| Operation Coronado IX | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Operation Coronado, Vietnam War | |||||||
 ATCs move down a canal escorted by Monitors, November 1967 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 South Vietnam United States |
 Viet Cong | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
BG William B. Fulton Col. Burt A. David | Unknown | ||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
3 battalions 2 battalions |
263rd Battalion 502nd Battalion | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 76 killed | US body count: 434 killed | ||||||
Operation Coronado IX was a riverine military operation conducted by the Mobile Riverine Force (MRF) of the United States and elements of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) from November 1967 to January 1968 in an attempt to destroy Viet Cong (VC) strongholds in the Mekong Delta. In the middle of November, clashes resulted in the capture of VC supplies and hideouts. During this period, the VC lost 178 men but killed only 26. For the next few weeks there was little contact, although some abandoned VC bunkers were destroyed and supplies captured. On 4 December, a large engagement occurred when a VC battalion encountered the South Vietnamese 5th Marine Battalion. 266 VC were killed, mostly by the Marines. The Marines lost 40 killed, while the Americans suffered 9 dead. Over the next month and the Christmas period, there was only sporadic skirmishes, but at the start of the new year, there were some medium size battles in which the Americans killed a few dozen VC. After this there was little contact.