Operation Wheeler/Wallowa

Operation Wheeler/Wallowa Part of the Vietnam War Date 11 September 1967- February 1968 Location Hiep Duc-Que Son Valley, South Vietnam Result U.S. victory Belligerents United States North Vietnam Commanders and leaders Unknown Units involved Initially 101st Airborne Division 1st Brigade CT 1st Cavalry Division 3rd Brigade CT 2nd Division Casualties and losses 110 killed, 2 missing, 473 wounded 865 killed

Operation Wheeler/Wallowa was a U.S. offensive operation during the Vietnam War, launched on 11 September 1967 and concluding in February 1968.

Operation

Operation Wheeler

Operation Wheeler was launched on 11 September 1967, under the control of the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The operation was characterized by battalion size combat assaults of the high ground west of Tam Ky in Quang Nam province. These combat assaults were followed by search and destroy operations to find and destroy enemy forces, base camps, and fortifications. The operation was coordinated with the U.S. Marine Corps/Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) Operation Swift/Lien Ket 116 in the Quế Sơn Valley.^[1]

Operation Wallowa

Operation Wallowa was launched on 4 October 1967 under the control of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. The operation involved intensive surveillance of the Hiep Duc-Que Son Valley. Small units were combat assaulted into the area to find the enemy prior to the insertion of ready reaction forces.

Operation Wheeler/Wallowa

On 11 November 1967 both Operations Wheeler and Wallowa were merged to facilitate coordination and control. Seven US Army infantry battalions were participating in the action.

On 12 February 1968, after participating in Task Force Miracle (the defense of Da Nang during the Tet Offensive), the 1st Battalion 6th Infantry returned south and conducted combat operations under the control of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. On 27 February 1968, the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division tactical area of operations passed to the 196th Infantry Brigade and the 1st Battalion 6th Infantry came under their operational control. The 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division moved out of the Americal Division area and deployed in the II Corps Tactical Zone further to the south.

References

1. Telfer, Gary (1984). U.S. Marines in Vietnam: Fighting the North Vietnamese 1967. History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. p. 119. ISBN 978-1494285449.

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

External links

• http://www.lzcenter.com/Operations.html#Wheeler Wallowa Article by Pete Shotts used with permission.