCONFIDENTIAL--WARNING NOTICE-
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES OR METHODS INVOLVED--NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN
NATIONALS.
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