Operation Clinch Valley
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| Operation Clinch Valley | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Vietnam War | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 United States South Vietnam |
 North Vietnam | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
|
John J. Hennessey Sidney Bryan Berry Ngô Quang Trưởng | |||||
| Units involved | |||||
|
1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division 3rd Regiment, 1st Infantry Division | 9th Regiment | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
| US body count: 266 killed | |||||
Operation Clinch Valley was a joint U.S. Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) military operation during the Vietnam War to engage People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) units on the Khe Sanh plateau and prevent them from reinforcing PAVN units in the A Sầu Valley.
U.S. forces launched Operation Texas Star on 1 April to establish firebases east of the A Sầu Valley. U.S. intelligence indicated that the PAVN 9th Regiment, 304th Division, was infiltrating into South Vietnam to reinforce or replace the weakened PAVN 66th Regiment in the northwest portion of the 101st Airborne Division's area of operations.[1]: E-12
On the afternoon of 6 July a Ranger team from the 101st Airborne Division operating 13 km northwest of Khe Sanh engaged a PAVN infiltration group. Supported by artillery and helicopter gunships the team killed 10 PAVN. Five U.S. were wounded in the action. On 8 July 4km southwest of Khe Sanh, elements of Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment observed and engaged a PAVN force estimated at 250 soldiers. Aerial rocketry was brought to bear, and Troop D was landed, engaging the PAVN to the west. The 8-hour long battle ended at 19:30 with 139 PAVN killed and four captured, U.S. losses were four killed. Initial interrogation established that the units involved were the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 9th Regiment.[1]: E-18
