Vietnam war campaigns

During this campaign the U. For this purpose, it organized the U. VC regiments totaling 0men attacked a Civil Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) - U. Special Forces at Plei Me, near the entrance to the Ia Drang Valley, in what purported to be the start of a thrust to cut the country in half. Despite the success of U. In late October, the VC struck again at the Special Forces Camp at Loc Ninh. At the same time, approximately 10VC troops converged on a Special Forces camp at Dak To. In response to this potential threat, the U. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.

Hostile forces staged their heaviest attacks in the Central Highlands near Civilian Irregular Defense Group camps at Dak Seang, Dak Pek, and Ben Het in I CTZ. This high level of enemy activity began in I CTZ in April and continued through May. This campaign was mainly concerned with the Allied incursion into Cambodia, codenamed Operation ROCK CRUSHER.

With the emergence in Cambodia of an antiCommunist government under Lon Nol, President Nixon relaxed the restrictions on moving against the bases inside Cambodia. At this juncture Lon Nol appealed to the United States for help. Their object was to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail and to destroy enemy bases at Techepone, Laos. In Phases I, called Operation DEWEY CANYON II, the 1st Brigade, US 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized) occupied the Khe Sanh area and cleared Route No. In the meantime, the US 101st Airborne Division conducted diversionary operations in the A Shau Valley.

During Phase II US forces continued to provide fire support, helilift, and tactical and strategic air support for ARVN units. Faced with mounting losses, Lt. Hoang Xuan Lam, the commander of the invasion forces, decided to cut short the operation and ordered a withdrawal. See full list on history.

With the assistance of massive air strikes, elements of the newly arrived 1st Cavalry Division thwarted the enemy in a battle that lasted nearly a month and included several engagements. Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield.

At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U. Marine Corps, three U. During the period 5-the Viet Cong launched an offensive with Saigon as the primary objective. Friendly forces defended the city with great determination. Consequently Saigon was never in danger of being overrun. Small Viet Cong units that did manage to get into the outskirts were fragmented and driven out with great loss of enemy life. To accomplish the tasks outlined U. Their mission included protecting the rice harvest produced in the coastal region.

During this operation, the 1st Cavalry Division, Korean units, and ARVN forces cleared the northern half of Binh Dinh Province on the central coast. Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U. Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. On the other han the U. This success was followed by a singular allied spoiling operation in the A Shau Valley, Operation DELAWARE-Lam Son. These two operations prevented the enemy from further attacking I Corps Tactical Zone population centers and forced him to shift his pressure to the III Corps Tactical Zone.

Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Following the close of Operation JEFFERSON GLEN on October, the 101st began stand-down procedures and was the last U. Navy units and installations at Da Nang, Tan An, Ben Luc, Go Dan Ha, and Tra Cu came under numerous and widespread attacks associated with a new enemy offensive, but since many units in these areas were poised to meet these attacks they caused only minimal damage. April saw the heaviest cumulative enemy activity in the barrier interdiction camapign to date. President Nixon announced the reduction of the U. An increase in enemy-initiated attacks, at the highest level since 4-September signaled the start of the first phase of the Communist winter campaign. The participation of U. This list may not reflect recent changes (). PFC John Henson (from Columbia, SC) of the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, cleans his M-rifle while on an operation miles west of Kontum.

Streamers: Yellow with green borders and three red stripes centered. American units switched to small unit actions. Other recommended books: 1. Air Force campaign list with the other armed services.

Although the heavily fortified Hill 9was of little strategic value, U. It was a period in which the United States fought aggressively while seeking to end the conflict through talks held in Paris, France—negotiations that were frequently as conten-tious as the battles in the field. Navy in the Battle of Đồng Hới. There was great opposition to the war in the U. Vietnam groun naval and air campaigns : 1.