| Operation Santa Fe | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theVietnam War | |||||||
 M113 APC from Troop B, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment moves through heavy brush | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States Australia South Vietnam |  Viet Cong | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| MGGeorge G. O'Connor | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division1st Australian Task Force18th Division, 43rd regiment | 5th Division | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 6 killed | Allied claims: 126 killed | ||||||
Operation Santa Fe was a security operation conducted during theVietnam War by the U.S.1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, the1st Australian Task Force and theArmy of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)18th Division against theMay Tao Secret Zone,South Vietnam from 3 November 1967 to 5 January 1968.
The operational plan was to destroy theViet Cong (VC)5th Division's base in the May Tao Secret Zone and to reopen and secure a 60 km stretch ofHighway 1 fromXuân Lộc to theII Corps boundary that had been closed by VC activity since 1962.[1]: 108
On 3 November the4th Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment was lifted by helicopters fromLong 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 the2nd 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″N107°34′34″E / 10.813°N 107.576°E /10.813; 107.576), the forward operating base for the operation.[1]: 109 [2]
The11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment[3] of the 1st Australian Task Force blocked the May Tao Secret Zone while the 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, swept the area meeting only scattered resistance. It became clear that the VC 5th Division was not in the zone and intelligence indicated that the division's headquarters and the 275th Regiment had moved north intoSông Bé Province, the 274th Regiment was inHát Dịch and the rest of the division had withdrawn to War Zone D in northernLong Khánh Province. By 1 December, the 1st Brigade had destroyed approximately 1,000 fortifications within the Zone.[1]: 110
With the May Tao Secret Zone neutralized and Highway 1 secured, units from the15th and86th Engineer Battalions repaired or replaced 11 bridges, resurfaced the road and created a cleared zone of 100m on each side of the Highway. The engineers also builtRegional Force bases along the Highway to support road security and pacification.[1]: 110
The operation ended on 5 January 1968, VC losses were 126 killed while U.S. losses were six killed.[1]: 110
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.