Operation Crimp

Operation Crimp
Part of the Vietnam War
An Australian sapper inspects a Viet Cong tunnel discovered during Operation Crimp, South Vietnam 1966.
Date 8–14 January 1966 Location Ho Bo Woods, Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam Result See "Aftermath"
Belligerents
United States  Australia  New Zealand	Viet Cong  North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
Jonathan O. Seaman Ellis W. Williamson Alex Preece Sandy MacGregor	Nguyen Thanh Linh
Units involved
1st Infantry Division 3rd Infantry Bde 173rd Airborne Bde 1 RAR	3rd Quyet Thang Bn 7th Cu Chi Bn C306 Local Force Coy
Strength
~8,000 men	US/Australia claim: ~1,000 to 5,000 men
Casualties and losses
14 killed 8 killed	US/Australia body count: 128 killed 190 probably killed 92 captured

Operation Crimp (8–14 January 1966), also known as the Battle of the Ho Bo Woods, was a joint US-Australian military operation during the Vietnam War, which took place 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Cu Chi in Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam. The operation targeted a key Viet Cong headquarters that was believed to be concealed underground, and involved two brigades under the command of the US 1st Infantry Division, including the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) which was attached to the US 173rd Airborne Brigade. Heavy fighting resulted in significant casualties on both sides, but the combined American and Australian force was able to uncover an extensive tunnel network covering more than 200 kilometres (120 miles), at the cost of 8 Australians and 14 Americans killed and 29 Australians and 76 Americans wounded.

The operation was the largest allied military action mounted during the war in South Vietnam to that point, and the first fought at division level. Despite some success, the allied force was only able to partially clear the area and it remained a key communist transit and supply base throughout the war. The tunnels were later used as a staging area for the attack on Saigon during the 1968 Tet offensive before they were largely destroyed by heavy bombing from American B-52 bombers in 1970, ending their utility.