Operation Crazy Horse

Operation Crazy Horse
Part of Vietnam War

map of the Vinh Thanh valley and Operation Crazy Horse
Date16 May - 5 June 1966
Location
Vĩnh Thạnh, South Vietnam
14°07′44″N 108°49′52″E / 14.129°N 108.831°E / 14.129; 108.831
Result US claims operational success
Belligerents
 United States
 South Vietnam
 South Korea		 Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
United States MG John Norton
United States Col. John J. Hennessey		 unknown
Units involved
United States 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division 2nd Regiment
Casualties and losses
United States 79 killed
1 missing[1]
South Vietnam 8 killed[2]: 227–8 
South Korea 14 killed[2]: 227–8 		 US body count: 478 killed[1]
PAVN claim: 152 killed[3]

Operation Crazy Horse (16 May to 5 June 1966), named after Lakota warrior Crazy Horse, was a search and destroy mission during the Vietnam War conducted by military forces of the United States, South Vietnam, and the Republic of South Korea in two valleys in Bình Định Province of South Vietnam.

The objective of the operation was to destroy the Viet Cong (VC) 2nd Regiment (approximately 2,000 men) believed to be in the area and thereby prevent an attack on the Vinh Thanh Civilian Irregular Defense Group camp. The U.S. forces had the continuing objective of protecting Highway 19 and the base camp of the 1st Cavalry Division at An Khe from harassment by the VC.

  1. ^ a b Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492-2015, 4th ed. Micheal Clodfelter. Micheal Clodfelter. ISBN 978-0-7864-7470-7. P. 676
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Carland was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "List of 3rd Division's KIA during the war". Archived from the original on 2022-10-07. Retrieved 2022-10-08.