Operation Delaware

Operation Delaware
	Part of the Vietnam War
Date	19 April – 17 May 1968
Location	A Shau Valley, Republic of Vietnam
Belligerents
United States; South Vietnam	North Vietnam
Commanders and leaders
John J. Tolson	;
Units involved
1st Cavalry Division; 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division; Republic of Vietnam Airborne Division	;
Casualties and losses
142 killed; 26 killed; PAVN claim:1,000 casualties	US body count: 869 killed; 1 light tank captured; 70 trucks captured; 2 bulldozers captured

Operation Delaware/Operation Lam Son 216 was a joint military operation launched during the Vietnam War. It began on 19 April 1968, with troops from the United States and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) moving into the A Sầu Valley. The A Sầu Valley was a vital corridor for moving military supplies coming from the Ho Chi Minh Trail and was used by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) as a staging area for numerous attacks in northern I Corps. Other than small, special operations reconnaissance patrols, American and South Vietnamese forces had not been present in the region since the Battle of A Shau in March 1966, when a U.S. Special Forces camp located there was overrun.^[1]^[2]^: 182–92

^ Ankony, Robert (2009). Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. pp. 157–72. ISBN 9780761832812.
^ Tolson, John (1973). Vietnam Studies: Airmobility 1961–1971. Department of the Army. ISBN 9781494721848. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[ankony1-1] Ankony, Robert (2009). Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri. Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group. pp. 157–72. ISBN 9780761832812.

[Tolson-2] Tolson, John (1973). Vietnam Studies: Airmobility 1961–1971. Department of the Army. ISBN 9781494721848. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

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