| Operation Manchester | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theVietnam War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  Viet Cong | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| BGRobert C. Forbes Lt. Col. William S. Schroeder | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 199th Infantry Brigade |
| ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 37 killed | USbody count: 456 killed | ||||||
Operation Manchester was a security operation conducted during theVietnam War by the U.S.199th Infantry Brigade inTân Uyên District,South Vietnam from 4 December 1967 to 17 February 1968.
Viet Cong (VC) forces operated a supply network of footpaths and ox trails parallel to theĐồng Nai river through western Tân Uyên District connectingWar Zone D to southernBình Dương Province. This supply route was defended by theĐồng Nai Regiment. Between 22 and 25 November the Đồng Nai Regiment had attacked theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 48th Regiment,18th Division killing several dozen soldiers.[1]: 102
Brigadier GeneralRobert C. Forbes planned to deploy the4th Battalion, 12th Infantry to interdict the supply route and allow the ARVN 48th Regiment to extend security over the densely populated hamlets along the banks of the Đồng Nai river.[1]
On 4 December, 4/12th Infantry commanded byLieutenant Colonel William S. Schroeder, began landing several kilometers north of Tân Uyên town. That unit together with Battery C,2nd Battalion, 40th Artillery Regiment began constructing Firebase Nashua (11°08′35″N106°49′12″E / 11.143°N 106.82°E /11.143; 106.82).[2]: 354 [1]
On the early morning of 6 December, a VC mortar attack hit Firebase Nashua, killing or wounding several Americans. At dawn, two platoons from Company A 4/12th Infantry and a scout dog team searched for the VC southeast of the firebase. That afternoon as the force moved through an area of thick vegetation it was ambushed by the D800 Battalion of the Đồng Nai Regiment in concealed bunkers, with more than 12 U.S. soldiers killed or wounded in the initial fire. Schroeder ordered Company C to assist, together withM113s from Troop D,17th Cavalry Regiment and called for the Brigade reserve, the3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, to be flown in fromLong Binh Post. These reinforcements were able to extract Company A by nightfall, they had suffered 25 killed and 82 wounded and 2 M113s were damaged by mines. 67 VC bodies were recovered.[1]: 104–5
Following that engagement Forbes reinforced his units, deploying the 3/7th Infantry, into the eastern part of Tân Uyên District, where it established Firebase Keane (11°09′58″N106°52′05″E / 11.166°N 106.868°E /11.166; 106.868).[2]: 272 A battery ofM55 self-propelled howitzers from the2nd Battalion, 35th Artillery, was deployed to Firebase Nashua. Forbes was also given control of the recently deployedCompany F, 51st Infantry Regiment, aLong-range reconnaissance patrol unit.[1]: 105
On 19 December, a team from Company F, 51st Infantry, observed VC troops while patrolling the southern edge of War Zone D. A company from the 4/12th Infantry was landed by helicopter to engage the VC supported by helicopter gunships from the 3/17th Cavalry. The VC withdrew into War Zone D, leaving 49 dead, while U.S. losses were seven dead.[1]: 105–6
On 27 December, the 4/12th Infantry engaged a company-size VC unit southeast of Firebase Nashua, killing 30 for the loss of three U.S. dead.[1]: 106
The operation concluded on 17 February 1968. VC losses were 456 killed, while U.S. losses were 37 killed. It was considered a success because the U.S. forces had kept the VC away from Tân Uyên town and the Đồng Nai river hamlets and prevented rocket attacks on Long Binh.[1]: 106 [3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Army Center of Military History.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.