Background Information

Operation WASHINGTON GREEN I-IIwas a major undertaking by both the U.S. and ARVN combat units in II Corps during the period 15 April 1969-1 January 1971. The Operationtook place in Binh Dinh Province, northern II Corps in and aroundsuch locations as An Lao Valley, An Khe, An Loc, An Thinh, Binh Di; Bong Son, Dai Dinh, Hoai An, My Duc, Phu Huu, Phu My, Tam Quan, and Xuan Vinh. Well known Landing Zones (LZs) were Crystal, English, Mahoney, Stinger, Tape and Uplift, as well as unnamed locations. The Operation was primary a Combination Search and Clear/Cordon and Search operations in support of the ongoing pacification efforts inBinhDinhProvince.

Numerous US and ARVN units conducted combat operations in support of Operation WASHINGTON GREEN. These included:

US Units

4th Infantry Division

1-12th Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade

101st Airborne Division:

2-506th Airborne Infantry Battalion, 3rd Brigade

3-506th Airborne Infantry Battalion, 1st Brigade - *What military historians failed to mention is that the 3-506th (OPCON to the 173rd Abn. Destroyed the 8th Battalion, 22nd NVA Regiment on Hill 474 in 1970, which other US and ARVN units could not accomplish.

173d Airborne Brigade

1-503rdAirborne Infantry Battalion

2-503rdAirborne Infantry Battalion

3-503rdAirborne Infantry Battalion

4-503rdAirborne Infantry Battalion

1-50th Mechanized Infantry

ARVF (ARVN Arm Forces)

40th and 41st Regiments, 22nd ARVN Division

NVA/VC

3rd NVA Division

2nd, 18thand 22ndNVA regiments

Casualties totals for Operation WASHINGTON GREEN were 142 USKIA, 1342 WIA. The enemy suffered 1957 KIA and many more WIA.

As part of Operation WASHINGTON GREEN`, the 3d Battalion, 506th Infantry under OPCON of the 173d Airborne Brigade begins a month-long battle for the control of Hill 474 in BinhDinhProvince defended by elements of the 22nd PAVN Regiment. This 173d Airborne Bde pacification operation was conducted in the An Lao Valley of Binh Dinh Province and claimed 1,957 known enemy casualties.

15 April 1969-1 January 1971: Operations Washington Green I-II. Locations: II Corps; Binh Dinh Province; An Lao Valley; An Khe; An Loc; An Thinh; Binh Di; Bong Son; Dai Dinh; Hoai An; My Duc; Phu Huu; Phu My; Tam Quan; Xuan Vinh; LZs Crystal, English, Mahoney, Stinger, Tape and Uplift. Type/ Objective: Combination Search and Clear/Cordon and Search operations in support of the ongoing pacification efforts in BinhDinhProvince. Units: USA-4th Infantry Division: 2d Bde (1/12th Inf), 10lst Airborne Division: 3d Bde (2/506th Inf), 173d Airborne Brigade (1/503d Abn, 2/S03d Abn, 3/S03d Abn, 4/S03d Abn, 1/50th Inf [Mec.]); VNAF -22d ARVN Division (40th and 41st ARVN regiments); NVA/VC-3d NV A Division (2d, 18th and 22d NV A regiments).

Events: 2 May 1969- Enemy forces shoot down a recon chopper of C-7/17th Cavalry, 12 miles north of Bong Son. An aero-rifle platoon (Blue Team) is inserted to retrieve

the dead and comes under heavy fire. D-2/S03d Airborne is sent as reinforcements. U.S. losses for the day are four KIA and three WIA. Enemy losses are unknown. 9 May 1969-Company B-1/S0th Infantry (M) tangles with an enemy squad seven miles northeast of

Bong Son. I losses in the brief firefight: U.S.-7 WIA; NVA/VC-2 KIA. 26 May 1969-An armored personnel carrier (APC) of C-1/50th Infantry (M) is hit by a command-detonated mine approximately five miles west of Bong Son. Eight Americans are WIA in the blast. 17 June 1969-LZ English, four miles north of Bong Son, is hit by an enemy rocket and grenade attack. Sixteen members of 2/503dAirborne and C, N!15th Infantry (Rangers) are WIA.

Casualties: Totals for Washington Green I-II. U.S.-142+ KIA, 1342+ WIA; NVA/VC -1957 KIA. 21 April: Location: I Corps; QuangTriProvince; "The Rockpile"; Elliott Com- bat Base. Action: An NVA company attacks U.S. Marine positions approximately five miles northeast of "The Rock pile." Units: USMC-G-2/9th Marines; NVA/VC-36th NVA Regiment (elements). Casualties: U.S.-8 KIA, 23 WIA; NVA/VC-42 KIA, 3 POWs.

*From 173rd Airborne Brigade records:

The NVA next struck at a hamlet called An Qui. There, Company A, 4/503 Infantry, had established its command post along with the hamlet security forces. The attack came at 0330H. Captain Richard Timmons, the company commander, had set up roving patrols. They detected the intruders and reacted aggressively. They killed ten and captured the lone survivor of an 11-man NVA raiding force. Over the Christmas and New Year of 1969 - 70 the intelligence picture showed that a regiment of the 3d NVA Division had moved onto Hill 474, in the An Lao valley west of Tam Quan district. The hill was composed of huge boulders bigger than buildings that created thousands of caves and tunnels. It was best described as an upside-down bowl of popcorn.

At first, the troopers tried the conventional method of attack. That did not work; the enemy was too well protected in the caves from US artillery fire. Even lO5mm high explosive rounds fired directly into the hill had little effect. The hill itself had no value. Taking it by infantry assault would mean nothing. So the brigade laid siege to the NVA regiment. With an infantry battalion attached from the 101st Airborne Division (3-506th), and its own 3/503, plus artillery, it kept the hill encircled.

The hill was pounded day and night with artillery and air strikes. The 51st Chemical Detachment used CH-47 Chinook helicopters to pour thousands of gallons of thickened fuel on the hill. The fuel seeped down into the caves. Thermite grenades were dropped, igniting the fuel. The 3-503rd (173rd Bde.) and the 3-506thfrom the 101st Airborne Division patrolled and set up ambushes at night to catch the NVA troops filtering out in small groups. Sometimes they would make contact, other times find evidence that some NVA soldiers had slipped through. Occasionally they would capture some.

Finally Hill 474 was quiet. A prisoner led the troops to the regimental commander's office deep in- side the hill. Situation maps covered with clear acetate remained on the wall. The prisoner showed the troopers a ledge overlooking a pit. He told them that was where the NVA threw their dead. The stench wafting up from the pit agreed. A trooper was lowered over the ledge on a 100-foot nylon line to investigate. He reached the end of the line but did not touch bottom. He was hauled back up, and another 100-foot line added. He was lowered again to the extent of the line, still no bottom. He dropped rocks, but could not hear them hit. He was hauled back up again. The pit was left undisturbed. Also in January 1970, 1-503rdin Hoai An district decided the RF and PF troops were ready to take on a larger role in security in the low country. That would release its units to operate back in the mountains. Disrupting the VC at the source would improve security of the lowlands.

The battalion returned to conducting 'Hawk' team operations perfected in late 1968. Small patrols of fire team size (five or six men) were lifted by helicopter into the mountains above the fertile plains being pacified.

These reconnaissance patrols stayed out for four days or so, hunting for the enemy. When the enemy was located, the Hawk teams assaulted him, maintaining contact until the enemy was destroyed or broke contact himself.