[8][10][11], USAF fighter-bombers seeded all routes into Moung Phine with Mk-36 area denial ordnance to block traffic—Routes 9, 23, and the combined 9/23. Operation Junction City was an 82-day military operation conducted by United States and Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam) forces begun on 22 February 1967 during the Vietnam War.It was the largest U.S. airborne operation since Operation Market Garden during World War II, the only major airborne operation of the Vietnam War, and one of the largest U.S. operations of the war. By 23 September, Yellow Battalion occupied a mountaintop position overlooking Moung Phine. On 2 August, Green Battalion was also helilifted in, they moved out east under an umbrella of air support from both the USAF and the Royal Lao Air Force (RLAF). Most believe the operation was a success. Charles Joseph Watters. In early 1969, MR 3 hosted three Royalist guerrilla battalions newly trained by the CIA at its Savannakhet base. At this point, the Rules of Engagement were changed to allow air strikes on Moung Phine. Savada, Andrea Matles, ed. [6] On 26 March, eight CH-3E helicopters of the 20th SOS began evacuating the Red Battalion troops. Early on 6 October, not knowing Moung Phine had been abandoned, a company from Red Battalion was airlifted into an ambush on the airstrip. Helilifted in by the 20th Special Operations Squadron (20th SOS) and Air America under air cover of U.S. Air Force (USAF) tactical fighter strikes, the guerrillas were heavily engaged by the PAVN. [1] A North Vietnamese-backed communist insurrection began as early as 1949. On 2 September, Red Battalion was halted when it took 17 casualties in a brief clash with the communists. A PAVN counterattack pushed Blue Battalion southwestward into defensive positions on a nearby mountain. In turn, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces guarding the Trail were strong enough to launch serious attacks against the Savannakhet Plains and the Mekong Valley if they wished. After suffering four killed, and having killed 40 of their foe, the raiders noted an incoming thunderstorm that would halt air strikes and fled southwards. American troops overrun much of the … Historical Setting. Operation Junction Citywas a US-ARVN military operation which lasted from 22 February to 14 May 1967 during the Vietnam War. Search and destroy-Wikipedia The offensive began with Operation Junction City, where the American units assigned had destroyed hundreds of tons of rice, killed 720 guerrillas, and captured 213 prisoners. The US Army and the South Vietnamese ARVN sought to clear Viet Cong fighters from a stronghold in Tay Ninh Province near Saigon, and they did so in the US' largest airborne operation since Operation Varsity in 1945. Operation Junction City, Armored Vehicle Evaluation (11th Armored Cavalry Regiment), Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, 03/03/1967 - 03/05/1967 They also planned to cut Route 9 between Tchepone and Vietnam, stranding the North Vietnamese garrison. When they struck Route 111, Red Battalion headed northeast toward the communist positions at Muong Phine. # OnThisDay: Operation Junction City began February 22, 1967, during the Vietnam War. These tactics continued in 1966–67 with operations such as Masher, Thayer, Attleboro, Cedar … Copyright ©2020 16th Infantry Regiment Association - All rights reserved. Operation Junction City (22 February – 14 May 1967) Portrait of Manuel Moya (left), Reed Cundiff of a US Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) of the 173rd Airborne as they sit, in camouflage, in a helicopter in War Zone C during Operation Junction City in the Vietnam War, Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam, February 1967. With Adam Taylor, Whett Wheetie, Terry Tuggs, Jonathan Love Hewitt. Two newly raised battalions did not join the Royalist front line formations, which became static. That evening, the Royalist irregulars took Moung Phine. However, they paused to refresh and realign their forces. This directive set the stage for a desperate battle and another Ranger’s great act of heroism at the Battle of Prek Klok (see next map). In Operation Junction City, Vietnam War's biggest operation, Feb. 21-May 14, 1967, including the largest paratroop jump since World War II, Gen. William Westmoreland won his big-unit campaign but lost confidence that the war could be won Select from premium Operation Junction City of the highest quality. [18][19], Operation Junction City Jr. was credited with depriving an entire PAVN division of supplies, causing its withdrawal from the field. [20] Besides diverting manpower and supplies from North Vietnamese operations to engage the Lao forces, the PAVN was forced to extend its defensive perimeter further west from the Ho Chi Minh Trail and occupy more of the Lao panhandle. Although the Royalists realized that capturing the actual town was unlikely, they planned to occupy another road junction, Routes 9/91 ten kilometers northwest of Tchepone. Dommen, Arthur J., Chapter 1. Fr. [13], Based on success to date, the decision was made to once again extend the offensive. The purpose of the raid was to destroy the complex while gathering enemy documents for military intelligence analysis. Operation JUNCTION CITY was a three phased military combat operation executed by United States Army forces and forces of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) against forces of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army Royalist incursion starves PAVN division into retreat. When France withdrew most of its military in conformity with the treaty, the United States filled the vacuum with purportedly civilian paramilitary instructors. Invading during the opium harvest season of 1953, it settled in northeastern Laos adjacent to the border of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. As Moung Phine was the only Pathet Lao-held town in the Laotian panhandle, and served as a communist sanctuary, it was a prime target because it had been off limits to air strikes. Green Battalion moved southwards, then turned to the east. The objective now became cutting the Ho Chi Minh Trail near the transshipment point of Tchepone. Operation Junction City. On 17 September, White Battalion was withdrawn from the operation, to be replaced by Yellow Battalion. The renewed operation was facetiously dubbed Junction City Jr. after both the 1967 operation in South Vietnam and the road junction objective. Scavenging four M60 machine guns from the crashed helicopters to beef up their defense, the fliers and the Red Battalion soldiers held off the PAVN all day. On 23 March, two of Red Battalion's companies, with 115 men apiece, were tasked with the Operation Duck raid on an enemy complex housed in a cave southeast of Mahaxay. [12], At this point, there was a controversy over whether to spray herbicide on standing rice crops around Moung Phine to deny them to the communists. On 29 September, Blue Battalion replaced them. Brandon Bruer, 19th Public Affairs Detachment) In one of the largest air-mobile assaults ever, 240 helicopters sweep over Tay Ninh province, beginning Operation Junction City. Operation JUNCTION CITY was a large "search-and-destroy" operation of the Vietnam War, starting on February 21, 1967 and lasting for 72 days. Operation Junction City Jr. was a major Laotian offensive of the Vietnam War; initially aimed at temporary disruption of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, it was extended into an attempt to isolate the major North Vietnamese communist transshipment point at Tchepone from the units it was supposed to supply. Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995). Operation Junction City, the largest U.S. operation of the war, is launched. Early on 7 September, four USAF A-1E Skyraiders bombed the town; that afternoon, four more repeated the attack. All of the original objectives were achieved. [14] Tchepone was garrisoned by six PAVN battalions defended by antiaircraft guns. The remaining Royalist troops evaded the communists and moved to Route 122 to be removed on 27 March. Operation Junction City Jr. was a major Laotian offensive of the Vietnam War; initially aimed at temporary disruption of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, it was extended into an attempt to isolate the major North Vietnamese communist transshipment point at Tchepone from the units it was supposed to supply. [3], In Military Region 3 (MR 3) of Laos a tacit nonaggression pact existed between Royalists and Communists. [8], On 28 August, the offensive operation was extended, with the aim of occupying Moung Phine for a week and blocking the intersection of Routes 9 and 23 nine kilometers west of the town. By the time it ended, the operation involved twenty-two US infantry battalions, four ARVN infantry battalions, seventeen artillery battalions, 4,000 Air Force sorties, and 249 helicopters, also making it the largest air assault operation in history. AD388154. Over the next three days, the hammer forces swept north, but the overall results of the 25th Division’s big drive were unimpressive in terms of enemy contacts and KIAs. The Chaplain Was a Sky Soldier . The attached brigades of the 25th Infantry Division formed the western blocking positions; the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, manned the northern positions; the 173rd Airborne Brigade positioned in the northeast; and the 1st Division’s 3rd Brigade formed the eastern blocking and screening positions. By 17 October 1969, Operation Junction City Jr. had been pushed back to its point of departure; however, it had destroyed supplies sufficient to have kept a communist division in the field. [5], On 28 July 1969, one company of Red Battalion was helicoptered in to Tang Vai on Route 111 and seized the airfield there with no opposition. Despite these disappointing results, the new guerrilla force was deemed ready for further action. Green and Red Battalions were then withdrawn by 28 September. By the time it ended, the operation involved twenty-two US infantry battalions, four ARVN infantry battalions, seventeen artillery battalions, 4,000 Air Force sorties, and 249 helicopters, also making it the largest air assault operation in history. They removed 70, but received battle damage from heavy ground fire to five helicopters, and aborted the mission. Lacking both an overall operational commander to coordinate maneuvers, as well as support from CIA handlers distracted by Kou Kiet, the operation was terminated. Following the French defeat at Dien Ben Phu and the subsequent 1954 Geneva Agreements a neutral Laos gained its independence. A cache of 2,000 small arms and copious documentation were also captured. [19] Besides the captured materiel, the operation was credited with killing an estimated 500 enemy troops. [17][18], Green, White, and Blue Battalions staged an eastward assault from Muong Phalane toward Moung Phine, while Red Battalion moved toward the 9/914 junction. [10][11], On 13 September 1969, BC 203 moved forward to garrison Moung Phine. Two 20th SOS helicopters were downed on the runway, stranding eight USAF fliers and 44 Lao troops. Butler said he was positioned just south of the Iraqi border, awaiting the call to action. [10] In all, 2,000 tons of supplies were captured, and 1,500 villagers evacuated to government territory. The original plan never intended to hold Muang Phin. [16] Nearby Yellow Battalion followed suit, abandoning its hilltop stronghold. This page was last edited on 27 January 2020, at 07:17. Then the CIA launched Operation Junction City Jr.[4], The CIA paramilitary agents in MR 3 were unique in the Laotian Civil War in the direct control they were allowed to exert on their irregular operations. After an initial blooding from 23–27 March 1969 during Operation Duck, three Royal Lao Army irregular battalions trained by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) were launched on Operation Junction City Jr. On 28 July 1969, a Royalist force occupied the airfield at Vang Tai, to begin the offensive. The Annamese Cordillera in southern Laos became the haven for a communist logistics network, the Ho Chi Minh Trail. While it marched east to join Green battalion, Bataillon Commando 203 (BC 203) was airlifted in by RLAF Sikorsky H-34s to secure Vang Tai and its airstrip while White and Green Battalions moved toward the road intersection. The hammer, located at the open end of the horseshoe to the south, was composed of the 2nd Brigade, 25th Division, and the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR). [7] Arrangements were made for RLAF T-28s and U.S. Air Force A-1E Skyraiders to fly air cover for the Royalist forces, amassing only 200 sorties in the month between 28 July and 28 August. [15], Blue Battalion marched toward the 9/91 intersection and occupied the intermediate junction of Routes 9/914, five kilometers short of 9/91. The following individuals made a combat parachute jump on 22 February 1967 in the vicinity of Katum, Republic of Vietnam, GO 444, 12 March 1967 After being reduced to using sidearms for defense, the surrounded detachment was rescued at 18:30 by two helicopters swooping in under cover of an airdropped tear gas barrage. On the morning of 22 February, the blocking forces air assaulted into LZs on the perimeter of the horseshoe. Operation JUNCTION CITY, conducted 22 February to 15 April 1967, was the largest single allied operation in the Vietnam War. November 3, 2011 in Chaplains, Medal of Honor | Permalink. JUNCTION CITY 2,2 February-14 May 1967 VIII. [9], White Battalion was now lifted into Vang Tai. [22], https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Operation_Junction_City_Jr.&oldid=937794249, Battles and operations of the Laotian Civil War, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, No lasting change in territory. # Victory! Four U.S. divisions, as well as additional brigades, are involved in a massive search and destroy mission, along the Cambodian Border. Given the increasing communist antiaircraft weaponry opposing them, the need for rice to feed local populace, and fear of communist counterattacks in reprisal, only ten percent of the crops were sprayed. Moving out in August under tactical air cover directed by Raven FACs and Nail FACs, elements of the Royalist force captured the Route 9/23 road junction near Pathet Lao-held Moung Phine on 4 September. # DutyFirst! by: Lawrence P. Grayson. Once all units were positioned for JUNCTION CITY, they formed a giant horseshoe around the target area. A mildly factual look back on the Vietnam War's largest parachute assault mission. (Video by Spc. As Tang Vai lay 31 kilometers from friendly forces, on the edge of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, the lack of opposition was surprising. (1995). Operation Junction City was an 82-day military operation conducted by United States and Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam) forces begun on 22 February 1967 during the Vietnam War.It was the largest U.S. airborne operation since Operation Varsity in March 1945, the only major airborne operation of the Vietnam War, and one of the largest U.S. operations of the war. Air support for the government forces would come from the numerous tactical air sorties already directed at the Trail, and would be directed by Nail FACs and Raven FACs. The 82-day operation was one of the war's largest and severely weakened enemy capabilities. It directly followed Operation CEDAR FALLS With a force of 30,000 U.S. Army and 5,000 ARVN soldiers, it took place in Tay Ninh province, north of Saigon. However, so long as the RLG maintained a minimal garrison, they were generally undisturbed. [21], The Royalist forces held the line through January 1970. Paralleling that, the U.S. Department of Defense covertly supported the Royal Lao Army and other Lao armed forces through a sub rosa supply system, as the U.S. picked up the entire budget of Laos. On completion of the initial drive, HQ, III Corps directed all units to conduct thorough S&D sweeps in their respective areas of operation beginning 25 February. After World War II, France fought the First Indochina War to retain French Indochina. On 6 September, Red Battalion joined them. Directed by Adam Taylor. You are currently browsing articles tagged Operation Junction City. The next day, a battalion of the Royal Lao Army was flown in. Operation Junction City (Feb. 22 - April 15, 1967) was the largest single allied operation in the Vietnam War consisting of 30,000 troops. Operation Junction City was a U.S. strategy to eliminate the NLF from Vietnam, and this quiz/worksheet combo will help you test your understanding of it. A battered Brown Battalion returned from operations in Military Region 2 and was assigned as security guards at Prince Boun Oum's personal tin mine. 尋找 Getty Images 帶來的完美Operation Junction City照片檔及編輯新聞圖片。從 項非凡卓絕的優質Operation Junction City檔案當中任意挑選。 Gerard Forken ©Stars and Stripes South Vietnam, 1967: Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division rest after a battle with the Viet Cong during Operation Junction City… That same day, Green and White Battalions were halted by high water in the Se Thamouak River. Ground action is shown during "Operation Junction City," in South Vietnam. As of 1 September 1969, air support was limited to 12 A-1 sorties daily, supported by a flareship by night and two forward air controllers (FACs) by day. However, the destruction of facilities and captured rice and equipment was great.
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Cost, Virtual Villagers Origins 2 Red Statue, Elevation Whey Protein Powder Blend Review, Jack Klugman Quincy, Marc Brown Abc7 Age, Surveillance Detection Route, Kpa*km^-1 To J*cm^-4, Cbd Hemp Capsules Tbn,
