Operation Junction City was an 82-day military operation that took place during the Vietnam War in 1967. The operation was a joint effort between United States and Republic of Vietnam (RVN) forces aimed at locating the elusive Communist uprising in South Vietnam, the Central Office of South Vietnam.

The operation involved the equivalent of nearly three divisions of U.S. troops and was the first U.S. combat airborne operation since the Korean War. The grand tactical plan for Junction City involved a "hammer and anvil" tactic, with airborne forces "flushing out" the VC headquarters and driving it against a prepared "anvil" of other forces. The U.S. forces included most of the 1st Infantry Division and the 25th Infantry Division, including the airborne troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade and large armored elements of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The initial operation was carried out by the 1st and 25th infantry divisions, who led their forces to the north of the operational area to build the "anvil" on which the VC 9th Division would be crushed. At the same time, 845 paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade conducted the only mass combat jump of the war and the largest since the Korean War.

At first, the operations appeared to be succeeding, objectives were reached without encountering great resistance, and on 23 February, the mechanized forces 11th ACR and the 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, the "hammer" of armor struck against the '"anvil" of the infantry and airborne positioned north and west, giving the VC forces seemingly no chance to escape.

Despite these early successes, the VC, highly mobile and elusive, with information sources deep in the South Vietnamese bureaucracy, had already moved their headquarters to Cambodia and launched several attacks to inflict losses and wear down the Americans. On 28 February and 10 March, there were engagements with U.S. forces at the Battle of Prek Klok I and the Battle of Prek Klok II where the US, supported by powerful air strikes and massive artillery support repulsed VC attacks, but the strategic result was disappointing.

Top photo: Tay Ninh City, Vietnam 1967. Operation Junction City was the largest U.S. operation of the Vietnam War to "find and break the spine of the Viet Cong, destroy the headquarters," focusing on one target, the northern base of Tay Ninh. The operation was divided into two waves. Source: Public Domain.

Bottom photo: Tay Ninh City, Vietnam 1967. Operation Junction City in Tay Ninh province. This is a view with "C" Company Infantry 2nd Brigade 1st Infantry Division (Big Red One), in operation at "Junction City," 10 kilometers East of the border, 25 kilometers Northeast of Tay Ninh City. Source: Public Domain.

On 18 March, 1967, General Bruce Palmer Jr. launched the second phase of Junction City, this time directly to the east by the mechanized divisions, the 1st Infantry Division and 11th ACR, reinforced this time from the 1st Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division. This maneuver gave rise to the toughest battle of the operation, the 19 March Battle of Ap Bau Bang II, where the VC 273rd Regiment put into difficulties the American armored cavalry before being forced to retire by a huge amount of firepower.

The VC launched two more attacks in force, on 21 March and in Ap Gu on 1 April, against the 1st and 25th Infantry Division, both assaults were bloodily repulsed, and the VC 9th Division came out seriously weakened, though still able to fight or retreat to safety in areas adjacent to the Cambodian border. On 16 April, the U.S. command of II Field Force, in agreement with the MACV, decided to continue operations with a third phase of Operation Junction City. Until 14 May, certain units of the 25th Infantry Division undertook long and exhausting searches, advancing in the bush, raking villages, and retrieving large amounts of materiel, but with little contact with VC units, which had cautiously moved to a defensive footing.

Overall, Operation Junction City was a significant military operation that involved a joint effort between United States and Republic of Vietnam (RVN) forces. The operation aimed to locate the Communist uprising in South Vietnam and involved almost three divisions of U.S. troops. Although the operation achieved some early successes, the VC proved to be highly mobile and elusive, leading to several engagements with U.S. forces. The operation ultimately weakened the VC 9th Division and demonstrated the difficulties U.S. troops faced in tracking down elusive and highly mobile guerrilla forces. Operation Junction City remains an important part of the Vietnam War and highlights the challenges of conducting military operations in a guerrilla warfare environment.

Bibliography

"CIA: The Situation in Vietnam: 24 February 1967." We Are the Nation's First Line of Defense - CIA. Accessed December 9, 2023. https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP79T00826A001700010007-0.pdf.

Hastings, Max. Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975. New York: Harper Perennial, 2018.

Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: A History. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Penguin Books, 1984.

"Operation Junction City, 1967." Stars and Stripes. Last modified November 11, 2020. https://www.stripes.com/history/archive_photo_of_the_day/operation-junction-city-1967-1.651657.