List of allied military operations of the Vietnam War (1972)

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This article is a list of known military operations of the Vietnam War in 1972, conducted by the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam, the Khmer Republic, the United States and their allies.

Contents

Date Duration Operation NameUnit(s) – DescriptionLocation VC – PAVN KIAs Allied KIAs
72 Operation Prek Ta [1] FANK and ARVN operation against PAVN
72 Operation Seahawk [2] US search and rescue operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, on the gun line off the coast, coming under enemy fire on 15 occasions Gulf of Tonkin
Feb 1 – Apr 30 Operation Keystone Owl [3] Redeployment of five infantry battalions, two cavalry squadrons and four air cavalry squadron from South Vietnam to the United States
Apr 1 – Sep 16 Operation Eastertide (Quảng Trị) [3] ARVN 3rd Division reinforced by the 1st Division, VNMC and Airborne Division defense and counteroffensive against the PAVN 304th, 308th, 312th, 320th, 324B and 325th Divisions Quảng Trị Province
Apr 2 – Jul 11 Operation Eastertide (An Loc) [3] ARVN 5th Division, reinforced by TF 52 comprising the ARVN 18th Division, 21st Division, 35th Regiment and 1st Airborne Brigade defense and recapture of An Loc An Loc
Apr 5 – May 10 Operation Freedom Train Initial US bombing campaign in response to the PAVN Easter Offensive, later superseded by Operation Linebacker
Apr 12 – Jul 14 Operation Eastertide (Kon Tum) [3] ARVN 23rd Division, reinforced by the 40th, 41st, 42nd and 47th Regiments, 22nd Division defense of Kon Tum against the PAVN 2nd, 3rd and 320th Divisions Kon Tum
May 1 – Jun 30 Operation Keystone Pheasant [3] Redeployment of 3/1 Cavalry, 196th Infantry Brigade and four infantry Battalions from South Vietnam to the United States
May 8 Operation Pocket Money [4] Mining of Haiphong Harbour by A-7 Corsair IIs and A-6 Intruders from the USS Coral Sea Haiphong Harbour
May 9 – Oct 23 Operation Linebacker I [5] U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 strategic bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, and mining of Haiphong harbor to turn back the Easter Offensive Hanoi and Haiphong
May 17 - Oct Operation Enhance [6] US resupply of military equipment and consumables to South Vietnam
Jun 3 – 12 Operation Thunderhead [3] US Navy SEAL Team One and Underwater Demolition Team (UDT)-11 operation to rescue 2 escaped US POWs Red River basin1
Jul 1 – Aug 31 Operation Keystone Wren [3] Redeployment of two infantry battalions from South Vietnam to the United States
Sep 1 – Nov 30 Operation Keystone Pelican [3] Redeployment of miscellaneous units from South Vietnam to the United States
20 Oct - Dec Operation Enhance Plus Transfer of equipment and bases from U.S. to South Vietnam
Dec 18 – 29 Operation Linebacker II [3] U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 strategic bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong, and mining of Haiphong harbor to force North Vietnam to return to the Paris Peace Talks Hanoi and Haiphong 1612

See also

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Project Copper was a coordinated military action undertaken by the Kingdom of Laos and the Khmer Republic from 1 January–May 1971. It used U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) funds channeled through the Central Intelligence Agency to train three Cambodian battalions to interdict the Sihanouk Trail before it joined the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Committed to battle in southern Laos on 1 January 1971, one battalion deserted the battlefield, a second one mutinied during training, and a third had to be repurposed after suffering 80 casualties. By late January, the project was temporarily suspended.

References

  1. ↑ Wilfred P. Deac (December 1996). "Losing Ground to the Khmer Rouge". Vietnam Magazine.
  2. ↑ "USS John Paul Jones DD 932, Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure". Archived from the original on 2010-12-06. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Vietnam Archive Operations Database". The Vietnam Center and Archive.
  4. ↑ Sherwood, John (2009). Nixon's Trident: Naval Power in Southeast Asia, 1968–1972. Naval History and Heritage Command. p.  75. ISBN   978-0-945274582.
  5. ↑ Lavalle, Maj. AC (1976). Airpower and the 1972 Spring Invasion (PDF). Maxwell AFB AL: Air University Press.
  6. ↑ Kissinger, Henry (11 February 2003). Ending the Vietnam War: A History of America's Involvement in and Extrication . Simon & Schuster Ltd. p.  350. ISBN   978-0-7432-1532-9.
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