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Battle of Lima Site 85
Part of the Second Indochina War
Date 10 March-11 March 1968 Location Phou Pha Thi, northeastern Laos Result Decisive North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao victory.
Combatants
United States, Thailand, and Hmong guerillas	Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Pathet Lao
Commanders
Vang Pao	Truong Muc
Strength
1,300+	3,000+
Casualties
12 Americans killed in action, 42 Thai and Hmong troops killed in action	Unknown

Vietnam War

Ap Bac – Binh Gia –Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – A Shau – Duc  Co –Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Junction City – Hill 881 – Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Dewey Canyon  – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Lam Son 719 – Ban Dong –FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri –Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri  –Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Buon Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa –2nd Saigon – Rolling Thunder – Barrell Roll – Pony Express – Steel Tiger – Tiger Hound – Tailwind – Commando Hunt – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Chenla I – Chenla II – SS Mayagüez

The Battle of Lima Site 85 was a battle of the Second Indochina War. The site was located at Phou Pha Thi - a mountain 15 miles from the border of the [[Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV or North Vietnam) and 30 miles from Sam Neua, capital of the Pathet Lao.

In 1967, to assist ongoing aerial operations against the DRV (Operation Rolling Thunder), the U.S. Air Force emplaced a TACAN/TSQ-81 radar navigation site on the peak of Phu Pha Thi that would assist American aviators conducting bombing operations in the northwestern region of North Vietnam. By early 1968, the site was controlling 55 percent of Rolling Thunder strikes in the DRV and 20 percent of airstrikes being carried out in northeastern Laos under Operation Barrel Roll.

The first PAVN attack on Lima Site 85 occurred on 12 January 1968, when two VPAF An-2 Colt biplanes began dropping 120mm mortar rounds on the site. An Air America Bell 205 helicopter, lifting off to avoid destruction, began to chase one of the Colts, which had been damaged by ground fire. While manuevering to escape, the Colt crashed and burned. The Bell then gave chase to a second aircraft, which was shot down by its crew chief, who was armed with an AK-47 rifle.

The failure of the early mission did not deter the North Vietnamese. By 10 March the communists were ready for another attack, this time utilizing the 41st PAVN Dac Cong (sapper) Battalion supported by the 923rd PAVN Infantry Battalion, both of which had the task of destroying the radar equipment at Lima Site 85.

On the night of 10 March the 766th PAVN Regiment launched a diversionary attack preceeded by an artillery barrage. Lima Site 85 was encircled by the North Vietnamese to trap the American personnel there, while all egress routes were blocked to prevent rescue from Thai "volunteers" and Hmong troops. During the night, the North Vietnamese sappers scaled the 5,600 foot mountain, while the infantry units fought their way up the slopes to create a diversion. The Americans were taken by surprise when 33 sappers appeared with submachine guns and RPG-7s, several Americans were killed.

Throughout the night, U.S. F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers and A-26 bombers repeatedly hit the attackers, while simultaneously, Air America aircraft were ready to evacuate the survivors. By morning, USAF and Air America missions had airlifted out the remaining defenders, including five American survivors and the wounded. The Hmong and Thai troops at the base of the mountain had abandoned the area as Phou Pha Thi fell to communist forces.

Once the 41st Sapper Battalion had secured the site, they began collecting weapons and documents. The sappers also buried the dead Americans who were left behind, but airstrikes conducted later during the day destroyed many of the corpses. 11 American personnel were carried as missing in action and seven more were wounded. Another 42 Thai and Hmong troops were killed during the action. Two days after the fall of Lima Site 85, Captain Donald Elliot Westbrook's aircraft was shot down while searching for survivors from the outpost. His body was never recovered. For his efforts during the battle, CMSgt Richard Etchberger was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross.¹

• Operation Rolling Thunder
• Operation Barrel Roll

• The Fall of Lima Site 85
• Lima Site 85

1 - http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/pubfiles/af/36/afpam36-2241v2/afpam36-2241v2.pdf