Operation Santa Fe
| Operation Santa Fe | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Dong Nai Province), South Vietnam | |
| Result | Allies claim operational success |
United States
Australia
South Vietnam
Viet Cong 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division 1st Australian Task Force 18th Division 6 killedOperation Santa Fe was a security operation conducted during the Vietnam War by the U.S. 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, the 1st Australian Task Force and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 18th Division against the May Tao Secret Zone, South Vietnam from 3 November 1967 to 5 January 1968.
Background
The operational plan was to destroy the
: 108Operation
On 3 November the 4th Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment was lifted by helicopters from Long Binh Post to a landing zone just north of the May Tao Secret Zone, under the protective cover of helicopter gunships from Troop D, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry Regiment. The 4/39th Infantry secured the surrounding area and that afternoon a convoy carrying the 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment and the forward headquarters of the 1st Brigade arrived at the landing zone. Engineer companies proceeded to establish Firebase Wildcat (10°48′47″N 107°34′34″E / 10.813°N 107.576°E), the forward operating base for the operation.[1]: 109 [2]
The
With the May Tao Secret Zone neutralized and Highway 1 secured, units from the
Aftermath
The operation ended on 5 January 1968, VC losses were 126 killed while U.S. losses were six killed.[1]: 110
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
