Operation Bolling was a search and destroy and 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. 503rd Infantry Regiment in Phú Yên Province, South Vietnam from 19 September 1967 to 31 January 1969.

Background

Following the completion of Operation Greeley, in September 1967 General William B. Rosson instructed the commander of the

173rd Airborne Brigade The 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") is an airborne infantry brigade combat team (IBCT) of the United States Army based in Vicenza, Italy. It is the United States European Command's conventional airborne strategic response force for Eu ...

, Brigadier General Leo H. Schweiter, to locate and destroy the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 95th Regiment, which was believed to be located in a base area known as “The Hub” in the foothills northwest of

Tuy Hòa Tuy Hòa () is the capital city of Phú Yên Province in south-central Vietnam. The city has a total area of and a population of 202,030 (in 2012). The city is located approximately midway between Nha Trang and Qui Nhơn. The city is formulate ...

in Phú Yên Province. When the

Battle of Dak To The battle of Dak To ( vi, Chiến dịch Đắk Tô - Tân Cảnh) in Vietnam was a series of major engagements of the Vietnam War that took place between 3 and 23 November 1967, in Kon Tum Province, in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central ...

intensified in early November, the 173rd Airborne Brigade was called back to the Đắk Tô area and responsibility for the operation fell to the newly-arrived 3rd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment.

Operation

The operation began uneventfully and in mid-December following the end of the Battle of Dak To, the Brigade headquarters and the 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry, returned to join the operation. In late December after Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces had been ambushed in the Ky Lo Valley, 45 kilometers northwest of Tuy Hòa, the commander of the 3/503rd Lt. Col. John R. D. Cleland landed a scout platoon there on 27 December. The platoon came under heavy fire after landing and Lt. Col. Cleland landed the remainder of his battalion in the area to engage the PAVN force. Company A landed near the hamlet of Xom Dap, 2km south of the initial contact area in a 200m by 50m landing zone surrounded by hedges and trees. PAVN forces in bunkers around the landing zone opened fire on the Company as soon as they touched down, killing or wounding numerous Americans and destroying one helicopter. Company A fought back and gradually began to destroy the PAVN bunkers. At approximately 15:30 the PAVN broke contact when a company from 4/503rd Infantry was landed nearby. 62 PAVN were killed for the loss of 12 Americans killed. Operational results to the end of December were 693 PAVN/VC killed and 228 individual and 19 crew-served weapons captured. U.S. losses were 67 killed.

Aftermath

The operation continued until 31 January 1969. US sources claim that PAVN losses in the operation were in excess of 693 killed and 59 captured. 103 PAVN structures and 177 bunkers were destroyed, but a further 4,000 civilian structures were also destroyed, displacing about 20,000 civilians.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolling, Operation 1967 in Vietnam 1968 in Vietnam 1969 in Vietnam Battles and operations of the Vietnam War Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967 Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1968 Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1969 History of Phú Yên Province