Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. OPERATION HARVEST MOON

Abstract

Operation Harvest Moon was a combined U.S. Marine Corps - ARVN operation conducted in the Song Ly Ly valley of Quang Tin Province on 8-18 December 1965. In the first two days of the operation, two crack Vietnamese battalions, the 11th Rangers and the 1st Bn, 5th Regiment, were battered by the Viet Cong into ineffectiveness. The 5th Regiment headquarters was overrun. The USMC plan for ground and air support for the ARVN units in the initial phase of the operation broke down completely. Amid some bitterness, the commander, I Corps, withdrew from the combined operation and operated independently after the first two days. During the early hours of the operation, the Marine ground - air control unit became missing in action resulting in a breakdown of the planned system for air support. U. S. Air Force forward air controllers, who were denied access to planning for the operation, saved the day when they took over control of air strikes and led retreating ARVN units to safety on the 8th and 9th of December. There were two distinct Direct Air Support Centers working during the operation with a dangerous lack of coordination and control of air strikes in the early phase. While there was a favorable kill ratio, the operation left much to be desired, particularly in its planning stages and its opening days. Air Force forward air controllers, who knew the operational area intimately, were not called upon to support ARVN or Marine units until an emergency developed. The Air Liaison Officer with the 2d ARVN Division, the element involved in the operation, sought access to planning sessions without success. This study covers the initial phases of Operation Harvest Moon and particularly the first two days which were critical. It seeks not only to portray the substantial USAF role but to study an operation which had two distinct systems for air control in operation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 03, 1966
Accession Number
ADA485092

Entities

People

  • Kenneth Sams

Organizations

  • Pacific Air Forces

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Control Centers
  • Air Force
  • Air Strikes
  • Aircrafts
  • Artillery
  • Close Support
  • Combat Operations
  • Control Systems
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Fixed Wing Aircraft
  • Guns
  • Helicopters
  • Observers
  • Small Arms
  • Tactical Air Support
  • Task Forces
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military Science