Operation Fillmore Explained

Conflict:Operation Fillmore
Partof:Vietnam War
Date:26 March – 21 July 1966
Place:Phú Yên Province, South Vietnam
Result:Inconclusive
Combatant1: United States
Combatant2: North Vietnam
Commander1:BG Willard Pearson
Commander2:
Units1:1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division
Units2:
Casualties1:8 killed
Casualties2:U.S body count: 134 killed
35 captured

Operation Fillmore was an operation conducted by the 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division in Phú Yên Province, lasting from 26 March to 21 July 1966.[1]

Prelude

Operation Fillmore was a continuation of the harvest security operations of Operation Harrison.[1]

Operation

The 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment was retained as a reserve force at Tuy Hoa Air Base, while the 2/327th Infantry and the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment patrolled the rice-growing plains and the western foothills.[1]

In early April, 2/502nd Infantry was rotated to Tuy Hoa Air Base and 1/327th and 2/327th began a block and sweep operation in the mountains northwest of Tuy Hòa. On 7 April a company from 1/327th engaged an entrenched company-sized force, killing 28 defenders.[1]

Given that the PAVN had apparently withdrawn from the Tuy Hòa Valley, on 9 April 1/327th and 2/502nd were redeployed, leaving only the 2/327th Infantry to continue operations.[1]

Aftermath

Operation Fillmore officially concluded on 21 July, the US claimed PAVN losses were 134 killed and 35 captured, U.S. losses were 8 killed.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Carland, John. Combat Operations: Stemming the Tide, May 1965 to October 1966. Government Printing Office. 1999. 9780160873102. 193.