Operation Fairfax

The operation commenced in December and by the end of the month had claimed 235 VC killed or captured as compared to 15 in November, however despite a general improvement in security ambushes actually increased during this period.^[1]: 157

In January 1967, General Westmoreland ordered that the 199th Infantry Brigade commanded by Brigadier general Charles Ryder take over as the dedicated unit responsible for the operation. In February VC killed or captured increased to over 300.^[1]: 158

In March, Ryder was promoted and replaced as commander of the 199th Brigade by Brigadier general John F. Freund, Westmoreland's former assistant and MACV training director who had close relationships with Viên and National Police Chief General Nguyễn Ngọc Loan.^{[1]: 158–9}

In March and April, security in the operational area appeared to improve, but this was regarded as illusory while the South Vietnamese Government continued to delay reforms and public works creating apathy among the populace who were open to the VC political agenda. Intelligence operations were having limited success in identifying and eliminating the VC political infrastructure.^[1]: 159

In April the JGS charged that ARVN units performing security duties in the operation were helping local authorities and absentee landlords collect retroactive land rents and taxes from peasant tenants in formerly insecure areas. Viên and his chief of staff, Nguyen Van Vy, termed the practice illegal, if only because the owners themselves had paid no taxes for the period concerned. But the ramifications were obviously much deeper. If the practice was indeed widespread the Vietnamese farmers must have seen the returning government troops as oppressors, rather than liberators, and the Saigon regime that they represented as only concerned with the interests of a privileged minority. The entire concept of employing regular troops in this manner was thus open to question, and may explain why it was so easy for the VC to move men and supplies into the Saigon area for a major offensive scheduled for early 1968.^[2]: 251

By June, Westmoreland was of the view that the ARVN and National Police had become too dependent on the U.S. to bear the burden of the operation and he advised Viên that by the end of 1967 the 199th Brigade would be withdrawn from Gia Định Province. Viên agreed with this change and was embarrassed that U.S. units had had to be responsible for the defense of the capital for so long. He ordered that the 5th Ranger Group take over ARVN responsibility for the operation.^[1]: 160

By July, over 75 U.S./ARVN ambushes were being set up each night and bases had been established to interdict traffic on the Đồng Nai river. U.S. helicopter gunships sank an estimated 700 VC sampans during the course of the operation.^{[1]: 160–1}

In August, Freund was wounded during an operation and command passed to Brigadier general Robert C. Forbes. Forbes regarded the Rangers as still being too dependent on the U.S. "buddy" units, but given their limited resources this was hardly surprising and he arranged to have more modern equipment delivered and U.S. advisers attached.^[1]: 161

On 24 September, the pairing of U.S. and ARVN units was discontinued and the 199th Brigade and ARVN Rangers operated independently in different sectors, occasionally conducting combined operations.^[1]: 161

Operation Fairfax officially concluded on 15 December, the US claimed VC losses were over 1,200 killed or captured.^[1]: 162 While Westmoreland regarded the operation as a limited success, he concluded that the integration of U.S. and ARVN units was counterproductive, reducing the ARVN to combat auxiliaries.^[1]: 162

While the operation had somewhat improved security in Gia Định Province, this was only temporary as the VC infrastructure had not been seriously disrupted and within six weeks of the end of the operation the VC were able to launch their Tet Offensive attacks on Saigon.^[3]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.