February 4-15, 1966
Operation
Roundhouse begins. 1 RAR with supporting element from the 173d Airborne
Brigade (E/17 Cav, B-3/319 Art) conducts this search and destroy
operation in the Phuoc Loc area, eastern Binh Duong and northern Bien
Hoa provinces, 21 km north of Bien Hoa air base. Results are poor,
Casualties: WIA 2 + 4 (US); VC: KIA 1, wounded/escaped 3. 1 RAR
recovered more than 200 tons of rice; E/17th Cav recovered more than
300 tons of rice and two tons of salt. E/17th Cav also recovered five
ARVN trucks previously stolen and a number of VC trucks.
December
17-22, 1965
The
173d Airborne Brigade begins Operation Smash in the Courtenay Rubber
Plantation. In a coordinated operation immediately east of the American
AO, 1 RAR participates as a maneuver element Aussie deployment is by
helicopter and directly from Operation New Life, via Xuan Loc, into an
roughly rectangular AO with an area of about 59 square km in southwest
Long Khanh Province between Route 2 and Route 15 to the west. The
objective is a possible VC concentration area where holiday season
attacks against targets in the general area of Xuan Loc-Ham Tan-Ba Ria
are being planned.
February
21-27, 1966
The
2d Brigade (2/16, 1/18, 2/18) and 3d Brigade (2/2, 1/16, 1/28) of the
1st Infantry Division begin operation Mastiff, a search and destroy
operation in southeastern Tay Ninh and northern Hau Nghia provinces
south of the Michelin Plantation. 122 tons of rice are captured but
only 30 VC are reported KIA.
March
30 - April 15, 1966
Operation
Abilene begins. This spoiling operation is conducted by elements of the
1st Infantry Division, the 1 RAR, and New Zealand 161st Arty Btty about
30 miles east of Saigon to destroy base camps and caches established by
the VC 5th Division. 81 VC are KIA.
Information
from the Australian 1 RAR 7/66 portion of Operation Abilene:
Quote:
Description: 1 RAR was to secure the Ist Inf Div logistic base,
initially at the Courtenay rubber plantation, in AO Queensland of 58 sq
km, later at the Binh Ba rubber plantation adjoining Route 2 in AO
Victoria of 87sq km. Undulating terrain, dominated by rubber
plantations with mainly jungle and clear forest. Search-and-destroy
operations by HQ lst Inf Div's subordinate formations, 2nd and 3rd
Infantry Brigades (US), were targeted against 274 and 275 VC Main Force
Regts and the May Tao Secret Zone (a VC staging area in Phuoc Tuy
Province). Deployment by APC and helicopter. Location: Long Khanh and
Phuoc Tuy provinces, approximately 55 km SE of Bien Hoa air base.
Results: Casualties: own: WIA 4; VC: KIA 8,wounded/escaped 12, PW 8,
with 38 persons detained as suspects. One camp for a two company sized
force and one training camp located. More than six tonne of rice and
five cubic metres of salt were recovered or destroyed. Nine ox-carts
were captured. Remarks: During this operation other elements of Ist Inf
Div were involved with ARVN units in the resettlement of Xa Long Tan in
Phuoc Tuy province.
(Rare
picture of an HH-43 Pedro evacuating casualties during operation
Abilene)
January
1-7, 1966
The
173d Airborne Brigade opens the new year with Operation
Marauder/18-65/An Dan 564, a joint US/Australian/ARVN search and
destroy mission in the infamous Plain of Reeds. The AO includes areas
east and west of the Song Vam Co Dong (Oriental River), as well as the
village of Bao Trai (Khiem Cuong) and its airstrip, 34 km WNW of
Saigon. The targets are the 267th and 506th VC Main force battalions.
VC: KIA 124, possible KIA 18, POW 13,detained as suspects 106; captured
were a number of small arms weapons and ammunition,as well as 3955
documents; recovered or destroyed were one half tonne of fertilizer,
two tonne of rice, and eleven sampans.
Abstract : On 8 January 1966 the 173d Abn Bde (Sep) terminated a
successful Operation MARAUDER along the Oriental River in the Hau Nghia
Province and moved directly into the largest U.S. operation thus far
conducted in Vietnam. CRIMP, as the operation was named, was a massive
attack by air and land to strike at the very heart of the Viet Cong
machine in Southern RVN. The notorious HOBO WOODS Region in Binh Duong
Province, just West of the fabled IRON TRIANGLE was believed to hold
the Politico-Military headquarters of the Viet Cong Military Region 4.
The objective of Operation CRIMP was to find and destroy or capture all
personnel, equipment, and intelligence material of this headquarters.
