El Paso II
Written January 2021
Operation
Dates:
2 Jun 1966 – 13 Jul 1966
Area of Operation:
Bình Long and Phước Long Provinces, War Zone C, III Corps
Allied Units:
USA 1st and 2d Battalions 28th Infantry, 1st and 2d Battalions 18th Infantry, 1st Squadron 4th Cavalry; ARVN 5th Infantry Division
Allied Casualties:
US 200 KIA, 424+ WIA; ARVN 22 KIA, 71 WIA, 16 MIA
Enemy Units:
VC 271st Regiment, 272d Regiment, 273d Regiment, 9th VC Division
Enemy Casualties:
855 KIA, 167+ WIA, 8-37 POW
Objective(s):
To determine 9th VC Division strength and locations along Route 13 and to destroy said forces and installations, particularly around Lộc Ninh and An Lộc.
Significance/Notes:
The second portion of the El Paso operations lasted just over a month US and ARVN forces fought in three major encounters. The first occurred on June 8 when the VC 272d Regiment ambushed an armored column of 1/4 Cavalry just outside the village of Ap Tau O. The second major engagement occurred on June 30 when the VC 271stRegiment ambushed elements of the 1/4 Cavalry and 2/18th Infantry along Route 13 near Srok Dong.
The third major engagement was a counterambush by US forces on July 9 on Minh Thanh Road. Drawing on the experiences of the first two encounters, 1/4 Cavalry successfully lured VC forces into a battle. This encounter in particular has been studied by armored commanders since as an example of learning and adapting to enemy actions.
Sources:
The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, 2nd Edition edited by Spencer C. Tucker
The Vietnam Center And Archive (at Texas Tech University)
Further Reading:
