Operation Yellowstone was an operation conducted by the 1st and 3rd Brigades, 25th Infantry Division in northeast Tây Ninh Province, lasting from 8 December 1967 to 24 February 1968.

Background

Northern Tây Ninh Province contained the largest People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and

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) base areas in III Corps, providing easy access to bases in

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 ...

and Saigon and other cities in the Mekong Delta. U.S. and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) forces had not threatened the PAVN/VC in the area since

Operation Junction City Operation Junction City was an 82-day military operation conducted by United States and Republic of Vietnam (RVN or South Vietnam) forces begun on 22 February 1967 during the Vietnam War. It was the first U.S. combat airborne operation since t ...

concluded in May 1967, but with the rainy season coming to an end the 1st and 3rd Brigades of the 25th Infantry Division reinforced by a tank battalion and an air cavalry squadron would take advantage of the improved weather to sweep the area and help build two new Special Forces camps.

Operation

Battle of Firebase Burt 1-2 January 1968

Operation

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

commenced on 8 December with two infantry battalions from the 1st Brigade landing by helicopter unopposed at the hamlet of Katum on Highway 4. When the two battalions finished securing the area, a task force consisting of tanks, artillery and engineers moved along Highway 4 from Tây Ninh Combat Base and began building Firebase Custer (), which would serve as the 1st Brigade’s forward base and Firebase Beauregard () 5 km southeast on Route 246 near the village of Bo Tuc. The 3rd Brigade based at Dầu Tiếng Base Camp together with 2 ARVN infantry battalions also moved into the area locating numerous supply caches but few PAVN/VC. At 02:00 on 15 December, PAVN mortar fire began hitting the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry positions at Firebase Beauregard and then several hundred PAVN from the 7th Division attacked the base. Sappers penetrated the perimeter and placed satchel charges in the ammunition dump, setting off six hundred 105-mm. shells. The PAVN left behind 40 dead, while U.S. losses were 6 dead. COSVN strengthened their defenses by placing two regiments of the 9th Division along the border between the Fishhook region and War Zone C, while MG Mearns moved the 3rd Brigade into the northeastern part of War Zone C. By 29 December, the 3rd Brigade had established Firebase Burt () on Route 246, 12 km southeast of Firebase Beauregard. Firebase Burt measured 1 km from east to west and 500m from north to south, with a road running vertically through the middle. The command post and supply area was located at the center of the base. The 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment occupied 40 bunkers on the eastern half of the perimeter while the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, placed their M113 armored personnel carriers in

Hull-down In sailing and warfare, hull-down means that the upper part of a vessel or vehicle is visible, but the main, lower body (hull) is not; the term hull-up means that all of the body is visible. The terms originated with sailing and naval warfare i ...

positions along the western perimeter. Fire support was provided by Batteries A and C, 2nd Battalion, 77th Artillery Regiment, placed their eleven 105-mm. howitzers in the south, five 155-mm. self-propelled howitzers of Battery A, 3rd Battalion, 13th Artillery Regiment in the north, a pair of

M42 Duster The M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," is an American armored light air-defense gun built for the United States Army from 1952 until December 1960, in service until 1988. Production of this vehicle was performed by the ...

s from Battery B, 5th Battalion, 2nd Artillery Regiment and a pair of quad mounted M55 .50-caliber machine-guns from Battery D, 71st Artillery Regiment. On the evening of 31 December while a 24-hour New Year's truce was in effect, the 271st and the 272nd Regiments of the PAVN 9th Division moved into attack positions around Firebase Burt. At midnight on 1 January 1968 under cover of a mortar barrage the PAVN began a simultaneous attack on the northern and southern ends of the base. The defenders detonated the perimeter Claymore mines and responded with small arms and

Canister shot Canister shot is a kind of anti-personnel artillery ammunition. Canister shot has been used since the advent of gunpowder-firing artillery in Western armies. However, canister shot saw particularly frequent use on land and at sea in the various ...

. PAVN

rocket-propelled grenades A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are ...

knocked out an M113 and an M42 and at 02:30, a squad of sappers breached the south perimeter

razor wire Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The term "razor wire", through long usage, has generally been used to describe barbed tape products. Razor wire is much sharper th ...

. The 2/77th artillerymen lowered their 105-mm. howitzers and fired directly into the PAVN with beehive rounds forcing them to withdraw. The PAVN disengaged shortly before dawn on 1 January. 379 PAVN were killed and 8 wounded were captured, while U.S. losses were 23 dead.

Aftermath

Operation Yellowstone officially concluded on 24 February 1968, PAVN/VC losses were 1,254 killed and 146 individual and 68 crew-served weapons captured; U.S. losses were 81 killed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yellowstone, Operation 1967 in Vietnam 1968 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 in 1968 Battles and operations of the Vietnam War History of Tây Ninh Province