Operation Masher

Operation Masher
	Part of the Vietnam War
Date	January 24 – March 6, 1966
Location	Bồng Sơn Plain, Kim Sơn Valley, An Lão Valley, Bình Định Province, South Vietnam
Result	Allied operational success; PAVN/VC claim they evaded operation
Belligerents
United States; South Vietnam; South Korea	North Vietnam; Viet Cong
Commanders and leaders
Harry Kinnard; Hal Moore; Elvy B. Roberts; William R. Lynch	Giap Van Cuong
Units involved
1st Cavalry Division; 22nd Infantry Division; Capital Division	3rd Division
Strength
5,700; ~10,000; unknown	~6,000 (US estimate)
Casualties and losses
288 killed; 990 wounded; 10 killed; 40 wounded; unknown; PAVN claim: 2,000+ killed, wounded or captured:chapter 4	US body count:; 2,150 killed; 1,746 estimated killed; 300-600 captured; 500 defected; 254 weapons recovered
	Unknown number of civilian casualties, reportedly 10,000+

Operation Masher, also known as Operation White Wing, (24 January—6 March 1966) was the largest search and destroy mission that had been carried out in the Vietnam War up until that time.^[6] It was a combined mission of the United States Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) in Bình Định Province on the central coast of South Vietnam. The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 3rd Division, made up of two regiments of North Vietnamese regulars and one regiment of main force Viet Cong (VC) guerrillas, controlled much of the land and many of the people of Bình Định Province, which had a total population of about 800,000.^[7]^: 201 A CIA report in 1965 said that Binh Dinh was "just about lost" to the communists.^[8]

The name "Operation Masher" was changed to "Operation White Wing", because President Lyndon Johnson wanted the name changed to one that sounded more benign. Adjacent to the operational area of Masher/White Wing in Quang Ngai province the U.S. and South Vietnamese Marine Corps carried out a complementary mission called Operation Double Eagle.^[9]

The 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) was the principal U.S. ground force involved in Operation Masher and that operation was marked as a success by its commanders. Claims are made that the PAVN 3rd Division had been dealt a hard blow, but intelligence reports indicated that a week after the withdrawal of the 1st Cavalry PAVN soldiers were returning to take control of the area where Operation Masher had taken place.^[9]^[7]^: 214–5 Most of the PAVN/VC had slipped away prior to or during the operation,^[10] and discrepancy between weapons recovered and body count led to criticisms of the operation.^[11]

Allegations that there were a reported six civilian casualties for every reported PAVN/VC casualty during the Fulbright Hearings prompted growing criticism of US conduct of the war and contributed to greater public dissension at home.^[5]^: 266–8 During Operation Masher, the ROK Capital Division were alleged to have committed the Bình An/Tây Vinh massacre between 12 February and 17 March 1966, in which over 1,000 civilians were allegedly killed.^[12]^[4] The operation would create almost 125,000 homeless people in this province, and the PAVN/VC forces would reappear just months after the US had conducted the operation.^[10]

^ "3- Cuộc tổng tiến công và nổi dậy Tết mậu thân 1968, đánh thắng chiến lược "Chiến tranh cục bộ" của Mỹ (1965-1968)". Socialist Republic of Vietnam government portal. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Combat After Action Report 1st Cavalry Division Operation Masher 25 Jan-3 Feb 66 Operation White Wing 4 Feb-6 Mar 66". Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division. 29 April 1966. p. Incl 1-1. Retrieved 29 January 2015.^{[permanent dead link]} This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Cite error: The named reference YellowStar_3rdDivision_Memoir was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th ed. McFarland. p. 676. ISBN 9781476625850.
^ ^a ^b Hammond, William M. (1988). Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1962-1968. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160016738. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Tucker, Spencer C. (1998), The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 250
^ ^a ^b Carland, John M. (2000). Combat Operations Stemming the Tide, May 1965 to October 1966 United States Army in Vietnam. Center of Military History, United States Army. ISBN 9781519302137. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ McManus, John C. (2010) (2010). Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq. New American Library. p. 180. ISBN 9780451227904.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b Prados, John (2002). "Operation Masher: The Boundaries of Force". The Veteran Feb/Mar. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
^ ^a ^b Ward, Geoffrey C.; Burns, Ken (2017-09-05). The Vietnam War: An Intimate History. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 152–3. ISBN 9781524733100.
^ "Publication, 1st Cavalry Division Association - Interim Report of Operations, First Cavalry Division, July 1965 to December 1966", ca. 1967, Folder 01, Box 01, Richard P. Carmody Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University". Retrieved 17 April 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Ku Su Jeong. "Words of Condemnation and Drinks of Reconciliation Massacre in Vin Dinh Province All 380 People Turned into Dead Bodies Within an Hour". Hankyoreh. Retrieved 2011-07-18.

[1] "3- Cuộc tổng tiến công và nổi dậy Tết mậu thân 1968, đánh thắng chiến lược "Chiến tranh cục bộ" của Mỹ (1965-1968)". Socialist Republic of Vietnam government portal. Retrieved 30 August 2022.

[CAAR-2] "Combat After Action Report 1st Cavalry Division Operation Masher 25 Jan-3 Feb 66 Operation White Wing 4 Feb-6 Mar 66". Headquarters 1st Cavalry Division. 29 April 1966. p. Incl 1-1. Retrieved 29 January 2015.^{[permanent dead link]} This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[YellowStar_3rdDivision_Memoir-3] Cite error: The named reference YellowStar_3rdDivision_Memoir was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Clodfelter-4] Clodfelter, Micheal (2017). Warfare and Armed Conflicts: A Statistical Encyclopedia of Casualty and Other Figures, 1492–2015, 4th ed. McFarland. p. 676. ISBN 9781476625850.

[Hammond-5] Hammond, William M. (1988). Public Affairs: The Military and the Media, 1962-1968. Government Printing Office. ISBN 9780160016738. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[6] Tucker, Spencer C. (1998), The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War, New York: Oxford University Press, p. 250

[Carland-7] Carland, John M. (2000). Combat Operations Stemming the Tide, May 1965 to October 1966 United States Army in Vietnam. Center of Military History, United States Army. ISBN 9781519302137. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[McManus-8] McManus, John C. (2010) (2010). Grunts: Inside the American Infantry Combat Experience, World War II through Iraq. New American Library. p. 180. ISBN 9780451227904.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[Prados-9] Prados, John (2002). "Operation Masher: The Boundaries of Force". The Veteran Feb/Mar. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

[Ward-10] Ward, Geoffrey C.; Burns, Ken (2017-09-05). The Vietnam War: An Intimate History. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. pp. 152–3. ISBN 9781524733100.

[1CavIR-11] "Publication, 1st Cavalry Division Association - Interim Report of Operations, First Cavalry Division, July 1965 to December 1966", ca. 1967, Folder 01, Box 01, Richard P. Carmody Collection, The Vietnam Center and Archive, Texas Tech University". Retrieved 17 April 2015. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[hani990902en-12] Ku Su Jeong. "Words of Condemnation and Drinks of Reconciliation Massacre in Vin Dinh Province All 380 People Turned into Dead Bodies Within an Hour". Hankyoreh. Retrieved 2011-07-18.

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