Operation Bolling
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (July 2023) |
Operation Bolling | |
---|---|
Part of Phú Yên Province, South Vietnam | |
Result | U.S. operational success |
1 helicopter destroyed
59 captured
247 weapons recovered
Operation Bolling was a
Background
Following the completion of
Operation
The operation began uneventfully and in mid-December following the end of the Battle of Dak To, the Brigade headquarters and the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry, returned to join the operation.[1]
In late December after Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces had been ambushed in the Ky Lo Valley, 45 kilometers northwest of Tuy Hòa, the commander of the 3/503rd Lt. Col. John R. D. Cleland landed a scout platoon there on 27 December. The platoon came under heavy fire after landing and Lt. Col. Cleland landed the remainder of his battalion in the area to engage the PAVN force. Company A landed near the hamlet of Xom Dap, 2km south of the initial contact area in a 200m by 50m landing zone surrounded by hedges and trees. PAVN forces in bunkers around the landing zone opened fire on the Company as soon as they touched down, killing or wounding numerous Americans and destroying one helicopter. Company A fought back and gradually began to destroy the PAVN bunkers. At approximately 15:30 the PAVN broke contact when a company from 4/503rd Infantry was landed nearby. 62 PAVN were killed for the loss of 12 Americans killed.[1]: 206
Operational results to the end of December were 693 PAVN/VC killed and 228 individual and 19 crew-served weapons captured. U.S. losses were 67 killed.[2]
Aftermath
The operation continued until 31 January 1969. US sources claim that PAVN losses in the operation were in excess of 693 killed and 59 captured. 103 PAVN structures and 177 bunkers were destroyed, but a further 4,000 civilian structures were also destroyed, displacing about 20,000 civilians.[1]: 206
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- ^ .
- ^ "Headquarters MACV Monthly Summary December 1968" (PDF). Headquarters United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. 15 February 1969. p. 50. Retrieved 18 March 2020. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.