Son Tay prison camp
Encyclopedia
The Son Tay prison camp was a POW camp operated by North Vietnam
near Son Tay
town in the late 1960s through late 1970. About 65 captured US military personnel were held there during the middle of the Vietnam War
.
On November 21, 1970, a force of 56 US commandos led by Col. Arthur 'Bull' Simons raided the Son Tay camp to rescue the estimated 70 to 80 prisoners, supported by 29 USAF aircraft and 92 flight crew on the direct raid and a total of 105 aircraft including supporting roles.
Prior to the raid, all 65 prisoners were moved to another camp about 15 miles away, apparently due to the proximity of the camp to a river thought likely to flood. US intelligence may have identified this the day before the raid, but the raid was sent anyway.
Three commando teams landed at the camp:
The raid succeeded completely at its technical objective of seizing control of the camp. There were no prisoners present to rescue, though.
26 minutes after the first helicopter intentionally crash landed, all US commandos were recovered and flying home.
One US soldier was wounded in the leg and one broke his ankle in the intentional crash landing.
An unknown number of North Vietnamese soldiers were killed in the raid.
The failed mission did bring an ironic success for Simons and his troops. The attempt to rescue prisoners brought the world's attention to the inhumane treatment of the American POWs. The raid on Son Tay altered how the North Vietnamese housed, treated, and interacted with the foreign prisoners.
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
near Son Tay
Son Tay
Sơn Tây is an urban district and city in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. It was the capital of Son Tay province before merging with Ha Dong province in 1965...
town in the late 1960s through late 1970. About 65 captured US military personnel were held there during the middle of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Operation Ivory Coast
- Main article: Operation Ivory CoastOperation Ivory CoastOperation Ivory Coast was a failed rescue mission conducted in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. Military....
On November 21, 1970, a force of 56 US commandos led by Col. Arthur 'Bull' Simons raided the Son Tay camp to rescue the estimated 70 to 80 prisoners, supported by 29 USAF aircraft and 92 flight crew on the direct raid and a total of 105 aircraft including supporting roles.
Prior to the raid, all 65 prisoners were moved to another camp about 15 miles away, apparently due to the proximity of the camp to a river thought likely to flood. US intelligence may have identified this the day before the raid, but the raid was sent anyway.
Three commando teams landed at the camp:
- The first team intentionally crash landed a helicopter right in the middle of the camp to get into position as quickly as possible.
- The second landed 400 meters away by accident, at what turned out to be the guards headquarters. The team attacked the headquarters and killed an estimated more than 100 guards.
- The third team landed outside the main complex and assisted in securing the facility.
The raid succeeded completely at its technical objective of seizing control of the camp. There were no prisoners present to rescue, though.
26 minutes after the first helicopter intentionally crash landed, all US commandos were recovered and flying home.
One US soldier was wounded in the leg and one broke his ankle in the intentional crash landing.
An unknown number of North Vietnamese soldiers were killed in the raid.
The failed mission did bring an ironic success for Simons and his troops. The attempt to rescue prisoners brought the world's attention to the inhumane treatment of the American POWs. The raid on Son Tay altered how the North Vietnamese housed, treated, and interacted with the foreign prisoners.
In the Media
The Son Tay Prison camp is the basis for the Call of Duty Black Ops multiplayer map, Hanoi.See also
- Operation Ivory CoastOperation Ivory CoastOperation Ivory Coast was a failed rescue mission conducted in North Vietnam during the Vietnam War by United States Special Operations Forces and other elements of the U.S. Military....