Operation Diamond Head was an operation conducted by the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division in Tây Ninh Province, lasting from 11 July to 31 October 1967.

Prelude

In May 1967, U.S. intelligence located a People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) supply base in the Angel's Wing area of

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

's Svay Rieng Province and learned that a two battalion attack would be made from this sanctuary into Tây Ninh Province in July.

Operation

The operation commenced on 11 July with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment and 8

South Vietnamese Regional Force The South Vietnamese Regional Forces ( vi, Địa phương quân, lit. "Local Army"), originally the Civil Guard, were a component of Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) territorial defence forces. Recruited locally, they served as full-time ...

companies conducting sweeps between the Vàm Cỏ Đông River and the Cambodian border. On 14 July, South Vietnamese agents reported that the PAVN planned to attack

Tây Ninh Tây Ninh () is a provincial city in south-eastern Vietnam. It is the capital of Tây Ninh Province, which encompasses the town and much of the surrounding farmland. Tây Ninh is approximately to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's la ...

city and that night PAVN forces attacked positions between Tây Ninh and Dầu Tiếng District. The border sweeps were immediately cancelled and on 15 July the 2 Battalions, reinforced by the 2/22nd Infantry (Mechanized) moved to the scene of the attacks but the PAVN had fled. On 18 July a U.S. patrol engaged and killed several members of the PAVN 165th Regiment. The 2 Battalion attack never eventuated and the operation continued with only sporadic contact resulting in 61 PAVN and 31 U.S. killed by the end of August. On the night of 2 September, a PAVN force attacked a U.S. company's night defensive position destroying 2 M113s with Rocket-propelled grenades. On 4 September the same company engaged a PAVN force near

Black Virgin Mountain Black Virgin Mountain ( vi, Núi Bà Đen meaning "Black Lady Mountain", km, Phnom Chol Baden) is a mountain in Tây Ninh City, Vietnam. The mountain is the center of a Vietnamese myth about ''Bà Đen'', a local deity of Khmer origin. During ...

losing 4 killed. In late September, the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment joined the operation and were tasked with defending Tây Ninh Combat Base. The other Battalions swept the

Michelin Rubber Plantation Michelin Rubber Plantation was located near Dầu Tiếng District in Bình Dương Province, 72 km northwest of Saigon. The plantation was established by the Michelin company in 1925 and at it was the largest rubber plantation in Vietnam. ...

claiming to have killed 75 PAVN and locating several supply caches. During October, the 3rd Brigade formed a blocking force in the eastern Michelin Plantation while the 1st Infantry Division swept the

Long Nguyen Secret Zone The Long Nguyen Secret Zone was a geographical area of the Republic of Vietnam, a heavily-forested area located between Highway 13 and the Michelin Rubber Plantation about northwest of Saigon, in Binh Duong Province that served as a Viet Cong divi ...

Operation Shenandoah II Operation Shenandoah II was a security operation conducted during the Vietnam War by the U.S. 1st Infantry Division to secure and repair Highway 13, South Vietnam from 29 September to 19 November 1967. Background For the 1967–1968 dry seaso ...

Aftermath

Operation Diamond Head officially concluded on 31 October and PAVN losses were 136 killed whereas U.S. losses were 35 killed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:DiamondHead, Operation 1967 in Vietnam Battles involving the United States Battles involving Vietnam Battles and operations of the Vietnam War in 1967 Battles and operations of the Vietnam War History of Tây Ninh Province