Operation Irving

Operation Irving

Operation Irving immediately followed Operation Thayer. The focus of the offensive moved east to the small mountain ranges near the coast of Bình Định where the PAVN 12th Regiment which had fled the Kim Son Valley was believed to be. To "find, fix, and finish" the PAVN Norton had five American, five South Korean and 2 South Vietnamese battalions, a total of some 6,000 men. Each national contingent would search a different mountain massif rising more than 1,000 feet (300 m) out of the coastal plain over a north–south area of more than 15 miles (24 km) and extending more than 5 miles (8.0 km) inland from the sea. The allied forces attempted to prevent the PAVN/VC from exfiltrating this area.