Operation Cedar Falls

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Operation Cedar Falls
Part of the Vietnam War
Operation Cedar Falls
Date 8 January - 26 January 1967 Location Cu Chi Republic of Vietnam Result NLF tactical victory
Belligerents
United States South Vietnam	Democratic Republic of Vietnam National Liberation Front
Commanders
	Unknown
Strength
30,000 troops	Unknown
Casualties and losses
US:73 killed, 337 wounded ARVN:11 killed, 8 wounded	735 killed, 28 captured

Operation Cedar Falls was conducted by the U.S. and South Vietnamese forces during the Vietnam War on January 8 – January 26, 1967 to root out Viet Cong base camps in the so-called Iron Triangle. The operation involved nearly 16,000 American and 14,000 South Vietnamese troops. The Viet Cong chose not to fight and melted away into a complex system of tunnels in the jungle. In response, tunnel rats were introduced to root them out. This was the first time they were used^[1].

[edit] Casualties

U.S. and South Vietnamese forces accounted for nearly 750 confirmed enemy dead and 28 prisoners. Enemy equipment losses were 23 crew-served weapons, 590 individual weapons, and over 2,800 explosive items such as mines, grenades, and mortar and artillery rounds. Some 100 bunkers, 25 tunnels, and over 500 structures were destroyed.

U.S. battle losses totaled 73 killed and 337 wounded; those for the South Vietnamese, 11 killed and 8 wounded. U.S. equipment lost included 2 tanks and 5 armored personnel carriers. Damage was sustained by 3 tanks, 9 APC's, 1 tankdozer, 2 jeeps and 2 light observation helicopters. The South Vietnamese lost 3 individual weapons.

[edit] Salvage

Over 60,000 rounds of small arms ammunition were captured, as were many miscellaneous items of equipment, including over 7,500 uniforms. Captured were also 3,700 tons of rice, enough to feed 13,000 troops for a full year, and more than a half million pages of assorted documents.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• "After Their Nests", TIME Magazine, 1967-01-27. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. 
• "Building a Nation Beyond the Killing", TIME Magazine, 1967-02-03. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. 
• "Charlie, Come Home!", TIME Magazine, 1967-02-10. Retrieved on 2007-07-11. 

[edit] External links

• Bernard William Rogers. Vietnam Studies Cedar Falls-Junction City: A Turning Point
• Battle map