Operation Santa Fe was a security operation conducted during the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
by the U.S.
1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, the
1st Australian Task Force
The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa ...
and the
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)
18th Division against the
May Tao Secret Zone The May Tao Secret Zone was located in the Mây Tào Mountains of South Vietnam, a heavily forested area located at the intersection of Long Khánh, Phước Tuy and Bình Tuy Provinces, that served as a Viet Cong (VC) divisional sanctuary. The ...
,
South Vietnam from 3 November 1967 to 5 January 1968.
Background
The operational plan was to destroy the
Viet Cong
,
, war = the Vietnam War
, image = FNL Flag.svg
, caption = The flag of the Viet Cong, adopted in 1960, is a variation on the flag of North Vietnam. Sometimes the lower stripe was green.
, active ...
(VC)
5th Division's base in the May Tao Secret Zone and to reopen and secure a 60 km stretch of
Highway 1 from
Xuân Lộc to the
II Corps boundary that had been closed by VC activity since 1962.
Operation
On 3 November the
4th Battalion, 39th Infantry Regiment was lifted by helicopters from
Long Binh Post
Long Binh Post (''Tổng kho Long Bình'') is a former U.S. Army base located in Long Bình, Đồng Nai between Biên Hòa and Saigon, Vietnam. The base functioned as a U.S. Army base, logistics center, and major command headquarters for Unit ...
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 (), the forward operating base for the operation.
[
The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment and 7th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment]Hát Dịch
Hát Dịch secret zone (mật khu Hát Dịch, chiến khu Hát Dịch) was an area within South Vietnam. It covered the area where the borders of Phước Tuy, Long Khánh and Biên Hòa Provinces met (today in Đồng Nai and Bà Rịa–Vũ ...
and the rest of the division had withdrawn to War Zone D in northern Long Khánh Province
Long may refer to:
Measurement
* Long, characteristic of something of great duration
* Long, characteristic of something of great length
* Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate
* Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...
. By 1 December, the 1st Brigade had destroyed approximately 1,000 fortifications within the Zone.[
With the May Tao Secret Zone neutralized and Highway 1 secured, units from the 15th and 86th 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 built Regional Force bases along the Highway to support road security and pacification.][
]
Aftermath
The operation ended on 5 January 1968, VC losses were 126 killed while U.S. losses were six killed.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:SantaFe, Operation
1967 in Vietnam
1968 in Vietnam
Santa Fe
Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967
Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968
Battles of the Vietnam War involving the United States
Battles of the Vietnam War involving Australia
History of Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province
History of Bình Thuận Province
History of Đồng Nai Province